TOKYO, JAPAN (1982) Evita opened in Tokyo in March 1982, again with a great deal of promotion and publicity. There was a commercial tie-in with Kanebo cosmetics, who introduced a complete line of "Evita" makeup and skincare products. Akiko Kuno, an experienced musical comedy actress, played Eva. The production was colorful, had very unique choreography and an abstract set, consisting of many different-colored hexagons, some used as rear projection screens. The Japanese do not show beds--or people in bed--on their stages, so several numbers had to be re-thought. "A New Argentina" was staged with Eva fully dressed--in the beige suit used in most companies for Eva's Rainbow Tour. For the death scene at the end, Akiko, in a plain blue robe, stood alone center stage with a down-spot illuminating her while she sang the "Lament." To indicate her death, the light was simply turned off. One has only to look at the photos to see the more recent Japanese productions have gone for a more realistic look to the staging, and have Eva in a blonde wig (which the first did not). Again, tremendously creative staging has been done and it is obvious the Japanese have become much more aware of the historical background for the show. In 1997, Akiko went to Buenos Aires and shot a lengthy program for Japanese television about Eva and took viewers on a tour of the many sites depicted in the show. The most recent production does have a pillow on a bench for the scene at the end of "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You," but the ends of both acts still do not take place in bedrooms. ...AND BEYOND Numerous other productions have been seen around the world. One in Istanbul used local pop stars in the show, with three different sets of principals in rotation; they also had the most wildly inventive poster of any company. A wealthy Greek businessman mounted a production in Athens to star his mistress, an aspiring actress. There have been Evitas in Israel, Korea, Hungary and South Africa. Florence Lacey led an English-language version around Europe and Asia for several years, and there have been several British tours. It has been done by nearly every Civic Light Opera in America, and at most high schools and colleges. Most recently, the first Czech language production was mounted in Prague. Evita continues to 'simply seduce the world.' This commentary is actually continuous, though relevant parts have been placed under each production's section. To read the entire commentary straight through, use the buttons below: This material is strictly the opinion of the author of this website. © 2000