"Evita" tells the story of Eva Peron, who was First Lady of Argentina during the presidency of her husband, Juan Peron. This is a classic story of ambition, resentment, and political upheaval, and Evita is one of musical theater's most fascinating characters.

Paige is an excellent Evita. Her performance is sweet at times, and on some songs her voice has a real bite. I was particularly impressed by her rendition of "Buenos Aires": her Evita sounds both seductive and dangerous. Essex is an excellent foil for Paige; the character's anger and satiric perspective are nicely complemented by Essex's slightly rough voice. The supporting performers also shine. I especially liked Joss Ackland's tender version of "She Is a Diamond."

Unfortunately, this disc contains only excerpts from this production, and appears to be missing material that is found on other versions. Nevertheless, the power of this cast makes this "Evita" an essential disc.


Elaine Paige is THE Evita   February 25, 2004
John R. Bainton (Liverpool, UK)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

My mother would always play the cassette tape of this Evita recording on car journeys. We'd sing along...it was one of the very first shows I heard. When the Madonna version was released on CD, I bought it and that became my Evita of choice...

I bought this the other day, and haven't stopped listening since. Elaine Paige brings more to the central character than any other actress has since. I fear that people will be subjected to Madonna's insipid and anaemic interpretation of the role in buying the movie version. This version is far superior. The only downside to this recording is that it is a CD of show 'highlights', so you'd be lacking some parts of the show. In that case you may choose the Patti LuPone recording, for it represents the show in its entirety. Although LuPone is an improvement on Madonna's performance, her overwrought shouting does detract from the melodic pathos of some of the songs. Simply put, Elaine Paige is the perfect Eva Peron. She manages to portray Eva's anger, passion and ruthlessness perfectly.The Original Concept Album (with Julie Covington and Colm Wilkinson - who defined Jean Valjean in Les Miserables) is accompanied by a much larger orchestra, something you may wish to consider when deciding a purchase. Also, the movie version does seem to pack more of a punch production-wise.

David Essex has the perfect tone for the character of Che, although I feel his rendition of 'Oh What A Circus' lacks a little kick. Joss Ackland is neccessarily louche as 'Peron', sounding positively creepy at times.

Basically, if you're looking for the definitive recording of the definitive Evita, this is it. If you're after a little more of a polished production (at the expense of performance), choose the movie version or the LuPone version.

For me however, there is only one Evita. Elaine Paige.


Still the best version available!   July 14, 2001
George A. Hawthorn (Oahu, Hawaii, USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I saw "Evita" twice in London in the early '80's but sadly the original London cast had long gone. I bought the vinyl version after seeing "Evita" for the first time and now, more than twenty years later I still love to listen to it. There's something special about the simplicity of this recording. It's kind of like "La Femme Nikita" or "Cyrano de Bergerac" before Hollywood got hold of them. Elaine Page and David Essex are outstanding and I wish I could have seen them on stage. I've tried to listen to other versions but for me they don't even come close. As an aside, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was the "big hit" but I've always felt that it's by no means the best song in the musical. Rainbow High is my favorite. For readers in the UK, I apologize for my American spelling but 13 years of living in the US has had an effect.