Don't Cry For Me, Argentina
John R Wallace
I may be crazy, but when the show "Evita" was making the rounds off
Broadway, the TV and radio ads played a line from the song "Don't Cry For
Me, Argentina," which I heard as "...I kept my promise, you keep your
distance..," which seemed very much in keeping with the Evita
Peron character as a ruthless, power-hungry woman behind the scenes in
Argentine politics. But now the Madonna version goes "...I kept my
promise, _don't_ keep your distance.." thus portraying Evita Peron as a
benevolent and beloved woman of the people.
Has this struck anyone else as odd, or am I alone in my suspicion that
this is an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of another wife of a
well-known politician, famous for her ruthlessness and aspirations to
positions of power?
John R. Wallace
R Mentock
Evita was not the original lyricist.
--
D.
men...@mindSpring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~mentock/index.htm
Harlan Messinger
John R Wallace <jr...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>I may be crazy, but when the show "Evita" was making the rounds off
>Broadway, the TV and radio ads played a line from the song "Don't Cry For
>Me, Argentina," which I heard as "...I kept my promise, you keep your
>distance..," which seemed very much in keeping with the Evita
>Peron character as a ruthless, power-hungry woman behind the scenes in
>Argentine politics. But now the Madonna version goes "...I kept my
>promise, _don't_ keep your distance.." thus portraying Evita Peron as a
>benevolent and beloved woman of the people.
I always thought it was, "I kept my promise to do the dishes."
Michael J. Strickland
John R Wallace wrote:
>
> I may be crazy, but when the show "Evita" was making the rounds off
> Broadway, the TV and radio ads played a line from the song "Don't Cry For
> Me, Argentina," which I heard as "...I kept my promise, you keep your
> distance..,"
I remember the broadway version as "...I kept my promise, don't keep
your distance" but maybe there were two lines in the song:
(1) "I kept my promise, you keep your distance" (complaint)
(2) "I kept my promise, don't keep your distance" (admonsihemnt)
--
Michael Gaithersburg. Maryland
(micha...@worldnet.att.net)
(mik...@ibm.net)
Greg Diamond
In article <Pine.SUN.3.95L.97012...@merhaba.cc.columbia.edu>,
John R Wallace <jr...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>I may be crazy, but when the show "Evita" was making the rounds off
>Broadway, the TV and radio ads played a line from the song "Don't Cry For
>Me, Argentina," which I heard as "...I kept my promise, you keep your
>Peron character as a ruthless, power-hungry woman behind the scenes in
>Argentine politics. But now the Madonna version goes "...I kept my
>promise, _don't_ keep your distance.." thus portraying Evita Peron as a
>benevolent and beloved woman of the people.
The original lyrics are as in the movie:
Don't cry for me, Argentina; the truth is I never left you.
All through my wild days, my mad existence,
I kept my promise. Don't keep your distance.
I've added the punctuation for cogency. You'll see that it's a little
hard for a singer to convey due to the meter of the song. By the way,
Evita was hardly a *behind* the scenes figure; hence her fame!
The question that I have about the songs in Evita is that for years,
before finally buying the soundtrack, I had thought that the refrain in
the song in which the military and aristocracy complain about Evita (e.g.
"She should get into her head / she should not get out of bed;
she should know that she's not paid / to be loud but to be laid"
was "Dangerous Games," and was nonplused to discover that it was in fact
"Dangerous Jade." What the hell is dangerous jade? Is there some
referent here of which I'm unaware?
>Has this struck anyone else as odd, or am I alone in my suspicion that
>this is an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of another wife of a
>well-known politician, famous for her ruthlessness and aspirations to
>positions of power?
If you're looking at it politically, I think you'd have a hard time
pinning it on Hillary, if that's your drift. At the time it came out
(early 80s) I remember it being thought of as, if anything, a sideways
slam on Nancy Reagan, if not Ron himself, who "simply seduced a nation."
But yes, the film does a slight (maybe 10%) whitewashing of the Evita
portrayed in the play, although much of the power of the play remains. If
you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled, stop reading here.
