Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Portman, whose jaw is strong, voice is powerful and whose energy lies low in the body, gives us a clear sense of how her woman shoved away into her people’s hearts. Unlike the celebrities who have played the part in more glamorous circumstances, Portman really gets the Eva that became, and always informed, the Evita. Clearly, you have to nix the divas and the epic theatrics to bring the real Evita’s humble history home."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Fred Anzevino -- backed by his clarion-voiced cast of 10, a band of three under musical director Ryan Brewster, and the superheated, hugely ingenious choreography of Brenda Didier (who simply has refused to be limited by a stage that could barely house a Smart car) -- has telescoped this epic story brilliantly, homing in on the intimacy of the relationships limned in what surely is the sharpest and smartest musical Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice ever wrote. At the same time Azevino never loses sight of the show's panoramic view of history."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...With a reduced cast, tiny performing area, no set to speak of, and little of the musical's customary camp and bombast, director Fred Anzevino unintentionally lays bare just how meager Andrew Lloyd Webber's score and Tim Rice's libretto are. Despite an appealingly coarse performance by Maggie Portman in the lead role, this Evita doesn't seem deeper than previous productions--it merely seems deflated."
Examiner
- Highly Recommended
"...Say what you like about Webber’s bombast and repetitive orchestrations – “Evita” holds up well three decades after its 1979 premiere. Indeed, it has a bizarre, unsatisfying ending that’ll have you Googling “Evita, corpse, disappearance” when you get home, but up until that final line of dialogue, Evita is wholly compelling. As shaped by Anzevino, it offers yet more proof that Theo Ubique is one of the Off-Loop theater scene’s absolute treasures."
Windy City Times
- Highly Recommended
"...You can't get farther “off-Loop” than Rogers Park—on the North Side, anyway—but those seeking an adventurous night out would do well to take advantage of Theo Ubique's package of a $20 pre-show dinner and shuttle service to the free parking lot. Where downtown can you have an aproned server pour wine at your table only minutes before stepping into the spotlight and warbling a “Night of a Thousand Stars” to send chills up your spine?"
Chicago Free Press
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Fred Anzevino shows audacity in even attempting such an epic show with a small budget in a tight space, but—along with music director Ryan Brewster, choreographer Brenda Didier and a tight ten-member ensemble—they pull it off. For example, with only a three-piece band and five dancers on a postage-size stage, we get two high-energy numbers (“Buenos Aires,” “And the Money Kept Rolling In”). Kevin Brown’s dynamic drumming, in particular, drives the energy."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Today's tough economic climate demands the need for downsizing, but director Frank Anzevino skillfully proves that less can be more in this intimate production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic pop opera. Seldom has the 1980's Tony winner for Best Musical touched audiences so deeply both with its relevance and pathos. The production is a marvel of sight and sound, from its inventive use of space and costuming, to its sassy rhythmic musical accompaniment by Ryan Brewster's talented three-piece combo and its magical acting ensemble."
The Urban Coaster
- Highly Recommended
"...Choreographer Brenda Didier does an outstanding job of combining classic Broadway panache with the lively cabaret style that Theo Ubique is known for. In one number, the cast performs a series of calculated tangos and in another military officials express their opinion of Argentina’s first lady by drawing attention to a certain part of the male anatomy while dancing in an in-line formation."
Chicago Stage Review
- Recommended
"...Theo Ubique Theatre Company adds staging this show in a small cabaret venue to the list of difficulties. Performing EVITA at NO EXIT is like staging the invasion of Pearl Harbor at a Starbucks. It makes for a cramped rendering. The talented cast runs through two simultaneous obstacle courses, that of the congested score and the small space. The ‘in your lap’ staging leaves little room for error and even less room of for insincerity. But despite the Herculean challenge, they manage a strong production that entertains and at times even delights."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...Portman convinces in each phase of Evita’s whirlwind rise from pauper to queen, and does a bravura job with a vocally challenging part, knocking the signature “Don’t Cry for Me” out of the park (or tiny café, though you nearly forget that, thanks to Anzevino and choreographer Brenda Didier’s miraculous staging). Damiano’s still-stronger turn as Judas-like foil Che Guevara just ups the stakes (it is a better part in some ways), and Trager, glittering with velvet menace, quietly steals the show as Hitler-wanna-be Juan Perón (it is his show to steal, if done just right). Behind these powerhouses, a crack song-and-dance ensemble seals the deal, effortlessly morphing from jilted lovers to contending generals to angry mob."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Get to No Exit Café to see how a most innovative musical troupe can professionally take a big musical and scale it down to essence and still project the poignant story through excellent singing and dancing. No microphones, just fine natural singing and terrific dancing with outstanding acting—that’s a sure winner, especially in an intimate setting. This is an in-your-face Evita with heart."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...When one thinks of "Evita," the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice spectacular story of Eva Peron, one thinks of a large stage production, full orchestra and a large cast with elaborate sets and costumes. But once again Theo Ubique Theatre Company, under the direction of Fred Anzevino, proves that a small talented troupe can make this story come alive (and with more meaning) on its tiny little stage in Rogers Park."
