Posts Tagged Evita

Madonna’s Many Layers Shine in a Layered, High‑Energy Fringe Triumph

August 17, 2026 at 6:05 am · Filed under Biographical, Edinburgh Fringe 2026, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026, Music, Night Owl ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

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★★★★★ A decade on from their first Fringe triumph, Night Owl Shows unveil Material Girl: Madonna The Icon — a world‑premiere production tracing Madonna’s evolution from breakout star to boundary‑pushing legend, led by “Voice of the Fringe 2025” winner Maia Elsey and the award‑winning Night Owl band.

The show opens with a burst of high‑energy dance music — the Madonna most people think of first — but it quickly becomes clear that the creative team are interested in more than sequins and nostalgia. One of the most striking moments comes early on, when a quote appears on the screen behind the performers: Madonna rejecting the idea that she “reinvents” herself, insisting instead that she simply reveals different layers of who she already is. It’s a line that lands harder than you expect. It reframes not only her career, but the whole idea of artistic evolution. We often say Bowie reinvented himself, but perhaps he too was peeling back layers rather than constructing personas. That thought stayed with me throughout the show.

A performance rooted in interpretation, not imitation.

What impressed me most was the attention given to Madonna’s early life — her childhood, her dance training, the discipline that shaped her long before the fame arrived. I knew some of it, but not all, and the show makes a point of grounding her later flamboyance in those formative years. It’s a smart choice: it gives the spectacle a spine.

The musical selections are mostly the high‑octane numbers you’d expect, delivered with real verve by Maia Elsey — a strong singer, a confident dancer, and an all‑rounder who knows how to work a room. But the show’s emotional peaks come from the quieter moments. Frozen from the Ray of Light album is handled with care, and the shift in tone is welcome. And then there’s Don’t Cry for Me Argentina. As someone who’s long been fascinated by Evita — both the musical and the political history behind Eva Perón — I found this section genuinely affecting. I remember wondering, back when the film came out, whether Madonna could carry the role. She did, and the show acknowledges that turning point with the weight it deserves.

One omission surprised me: Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). For many people, myself included, that film was the moment Madonna first registered as a cultural force outside of music. Desperately Seeking Susan wasn’t just a quirky mid‑80s caper; it was the moment Madonna’s off‑stage persona crystallised into something mythic. The film caught her at the exact point where fashion, attitude, and pop culture collided, and leaving it out slightly blunts the story of how she became a generational touchstone. That absence aside, the production’s musical backbone deserves its own moment in the spotlight.The musicians deserve their own praise. One of the guitarists delivers variations on Madonna themes that are genuinely inventive — miniature interpretations in their own right. The audience responded to him with the same enthusiasm they gave the main performer, Maia Elsey, which tells you everything.

Elsey drives the show with crisp energy and control.

And speaking of the audience: this was one of those Fringe shows where people don’t wait for permission. They were up dancing, clapping, singing along. The atmosphere was warm, communal, and frankly joyous. It’s a feel‑good show in the best sense — not shallow, not saccharine, but celebratory.

Material Girl – The Madonna Story succeeds because it recognises that Madonna’s career isn’t just a string of hits; it’s a story of layers. The show captures those layers — the dancer, the provocateur, the actress, the spiritual seeker, the pop architect — and does so with energy, affection, and a surprising amount of insight for a one‑hour production.
A vibrant, generous interpretation of Madonna’s life and music. And a reminder of just how many lives Madonna has lived without ever ceasing to be herself.
Reviewed by Pat Harrington
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Film & DVD Review: Evita

December 30, 2009 at 8:18 am · Filed under Film & DVD Reviews ·Tagged

Directed by Alan Parker and starring Madonna

Reviewed by Cliff Morrison

Evita DVD cover

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Eva Duarte first appears as a small-town poor, illegitimate and determined child snubbed at her wealthy father’s funeral. Years later, a “star” singer from Buenos Aires comes to town, and lays the country girl looking for good-times ticket to the the big city. Jimmy Nail plays the part well enough, but his character seems a little too seedy and has-been to be completely convincing.

Dumped in the capital by her reluctant paramour, Eva sleeps her way to the top — the bed of General Peron, one of the military junta who have taken charge of the ailing country.

So far, so good. But this film has no dialogue as such, it relies on newsreel clips and newspaper headlines to bridge the gaps in the musical story. This is where it falls down; not having seen the stage version, I did not realise that the link-man who appears from the background to comment sceptically throughout the film is meant to be the revolutionary wallpaper hero Che Guevara. There is no indication of his identity during the film — he is clean-shaven and in civilian clothes. The frontage of a large building is blown up a couple of times but it isn’t particularly clear that this is the office of a major newspaper — or who has done it, or why.

Juan Peron is played as rather a weak and indecisive figure, too much so to be really credible. Though Eva (by now Evita) is the central character, the wimpish persona of Peron contradicts the fact that he did restore foreign-held Argentinian assets to national ownership; it also diminishes the portrayal of strength and charisma in Eva herself. She must have had plenty of both, to exert such influence in real life.

The film’s music is adequate, not outstanding; the vocals lacked the quality of the earlier (British) versions. Madonna is not a very good actress, she seems a bit wooden and shallow. Her singing is pleasant enough, but ultimately she just lacks the “class” and allure to be Evita.

“Evita” only claims to be a musical, not a historical record. It mangles history to a lesser extent than many of Hollywood’s offerings; in that respect, with Spielberg and Gibson on the loose, it would be unfair to judge this film too harshly.

People all over the world are taking in images and details from the entertainment media, and the realities of history get obscured as a result; the “it was on the TV so it happened like that” syndrome is worrying. It can operate at subconscious level — most effective propaganda does. I’m not saying the distortion is necessarily there for ulterior motives — although it may be, and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is the definitive example. “Who controls the past, controls the future” is very true; and one could ask why Menem, the President and leader of Argentina’s Peronist Party, cooperated in the making of a film which detracts from the image of his party’s founder. I do recall that at the time of its first coming to office Menem’s outfit were referred to as “the Coca-Cola party”….

It is sad that many of Evita’s city scenes with the attractive, classical buildings had to be filmed in eastern Europe, since the ubiquitous property speculators and redevelopers had in the meantime “improved” and modernised Buenos Aires, once regarded as a beautiful city.

I saw the film in London, and some of the audience cried at the end when Evita dies. Would I recommend it? Well, it isn’t boring, and for a musical it is thankfully free of the usual song and dance extravaganza cliches. So, reservedly, yes.

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