I'd
be
good
for
you
I'd
be
surprisingly
good
for
you
Enough spoiler space:
1) The egregious new song "You must love me" greatly increases the extent
to which Evita is given a "beautiful movie death," which detracts from the
overall theme (but keeps with the themes of Rice & Webber productions
*since* Evita, alas);
2) The beautiful tearjerker "Another suitcase in another hall" is for some
God-awful reason taken away (except in slight reprise) from Peron's young
mistress and given instead to Evita herself upon arriving in Buenos Aires
with Magaldi, which completely changes the tenor of their relationship,
makes us feel sorry for the suddenly poor vulnerable young Evita, and
which doesn't even make sense. (How many 15-year olds from small remote
villages, even if non-virgins since age 8, have the *kind* of background
that lets them start out "I don't expect my love affairs to last for
long," and so on? Feh.) It's there simply to pump up our sympathy for a
character who is, and *should* be, at that point, a tough social-climber.
3) The song about politics as "Art of the Possible" is chopped down to one
single verse (albeit the best one) in the movie, which again undermines
the machinations that Peron is going through. It's a real pity.
4) and perhaps most egregious: It is possible to interpret the movie
(unless you're *really* paying attention) as conveying the impression that
Evita and Juan were not really *themselves* profitting from their corrupt
administration of Argentina (especially through the Eva Peron Foundation),
but that instead the people around them were corrupt, which made them look
bad. To this I can merely point to one of the lines I recall from hearing
"And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out)" in London right around the time
that the Thatcherian armada was steaming towards the Falklands/Malvinas in
1982 (I'm still not sure if this was the best or worst possible time to
see the play in London -- maybe a bit of both.) While the song in the
play did, as does the movie, contain the line
"Accountants only slow things down, figures get in the way
Never been a lady loved as much as Eva Peron! (rollin' rollin')"
the play shifted the focus from Peronist negligence to outright corruption
with the beautiful little couplet (I paraphrase here):
"What a joy to sign your checks as three-oh-six-two-seven
"Never been accounts in the name of Eva Peron! (rollin' rollin')"
which means that the audience has no choice but to accept Evita as a
crook, even if a lovable and in ways admirable one. To me, a whitewashed
Evita is an uninteresting Evita; the play's power comes through most in
the "Waltz for Eva and Che" where the question of how one with power
should go about governing a country given the inevitable omnipresence of
evil -- go with bread and circuses and try to limit one's corruption to a
decorous level (Eva) or do the right thing even if it probably will be
ineffectual and lead to one's overthrow by real rotters (Che).
"There is evil -- ever around, fundamental
System of government quite incidental
So why go bananas chasing Nirvanas and failing?
Better to do what you can for a few
Than to lie -- much plainer sailing."
And if she's just cute and cuddly it simply doesn't work. She's tough as
nails and sentimental as salt. Madonna actually does a very good job, by
the way, of conveying both the physical frailty and toughness of the role.
Don't get me wrong: the movie is well worth seeing -- though I do
recommend people familiarize themselves with the words to the songs
beforehand since they're hard to pick up in real time -- but without these
vitiations of the play, it would be even better. There aren't many
musicals as wise about love or politics, let alone both.
--
<><><> "Punctuality is the thief of time" -- Oscar Wilde
Greg<> "What kills a skunk is the publicity." -- Abraham Lincoln
<>/\<> "Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything that they
<>\/<> do not make clear." -- Joseph Joubert
Nick Spalding
.John R Wallace <jr...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>
> I may be crazy, but when the show "Evita" was making the rounds off
> Broadway, the TV and radio ads played a line from the song "Don't Cry For
> Me, Argentina," which I heard as "...I kept my promise, you keep your
> distance..," which seemed very much in keeping with the Evita
> Peron character as a ruthless, power-hungry woman behind the scenes in
> Argentine politics. But now the Madonna version goes "...I kept my
> promise, _don't_ keep your distance.." thus portraying Evita Peron as a
> benevolent and beloved woman of the people.
>
> this is an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of another wife of a
> well-known politician, famous for her ruthlessness and aspirations to
> positions of power?
>
your distance". I think you have just heard it right for the first
time, maybe Madonna's articulation is more attuned to your ear than
Elaine Page's (if I'm right in remembering the right girl from the
first time round).
