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No one had heard of Elena Roger before she was picked as the West End's Evita. She got the part, she tells Viv Groskop, because she really did cry for Argentina
Love it or hate it, Evita is one of the most successful musicals of the 20th century. Since it first opened in 1978, it has been performed on every continent and has made over $2bn worldwide. But until now the lead role has never been played in the West End by an Argentinian. This honour now goes to an unknown, Elena Roger, 31 - a feline redhead with Ute Lemper's body and Sharon Osbourne's laugh.
When Roger takes to the balcony in London's Adelphi Theatre to deliver 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' for the first time on Friday, she'll have a lot to live up to. Everyone is waiting to compare her with Elaine Paige, who played the lead in the original version, and, of course, with Madonna in Alan Parker's 1996 film. But Roger is trying not to think about Madonna. "Everyone is different. I will build the role as I am. It doesn't matter that it's Madonna. It's a person. I know that she's great. But she is just a person," she shrugs.
* This interview was also published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 31 May 2006 with the title "MOVE OVER, MADONNA, THIS EVA IS READY TO CRY FOR ARGENTINA"
© Guardian Newspapers Ltd.
