Eva's exultation
<p>Alyssa Day takes the stage of the Lake City Playhouse as Maria Eva Duarte de Perón, the lead character in "Evita" which opens Friday.</p>
<p>Todd Kehne serves as the narrator and protagonist of the musical "Evita" which highlights the life of Maria Eva Duarte de Perón, who served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952.</p>
<p>Kent Kimball plays the role of Juan Peron, the president of Argentina and husband to Maria Eva Duarte de Peron.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - When George Green asked Abbey Crawford to direct "Evita," at the Lake City Playhouse, she didn't immediately say yes.
"I'd rather sing the role," Crawford said, laughing.
Because she's done exactly that.
Five years ago, the Spokane woman played Eva Peron, the woman who "inspired the creation of a new Argentina."
Crawford found it an amazing, but difficult role. At Green's urging, she agreed to direct the musical. But she knew from experience the challenges that awaited.
"I'm honored George trusted me with this show to open the season," she said.
The celebrated music by Andrew Lloyd Webber is very daunting. It always has been.
"There's not a lot of space to roam. You have to follow it," Crawford said. "If you don't nail it, it sounds like it's coming from outer space."
Her version of Evita will open 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Playhouse, which begins its 50th season in Coeur d'Alene.
Green, Playhouse executive artistic director, said the production is more than entertainment. It should be an education of sorts, too, for patrons, for the volunteers, for the cast and crew.
"The people involved have had a growing experience from being in this," he said.
He said Evita should be a moving show and one of the Playhouse's best season-opening productions.
"If the artistic journey of putting together the very first show of the season is an indication of the rest of the season will go, I'll be ecstatic," he said.
Evita is the musical story of Eva Pern, the second wife of Argentinian president Juan Pern. It follows her early life, how she came to be in power, her charity work, and her eventual death, and her influence on the country and its people.
Green said Crawford did an excellent job as director.
"Abbey has really set the bar," he said.
Crawford has high hopes for Evita.
"I think it looks fantastic. We have a great group of committed people," she said.
Todd Kehne plays Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Alyssa Day is Maria Eva Duarte de Pern and Kent Kimball is Juan Pern.
Crawford plans to take theater-goers on a journey.
"I'm hoping by the end of it, something touches them enough they check out the actual history of that time in Argentina," Crawford said. "I think they'll get something they didn't expect to get."
She admits she didn't make things easy for cast and crew.
"I'm one of those people who will take them down very rocky roads to get to where I need to go," she said. "Boy, did they walk with me every step of the way."
"I could not be more proud and pleased with cast and crew since we started," she said.
Crawford has been in Evita twice, once in a smaller role, and once as the lead. That experience has been a benefit as director.
"Andrew Lloyd Webber did not make it easy for anybody with this music," she said.
Evita is a "rock opera" with music "from top to bottom." There will be some dialogue, more for narration, as the story unfolds.
"Some people are great at singing, others acting. To put the two together can be difficult," she said.
Some director's cast the role of Eva Pern as domineering and power hungry.
"I think she had some of that, but I don't think that's all she was there for," she said, adding Pern was a woman who came "from nowhere to lead a country."
Crawford has been doing theater since her teenage years after moving to Spokane from Iowa. She's worked in high school musicals, at the Spokane Civic Theater and the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. She is a?cabaret-trained singer at Yale.
"I have a huge love for community theater. It's something people chose to do rather than being paid to do it," she said.
Crawford has studied Pern's influence on Argentina, and seen many versions of Evita, too.
"I probably know more about the show than anybody I now," she said.
She doubts there will be many dry eyes for Evita in the Playhouse when Eva Pern is in her final days, stricken by cancer. She died at age 33 in 1952.
"She is so young when she passes away," Crawford said.
She said displaying emotion is key to Evita. Having played the role, she knows how to bring that out in her cast.
"It's so intense," Crawford said. "They have to really connect to actual emotion."
If you go
Performances of Evita, directed by Abbey Crawford, are scheduled Sept. 17-19, 23-26, 30; October 1-3, 7-10 at the Lake City Playhouse. All Thursday to Saturday curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee curtain times are 2 p.m. Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for veterans and students, $15 for seniors and $9 for children 12 and younger. For tickets, call 667-1323