--
Nick Spalding
Paul H. Henry
Along the same lines: I've heard this song a lot recently, and as I'd
rather shave my head with a putty knife than watch Madonna in an Andrew
Lloyd Webber musical, I wonder if someone could tell me:
-- why Argentina may have considered crying for Evita,
-- why she didn't want them to, and
-- what was the promise she kept.
--
=============================================================================
_ (phe...@halcyon.com) || Okay, folks. Show's over. Nothing
|_) || to see here. Move along.
| aul H. Henry - Seattle, Wash.||"I'm a hoochie-coochie man!" --Muddy Waters
====================== http://www.halcyon.com/phenry/ =====================
Knotso
<If you're looking at it politically, I think you'd have a hard time
<pinning it on Hillary, if that's your drift. At the time it came out
<(early 80s) I remember it being thought of as, if anything, a sideways
<slam on Nancy Reagan, if not Ron himself, who "simply seduced a nation."
<But yes, the film does a slight (maybe 10%) whitewashing of the Evita
<portrayed in the play, although much of the power of the play remains.
If
<you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled, stop reading here.
Actually, "Evita" the Broadway show came out in 1979, when Carter was
president.
Knotso
Saratoga Springs
Tom
kno...@aol.com (Knotso) wrote:
><If you're looking at it politically, I think you'd have a hard time
><pinning it on Hillary, if that's your drift. At the time it came out
><(early 80s) I remember it being thought of as, if anything, a sideways
><slam on Nancy Reagan, if not Ron himself, who "simply seduced a nation."
><But yes, the film does a slight (maybe 10%) whitewashing of the Evita
><portrayed in the play, although much of the power of the play remains.
>If
><you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled, stop reading here.
>Actually, "Evita" the Broadway show came out in 1979, when Carter was
>president.
>Knotso
>Saratoga Springs
And, in fact, the original version of Evita (on vinyl lp) came out
several years before that, about 1973-4, if I'm not mistaken. Hmmm,
maybe Nixon had something to do with it...
P.T. Barnum should be remembered for his overblown faith in humanity...
Greg Diamond
In article <19970126155...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Knotso <kno...@aol.com> wrote:
>
><If you're looking at it politically, I think you'd have a hard time
><pinning it on Hillary, if that's your drift. At the time it came out
><(early 80s) I remember it being thought of as, if anything, a sideways
><slam on Nancy Reagan, if not Ron himself, who "simply seduced a nation."
>Actually, "Evita" the Broadway show came out in 1979, when Carter was
>president.
And it was written before that, and in England, IIRC, not the U.S.
No matter. I was referring to the reception of the play by the public at
the time (in my experience, Los Angeles in 1981-2 or so) rather than the
intention of the authors. The quote I cited above is from the ads for the
play at the time.
Greg Diamond
In article <phenry-2601...@blv-pm100-ip18.halcyon.com>,
Paul H. Henry <phe...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>Along the same lines: I've heard this song a lot recently, and as I'd
>rather shave my head with a putty knife than watch Madonna in an Andrew
>Lloyd Webber musical, I wonder if someone could tell me:
>-- why Argentina may have considered crying for Evita,
>-- why she didn't want them to, and
>-- what was the promise she kept.
You're missing out, Paul. Go during a matinee, and if you didn't think it
was worth the money, let me know and I'll send you $1. (This offer good
only for Paul. The rest of you keep away from me!)
The first time the song appears in the play (and in the movie), Eva's
voice is singing at the time of her funeral. So the answers are: 1) she
died, 2) she had a good life and served the descamisados (shirtless ones),
and 3) see #2. The play takes place in flashback form. The first time
(in "real time") she sings the song is when appearing with Peron at the
Casa Rosada after she wins the election, and there the answer is both more
complicated and more brilliant.
