Tim Rice: "Evita"

 Sometimes, I forget to give proper credit to Tim Rice, because I just think of the later stages of his career. I think of a little lion, singing:

I'm gonna be the MANE event....

Like no king was before....

But, in his youth, Tim Rice had the idea for "Evita." He was riding in a cab, and he heard a radio story about Eva Peron--and he realized that this could be a grand Cinderella musical with a tragic ending. He thought he'd dream up songs for Evita's sassy hairdresser, who would mock and critique Eva throughout various tuneful interludes. But then he began to read about Che Guevara, and he thought, "Aha, I can have *two* icons up on the stage...."

Elaine Paige had done "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar," but she had grown tired of musicals. She kept making it to final call-backs only to lose high-profile roles. Her father said, "You must have something, or else you wouldn't get all these runner-up titles...." These words pushed Paige to audition (and re-re-re-re-re-audition) for "Evita." Finally, one night, her agent knocked on her door. (A home visit!) .....Hal Prince made his choice, and it's not Barbra Streisand. It's not Liza. It's not Bette Midler. It's you.

Meanwhile, David Essex ("Che") informed his understudy that he would never be going on. Essex was a celebrity, and he believed it was his duty to show up to work each and every night. He did "Evita" even when he was visibly struggling with the flu. I find this inspiring, especially as I notice a weird tendency toward absenteeism on Broadway, in 2023; I think actors could learn something from Essex (and I also think audiences should not be scolded for feeling disappointed if they discover they have paid to watch an understudy).

All this is from the new book "When the British Musical Ruled the World." It's out now! There are strange typos, but that's the price you pay if you want to read a lengthy history of the making of "Evita," "Miss Saigon," and "Cats" .....