In This 'Evita,' Do Cry For the Enfeebled Narrator

If you're going to gamble on your approach to staging a musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" is probably a good bet.

His lovely score, alternately stirring and evocative, can probably get you through the rough patches. That's despite some frequently banal lyrics from Tim Rice.

McLean Community Players are presenting a stripped-down production of the award-winning show and have enfeebled a major character. It's definitely a roll of the dice, with mixed results. But an energetic ensemble puts such feeling into the all-but-continuous pop-opera score that "Evita" lives (until she dies).

"Evita" is based on the true story of Eva Peron, a poor and charismatic Argentinean girl who grew up to enjoy some success in show business before marrying Army Col. Juan Peron, who rose to become that country's leader. The mercurial and mysterious Evita also enjoyed wielding power. She was feared by many and worshipped as a saint by some of the country's poorest. Cancer did what her enemies could not, and she died in 1952 at age 33.

Her tale is operatic in scope, and Webber's score meets that challenge with lovely ballads and thrilling anthems that advance the story. There is little dialogue to allow for character development, however, which is why the decision to neutralize the show's narrator is problematic.

Argentinean-born revolutionary Che Guevara, who achieved international fame as a top lieutenant to Fidel Castro, leads the audience through each step in Evita's rise and fall. Although he and Evita never met in real life, Guevara did agitate against Peron's iron rule as a young man, before moving on to adventures in other countries.

Giving Guevara such a prominent role in the musical may be historical whimsy, but it does allow the actor playing the role to savor a rich character with a potent subtext who always reminds us that Evita was no saint.

McLean Community Players changed Guevara from an international revolutionary to an everyman, shorn of his guerrilla fighter's garb and fiery anti-establishment scorn. Randall Jones approaches what's left of the role with energy and sings very well, but he is working with bland leftovers.

This production is played on a mostly barren stage, so there is little sense of time or place. Evita's reign was a time of vivid contrasts between the sparkling lifestyle of those at the top of society and the impoverished masses, especially under Peron's ruinous rule. We don't see any of that here or anything of Argentina's rich culture. There are a few rickety platforms, because Evita must have her balcony to sing the iconic "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," but that's about it.

Evita is played by Jennifer Lambert, whose voice is an acquired taste. She is fine while staying in the comfort of lower registers, but her voice becomes brittle and then bone-rattling shrill at higher notes.

Her stridency is ameliorated by the top-notch orchestra conducted by John Edward Niles, which beautifully reproduces Webber's score. The musicians are fully engaged for the rousing anthems and subtly explore lilting rhythms for the ballads. They are loud, however, and tend to overcome the singers, who are hampered by an ineffective sound design.

There are two standout performances. Patrick McMahan's voice soars, and he plays Peron with the perfect mix of a politician's smoothness and a soldier's coldly commanding presence. Jen Faulconer is captivating as Peron's mistress, singing the lament "Another Suitcase, Another Hall" with haunting emotional clarity and a gorgeous voice.

Co-directors Kevin and Pamela McCormack keep the stage filled with the large ensemble as much as possible, and the constant swirl of movement is attractively managed.

Cast members sing with palpable feeling. Backed by the magnificent orchestra, they make Webber's taxing score come alive and substantially overcome the show's weaknesses for a pleasing experience.

"Evita" concludes this weekend, performed by McLean Community Players at the Alden Theatre of the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Showtime is 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at the Alden box office from noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, noon-8 p.m. Thursdays and noon-4 p.m. Saturdays; by calling 703-573-7328; and athttp://www.ticketmaster.com. For information, visithttp://www.mcleanplayers.org.