The thrust of the play is how Eva is a great politician, doing the most
that a woman of the time could have been expected to do. Her great trick
with this song is to turn her ascension to national power into a sacrifice
on her part on behalf of the people. That she had *had* to allow herself
to be taken out of poverty ("I had to let it happen, I had to change")
even though she knew the life she would be leading thereafter would be
empty ("but nothing impressed me at all, I never expected it to"), and
that despite appearances ("and as for fortune, and as for fame, I never
invited them in, though it seemed to the world they were all I desired")
she has kept the love and interests of the people in her heart ("You'll
think it strange ... I still need your love after all that I've done";
"the answer was here all the time: I love you and hope you'll love me".)
So, she doesn't want people to feel sorry at the sacrifices she has made
to get into a position to help them, which is the promise she has kept.
We know from watching the play that this is for the most part a brazen
lie, but the genius of it -- the criticism it pre-empts, the way that it
manipulates and co-opts the listener -- is dazzling. Nothing that we've
seen before of Evita's character prepares us for this turn upon reaching
national prominence, and it points towards how she will continue to keep
the people on her side even while looting the country, which is a prime
theme of the second half of the play.
You gotta see it, Paul. If you think of it (like opera) as requiring the
sort of acting proficiency you might find in a music video, you may
realize that this is well within Madonna's capabilities, and she acquits
herself nicely. But do study the lyrics before you go.
"I came from the people/they need to adore me
So Christian Dior me from my head to my toes."
Tom Pappas
You'll have even more fun if you forget about the character, and consider
all of the lyrics in the light of Madonna's amazing journey from underpaid
no-talent bimbo to colossally overpaid no-talent bimbo.
M C Hamster
Gee... I spent most of the movie looking at Madonna's breasts.
M C Hamster
"The world is a wheel, and it will all come around right" - Benjamin Disraeli
"Horrible discord, and the madding wheels..." - John Milton
"Nor, while he turns the giddy wheel around..." -- Richard Gifford
M C Hamster
In article <01bc0d87$737932c0$792874cf@hoyt> "Hoyt" <hdu...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
>M C Hamster <davo...@interaccess.com> wrote in article
><davolson.3...@interaccess.com>...
>>
>> Gee... I spent most of the movie looking at Madonna's breasts.
>>
>> M C Hamster
>>
>Please share your observations. Come, come, elucidate!
No.. now for my non-stupid answer.
I appreciate, Greg, your posting, both here and on your analysis of how the
movie differed from the play. I had the interesting experience of being in
Buenos Aires around 1989, in the weeks just preceding the election of
President Carlos Menem. He was running as a neo-Peronist, and the parallels
were of course very strong; he is a handsome, dashing character, a ladies'
man... I don't know if he went so far as to have his own Evita or not; I don't
recall seeing her on TV there, but it wouldn't surprise me.
A week before I arrived, and about three weeks before the election, it was
discovered that someone had broken into Juan Peron's grave, had unearthed his
body, and had cut off and removed from the premises... his two hands. The
Peronists accused the opposition, and the opposition accused the Peronists.
This introduced a certain frenzy into the election which may not have been
necessary. (U.S. elections have never been the same for me since this
experience.)
Several times during that week, my taxicab would be stopped for some sort of
political demonstration in the streets... predominantly young males.
Ominously, military vehicles -- jeeps, trucks, and even, twice, tanks -- were
on the perimeter of these demonstrations.
While I was there, inflation was running at about 260% a year. In our office,
everyone got a 20% pay raise every month. Shopkeepers, on the first of each
month, would simply go around and mark up their prices 20 or 25%, like
clockwork.
I certainly did not begin to comprehend the issues. However, obviously Menem
was evoking the Peronist populist dogma and seemingly playing it to the hilt.
He was able to control the military, while maintaining his appeal to the
"shirtless ones" that exist there now. The other party never had a chance.
The youthful reformer was an easy winner, a week after I left (I was very
happy I was leaving before the election... those tanks were just slightly
unnerving).
Someone more knowledgable than I could explain how Menem managed to get
inflation down to a low level... and I am curious what sort of human rights
violations might be going on down there in the process. Buenos Aires
physically resembles European capitals like Paris or Berlin far more than,
say, Rio or Caracas. But there was certainly an air of political volatility
unlike anything in Europe when I was there.
