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Until Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice resurrected her, there were millions outside South America who thought Eva Peron was an Italian mineral water.
I suspect quite a few were present at the first night of director Michael Grandage's revival of this 1976 hit musical.
But by then they'd learned that Eva was the First Lady of Argentina, a charismatic wheeler and dealer who captivated a nation before dying in 1952 at the age of 33 and being dubbed Santa Evita by her husband, President Juan Peron.
The on-their-feet first-nighters awarded an ovation to some of Lloyd Webber and Rice's better songs - 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina', 'Another Suitcase In Another Hall' - and a powerhouse performance by a true star, Elena Roger.
This tiny native of Buenos Aires brings throbbing passion to the title role and can even sing and dance at the same time - don't laugh, many can't.
I was not as overwhelmed as the whoopers and the squealers and many of my critical colleagues by Grandage's competent but rarely exciting take on the show. It's not a patch on the Madonna movie.
But it would be churlish to deny Ms Roger's vivacity, Philip Quast's excellent singing as Juan and Matt Rawle's likeable tell-it- like- it-is narrator, Che.
Eva had immortality guaranteed worldwide by Britain's most successful musical duo.
I guess the current World Cup team might do it without them.
Thanks to Gregor for forwarding this review.
© The Sun
