Curtain Call: Doña Perón

Doña Perón 9/10

Last night Cam and I went to a show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I was not sure what to expect and thought that this huge dance thing happening outside was it. I was wrong. Her friends showed up as well and we went into this fancy ass looking building. I felt very under-dressed for this place. I have never seen a ballet or dance thing like this before. I read the program before it began to get the gist of the story and what is crazy is that the performances were done so well that I still would have gotten the gist of the show even without it.

"Doña Perón is a portrait of Eva "Evita" Perón, one of the most recognizable and controversial women in Argentinian history. The illegitimate daughter of a wealthy landowner, Evita concealed this shameful past as she rose the ranks from dancehall performer to Argentina's First Lady - all before her untimely death at the age of 33. Doña Perón brings to light the extremes of power at the forefront of Evita's life. Her work as an activist and advocate for Argentina's women and underprivileged Argentine workers also known as Descamisados (shirtless ones), raised skepticism as she indulged in the opulence of a high-class life. A voice for the people, or a deceitful actress? Annabelle Lopez Ochoa explores these diverging legacies and more in her first-ever evening-length work for Ballet Hispánico."

This show had a very sparse set but managed to do a lot with it. Over the last couple of years I have begun to appreciate what people can do with very little set dressing. I was too used to the pageantry of Pantages. Now I have seen shows that have had just some chairs or like this one a few suitcase/boxes and they knocked it out of the park. It sucks that this is only around this weekend because I think a lot of folks would dig this. It got a standing ovation at the end. We sat in the very back so no need to worry about blocking anyone. The live music was incredible as well. I would love to see another show like this and see if I dig it as much.

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