The final, shocking revelation in all this to me was, and continues to be, how
completely oblivious we are here to what is going on in South America. I'd be
curious what percent of the nightly network newscasts carry any stories about
anything going on in South America over the course of the average year... 2%,
3% maybe? Even Africa gets far more coverage...
Whew... actually I wrote all this just to show that I am capable of more pithy
observations than talking about staring at Madonna's breasts. Of course, you
need to realize that I do the same when that Richard Simmons guy comes on TV.
I love "Another Suitcase in Another Hall".
Hoyt
M C Hamster <davo...@interaccess.com> wrote in article
<davolson.3...@interaccess.com>...
>
> Gee... I spent most of the movie looking at Madonna's breasts.
>
> M C Hamster
>
Please share your observations. Come, come, elucidate!
73,
Hoyt
Greg Diamond
In article <davolson.2...@interaccess.com>,
M C Hamster <davo...@interaccess.com> wrote:
>It was almost as if the film makers were trying to subtly document the
>previous unreported and rather outrageous theory that young Eva Peron died,
>not of ovarian cancer, but of bulemia.
Wasn't it uterine cancer? That's what I've read, but it's not TSD.
(Nice long post on Argentine politics earlier; I just didn't have much to
say about it. Well, one thing: Anyone who's interested in a fictional
portrayal of Argentine history under the junta might want to rent the
movie "The Official History" (or "The Official Story"); well worth it.
--
<><><> "Punctuality is the thief of time" -- Oscar Wilde
Greg<> "What kills a skunk is the publicity." -- Abraham Lincoln
<>/\<> "Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything
<>\/<> that they do not make clear." -- Joseph Joubert
Oliver Broadway
Paul H. Henry wrote:
>Along the same lines: I've heard this song a lot recently, and as I'd
>rather shave my head with a putty knife than watch Madonna in an Andrew
>Lloyd Webber musical, I wonder if someone could tell me:
>
>-- why Argentina may have considered crying for Evita,
>-- why she didn't want them to, and
>-- what was the promise she kept.
and Greg Diamond posted an excellent reply, but missed what I think is a
clever added meaning to the line "Don't cry for me, Argentina" the second
time the song is sung.
Just before the song, the people of Argentina have been calling for Peron,
and he has emerged onto the balcony and given his inaugural speech as
president. Then they start calling (i.e., crying) for Evita. So "Don't cry
for me, Argentina" could also be seen as a response to that.
--
Ollie
M C Hamster
Wasn't that the first time they sing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina?"
Of course, I was distracted...
Greg Diamond
In article <32F114...@pilot.msu.edu>,
Nathan Thomas <thom...@pilot.msu.edu> wrote:
>Greg Diamond wrote:
>First, Rice was oddly obscure in the original "Evita" concept-album
>lyrics. There is the repeated obscure references by Che to having
>invented a bug-spray. Well . . . . ok. What the *!?%$ does that
>mean?!? ;-)
"Che" in "Evita" is not *exactly* Che Guevara; I don't know enough about
the historical Che aside from his living in Cuba, dying in Bolivia, and a
few quotes to know if he was in Argentina at the times he was supposed to
be. In the play, Che is a sophisticated Everyman who takes on various
personae who are at various times optimistic and cynical about Evita. The
"bug spray" lines (most notably in "The Lady's Got Potential," which was
heavily reworked for the movie) refer to the character of Che being a
chemical engineer and incipient entrepreneur who expects live to be better
under the liberalization expected under Peron, but who gets disappointed.
It's probably the most confusing part of the play -- one level of
complexity too much for a character who is already serving a multitude of
purposes (more, I suspect, than most of the audience can comfortably
follow) -- and the movie was right to spike it. IIRC, the last live
production of Evita I saw also dropped this thread entirely, so maybe it
has somehow been rewritten out since the CDs were recorded.
>I always took the dangerous *jade* to refer to one who lives a cynical,
>libidinous life -- the word 'jaded' being the adjectival form of
>'jade.' Thus Eva is not just a whore, but a dangerous whore. (As
>opposed to all of those *safe* whores?)
I guess. But if the dictionary says that a jade is a woman, that's pretty
convincing.
