Emma Kingston comes to the Artscape for her role as Evita after a hugely successful run in Joburg in the high-octane musical about the rags-to-riches rise of Argentina’s first lady from the 1930s to the 1950s.
With her thick tangled hair and sultry dark looks off stage, Emma Kingston is not your traditional-looking Eva Peron or Evita. After all, following the hit movie of 1996 it’s almost synonymous with Madonna, who played the lead role.
But casting preconceptions aside, Kingston is the ideal actress to play the lead role in the Pieter Toerien musical, which is currently sweeping the boards in the Mother City.
The young British actress, in her twenties, has her roots in Argentina and, in an interesting twist of fate, says her mother’s family left the country at the height of the repressive dictatorship in 1974, the year following Peron’s third election as president in 1973.
The political unrest created a lot of uncertainty, and prior to settling in Britain, Kingston says her family lived in Israel - which became a refuge for many Argentinian Jews at the time .
Ties with Argentina remain strong and Kingston says she has visited the country many times. She relates how her grandfather was a teenager of 15 when Eva Peron died in 1952.
As a result, she says she’s had a lifelong interest in the country of her heritage, having visited all the major landmarks that dot the history of the enigmatic woman who captured the hearts of millions.
Kingston says that ever since she was a toddler, she knew she wanted to act.
“I never had any doubt of what I wanted to do. And when I was 14, I told my parents I wanted to act and they encouraged me.”
She studied theatre and musical theatre in Britain, commenting that of all the Rice-Lloyd Webber musicals, Evita was, and is, her favourite. “I always aspired to do Evita.”
She has a number of top performances under her belt, including in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Les Miserables, The Heights and Fiddler on the Roof.
She was chosen by Tim Rice and Andrew LLoyd Webber and Broadway director Hal Prince to star in the musical, which Prince directs locally as well.
She’s not at all daunted, she responds, when asked about the big shoes she has had to fill.
“This is what I have trained for, and I put my own stamp on to the role,” she says. “It’s the way you choose to portray her. Evita was a strong and fiercely loyal woman - and highly ambitious. She had many stages in her life - from the vibrant teenager who wanted more than being just an actress.”
Set in Buenos Aires between 1934 and 1952, the musical tracks the life of Eva Duarte Peron from her humble beginnings to actress to Argentina’s most powerful woman and, eventually, to an almost saint-like status after her death from cancer.
Everybody knows Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, and Kingston says she tries to approach her role to give it a slightly different spin.
“But at the end of the day one needs to approach the audience and access them with authenticity and truth.”
She adds that she is fortunate to be backed by Jonathan Roxmouth as narrator Che, and Robert Finlayson as Peron.
“Without Roxmouth the story could not be told the way it is, and today we can satirise the politicians of the past era.”
She may be undaunted to play the role, but she is humbled by the fact that “there aren’t many roles like Evita where you get the chance to appear on stage, filling multiple roles, singing, dancing, acting, with such immense passion. It’s high energy from the beginning. It’s all quite empowering!”
* Pieter Toerien and David Ian present the iconic musical Evita at Artscape Opera until January 7. Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 5.30pm. Tickets are available through Computicket or by calling 021 438 3301.
For group bookings and charity performances, e-mail [email protected]