• By GEORGE MORRIS
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 23, 2009 - Page: 1D

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With excellent solo and choral voices in a play that demands both, there is little more that can be asked of Baton Rouge Little Theater’s production of “Evita” — except that those talents be applied to a more satisfying story.

Samantha Smart and Cliff Thompson do the heaviest lifting in this musical. In Smart’s case, this will come as no surprise to BRLT patrons who saw the 2008-09 season opener, “Chicago,” where Smart portrayed murderess Velma Kelly.

This time, she is Eva Duarte Peron, the actress who slept her way from small-town obscurity to a position of overwhelming influence over Juan Peron, the military officer who became Argentina’s president. The Eva Peron role only asks for competent acting and dancing skills, but everything depends on the voice. Smart has great range and knows how to sing with softness and emotion, necessary qualities in the play’s most beloved song, “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina.” Smart is a senior in vocal performance and dance at LSU.

Here’s hoping BRLT finds more prominent roles for her before she moves on to bigger things.

“Evita” is more of a local coming-out party for Thompson, who had a lesser but similar role in “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” in 2008. As Che, Thompson guides the story through singing either to the audience or to the performers with whom he interacts. Thompson also has a powerful voice and an energetic on-stage presence that make him a bigger star of the show than several of its major characters.

Two BRLT regulars, Albert Nolan and Richard Williams, portray Juan Peron and Magaldi, the tango singer whom Eva uses to begin her social climbing. Both are capable actors and singers, as is Adrienne Thornton, who portrayed Juan Peron’s mistress and whose first-act solo left us wishing hers could have been a more prominent role. Thornton was the Eva understudy, and the productions likely would have suffered little had she been required to step in.

The 26 other singers form a strong ensemble.

The dancing won’t remind anyone of the precision of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, but it got the job done.

Correcting a technical issue would enhance the production. Smart’s voice is powerful enough that — for those sitting in the fifth row, at least — she needs less amplification than she receives. When Smart hits the higher notes, the volume makes it hard to distinguish the words.

That, however, is a minor and correctable flaw. The play itself has a larger problem: Not only does it have an anticlimactic ending, but it’s hard to find a character to truly like. Presumably, that character should be Eva Peron, who won the heart of a country that saw her as one who wished to help the poor. But the impression left by the play is that she was far more interested in self-aggrandizement. Perhaps “Evita” serves as a cautionary tale about becoming too swept away by a charismatic political figure, a warning that every nation would do well to heed.

Chris Adams directs the two-hour play. Terry Bowman is musical director, and Emily Coley choreographed.