>As for your comments re: the movie contrasting with the stage production
>-- I am in agreement. I was particularly irritated by the shift of
>"Another Suitcase in Another Hall." Peron's mistress is the *only*
>chracter in the story with whom I have real sympathy.
Thanks also to Oliver for his comments.
--
<><><> "Punctuality is the thief of time" -- Oscar Wilde
Greg<> "What kills a skunk is the publicity." -- Abraham Lincoln
<>/\<> "Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything
<>\/<> that they do not make clear." -- Joseph Joubert
Nathan Thomas
Greg Diamond wrote:
Greetings All:
In reply to Greg's question below:
First, Rice was oddly obscure in the original "Evita" concept-album
lyrics. There is the repeated obscure references by Che to having
invented a bug-spray. Well . . . . ok. What the *!?%$ does that
mean?!? ;-)
So I take *that* as a starting place. (I digress . . .)
I always took the dangerous *jade* to refer to one who lives a cynical,
libidinous life -- the word 'jaded' being the adjectival form of
'jade.' Thus Eva is not just a whore, but a dangerous whore. (As
opposed to all of those *safe* whores?)
>
> The question that I have about the songs in Evita is that for years,
> before finally buying the soundtrack, I had thought that the refrain in
> the song in which the military and aristocracy complain about Evita (e.g.
> "She should get into her head / she should not get out of bed;
> she should know that she's not paid / to be loud but to be laid"
> was "Dangerous Games," and was nonplused to discover that it was in fact
> "Dangerous Jade." What the hell is dangerous jade? Is there some
> referent here of which I'm unaware?
[SNIP-- much commentary]
As for your comments re: the movie contrasting with the stage production
-- I am in agreement. I was particularly irritated by the shift of
"Another Suitcase in Another Hall." Peron's mistress is the *only*
chracter in the story with whom I have real sympathy.
Peace,
Nathan
Theatre Doctor and bon vivant
thom...@pilot.msu.edu
Deborah E Sager
Greg Diamond (gdia...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu) wrote:
: In article <Pine.SUN.3.95L.97012...@merhaba.cc.columbia.edu>,
: The question that I have about the songs in Evita is that for years,
: before finally buying the soundtrack, I had thought that the refrain in
: the song in which the military and aristocracy complain about Evita (e.g.
: "She should get into her head / she should not get out of bed;
: she should know that she's not paid / to be loud but to be laid"
: was "Dangerous Games," and was nonplused to discover that it was in fact
: "Dangerous Jade." What the hell is dangerous jade? Is there some
: referent here of which I'm unaware?
Jade is slang for slut. I couldn't tell you where it came from. But
it does rhyme nicely with laid. Great song.
- Deb
--
Deborah Sager, Madame Librarian, Lyric Mezzo, and Social Sphenoid
The Penn Singers present IOLANTHE March 20, Cami Hall New York City
& April 3, 4, 5 Annenberg Zellerbach Theatre
Rich Clancey
See the current issue of "The New Republic" for a fairly
detailed essay of Juan Peron's devotion to the German and Italian
fascists, and the lovely Mrs. Peron's "dingbat female" version of
fascism. There is also some background material on how these two
creeps sucked Argentina dry even while providing safe haven to the
pond scum of Europe. This show is so close to "Springtime For Hitler"
that it's hard to believe the authors didn't know what they were
doing.
Personally, I'm working on a toe tappin musical about loveable
cuddly Idi Amin. Any investors want to get in on the ground floor?
--
rich clancey PROWNESS IS ENDOWMENT
r...@world.std.com musical prowness
rc...@cs.umb.edu "Why are women fickled?" - sph
Oliver Broadway
In article <5crsve$d...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
gdia...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (Greg Diamond) wrote:-
>"Che" in "Evita" is not *exactly* Che Guevara; I don't know enough about
>the historical Che aside from his living in Cuba, dying in Bolivia, and a
>few quotes to know if he was in Argentina at the times he was supposed to
>be. In the play, Che is a sophisticated Everyman who takes on various
>personae who are at various times optimistic and cynical about Evita.
