➤EVITA, from p.24
Evita’s fi rst night of lovemaking. I
saw the play twice, and on the fi rst
night, I wasn’t sure if the normally
rigid gender rules of tango were
being broken, with Eva and Juan
taking turns leading each other in
the dance. On the second night,
my thoughts were confi rmed. If
you don’t know the dance, whenever
you see Eva pressing her pretty
little hands on the small of Juan’s
back, she’s taking the lead. Cochoreographer
for the show Valeria
Solomonoff, herself from Rosario,
Argentina, Guevara’s hometown,
told me this was part of the design,
explaining, her hands in the air
mimicking the positions, “She asks
to lead, and he accepts.” It’s never
represented as a fi ght, instead
shared and negotiated with each
other’s constant consent, symbolizing
their relationship.
This production is being put on
in the age of Donald Trump mere
blocks from his eponymous tower,
and we might want to think about
some parallels with Perón. They
were both fascistic media curiosities
who used journalists to gain
political power, only to turn on
them as enemies of the people. Like
Trump, Perón loved popping into
actresses’ dressing rooms. Though
“Night of a Thousand Stars” represents
Juan and Evita’s mythical
meeting at Luna Park, it’s generally
believed they met earlier. Perón was
known for targeting underage girls,
alluded to in the “Another Suitcase
in Another Hall” scene where Eva
throws out a very young mistress.
Like Eva, Melania is a beautiful
clotheshorse and model who sought
worthier pastures.
Like Trump, Perón had three
wives. Eva was his second; she and
the fi rst died of the same cancer.
The last wife, Isabel, was a nightclub
dancer Perón met in exile and
is still alive. Nicknamed Isabelita,
she was the fi rst female president
of Argentina — in fact, the fi rst to
take the title of president in any
country. She held power upon
Perón’s death during his second
administration in 1974 until the
1976 military coup.
Eva’s failed vice presidential ambitions
might call to mind the shattered
dreams of former First Lady
Hillary Clinton, another woman
whose power was initially drawn
from her husband. It’s also important
to remember that at the time of
Perón’s ascent, Argentina was the
world’s second wealthiest country.
As we are with China today, the US
was engaged in a global trade war
with Argentina, our only real economic
rival then. Evita’s “Rainbow
Tour” seems a jokey bauble you
can brush aside in the play, but as
it was meant to promote trade with
Europe in the aftermath of World
War II and it frightened the US into
writing trade restrictions into the
Marshall Plan, shutting Argentina
out of a rebuilding Europe. The
Peróns, to be sure, didn’t handle
the Argentine economy well, but
the US helped dim the lights.
This latest production detailing
the downfall of a once wealthy and
powerful nation under a charming
megalomaniacal leader who manipulated
the masses is a reminder
of the spiral any country can experience
in the wrong hands.
Sing lamentations, not just for
Eva. It’s our funeral too.
EVITA | New York City Center, 131
W. 55th St. | Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.;
Nov. 22-23 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 23-24 at 2
p.m. | $50-$195 at nycitycenter.org
➤MAYOR PETE, from p.14
City News’ Matt Tracy reports:
“Perceptions that out gay presidential
candidate Pete Buttigieg, the
South Bend, Indiana, mayor, has
a problematic relationship with African
American voters were compounded
by his campaign’s rollout
of a press release and open letter in
which several South Carolinians
listed as backers of his Douglass
Plan for Black America said they
did not in fact support the plan
and felt the campaign misrepresented
them.”
Not good, Pete. Not good at all. In
the interest of full disclosure, I’m
supporting Mayor Pete’s candidacy,
despite my being signifi cantly
further to the left than he is, because
he’s smart, articulate, would
eviscerate Trump in the debates,
and, far from incidentally, he’s the
fi rst gay candidate who has a real
chance of winning. I’m appalled by
his blunders with the black community,
and I’m hoping he resolves
them as soon as possible.
It may already be too late.
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