I never thought Che was supposed to be Che Guevara - there certainly doesn't
seem to be anything either in the film or on the original (pre-stage
version) concept album to identify him as such - until I read a couple of
reviews of the film which called him that; one of which stated s/l "Che in
the play was explicitly Che Guevara". Never having seen the play, I don't
know if this is true. Certainly I can't see any reason for him to be Che
Guevara, and it surely would interfere with the Everyman character which
seems to be his purpose - more in the film than in the original version,
where he seems to have had a more clearly defined character (with all the
fly-spray stuff, for instance).
I think the fly-spray was supposed to represent the fact that in spite of
the importance of the political goings-on, most ordinary people were
probably far more concerned with things of more direct importance to them
personally. But that's a guess, and like I say, I haven't seen the play.
--
Ollie
Deborah E Sager
Oliver Broadway (ol...@improv.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <5crsve$d...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
: gdia...@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (Greg Diamond) wrote:-
: >"Che" in "Evita" is not *exactly* Che Guevara; I don't know enough about
: >the historical Che aside from his living in Cuba, dying in Bolivia, and a
: >few quotes to know if he was in Argentina at the times he was supposed to
: >be. In the play, Che is a sophisticated Everyman who takes on various
: >personae who are at various times optimistic and cynical about Evita.
: I never thought Che was supposed to be Che Guevara - there certainly doesn't
: seem to be anything either in the film or on the original (pre-stage
: version) concept album to identify him as such - until I read a couple of
: reviews of the film which called him that; one of which stated s/l "Che in
: the play was explicitly Che Guevara". Never having seen the play, I don't
There are some lines in the original that were cut in the movie:
(From Oh, What a Circus:)
(the first part of the song)
And who am I, who dares to keep
His head held high while millions weep?
Why the exception to the rule?
Opportunist, traitor, fool?
Or just a man, who grew and saw
From seventeen to twenty-four
His country bled, crucified,
She's not the only one who's died!
Sing you fools (etc.)
I remember reading (I think in the play notes) that Che Guevara
was born in Argentina, and was 17 when the Perons first came to power
(and 24 when Eva died, I think.) Supposedly he was very affected by the
corruption of the Perons. In the play, he also has a small monologue
where he is a protestor proclaiming all of the corrupt things the Perons
have done.
Oliver Broadway
In article <5d8kvg$r...@netnews.upenn.edu>
dhs...@mail2.sas.upenn.edu (Deborah E Sager) wrote:-
> There are some lines in the original that were cut in the movie:
>
>(From Oh, What a Circus:)
> (the first part of the song)
>
> And who am I, who dares to keep
> His head held high while millions weep?
> Why the exception to the rule?
> Opportunist, traitor, fool?
> Or just a man, who grew and saw
> From seventeen to twenty-four
> His country bled, crucified,
> She's not the only one who's died!
>
> Sing you fools (etc.)
I've got the original version (from 1976), and that ain't in it. It must
have been added later.
I guess if it says so in the play notes, it must have been Che Guevara - in
which case I think it's damn strange, to make that insecticide business,
which was nothing to do with Che Guevara, such a big part of his character.
--
Ollie
Deborah E Sager
Oliver Broadway (ol...@improv.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <5d8kvg$r...@netnews.upenn.edu>
: I've got the original version (from 1976), and that ain't in it. It must
: have been added later.
: I guess if it says so in the play notes, it must have been Che Guevara - in
: which case I think it's damn strange, to make that insecticide business,
: which was nothing to do with Che Guevara, such a big part of his character.
Good point. I haven't heard the OLR, only the OBR. But speaking
of the insecticide business, I don't think that was in the OBR. At least
I don't remember it.
Edward Rice
In article <855316480_...@improv.demon.co.uk>,
ol...@improv.demon.co.uk (Oliver Broadway) wrote:
> I guess if it says so in the play notes, it must have been Che Guevara -
in
> which case I think it's damn strange, to make that insecticide business,
> which was nothing to do with Che Guevara, such a big part of his
character.
I don't know about "big part," not being familiar with "Evita," but I think
that Che /was/ educated and worked briefly as a Chem E, so maybe the
playwright just felt this was necessary to estabish who "Che" was for the
audience?