A joyously inventive dissection of Isabel Perón’s life, ‘Evita Too’ is an unforgettable piece of theatre. Questing to write a musical about Isabel – who is still alive, according to Wikipedia – Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole artfully interweave historical facts with the comic iconography of ‘Evita’. Having already completed a run at Soho Theatre, this show was ambitious in its use of the Southbank’s more spacious Purcell Room to explore power dynamics with a playful approach.
Clowning and music were the instruments of choice in this interrogation of the legacy of a woman forgotten, despite being the world’s first female president. Thrown to the wind was the invention of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, with Sh!t Theatre’s original songs embargoing any familiar intrusions.
The show is, in short, a string of bombs dropping. Gaping mouths became laughing ones, including the opening scene with the duo taking to (stark naked) skating around the stage. There was an especially bold moment of Evita’s body dropping from the ceiling, consequently treated as a nationalist talisman. The puppets were both comic and eerie, whilst the costumes enabled Biscuit and Mothersole to become tongue-in-cheek inhabitants of Evita’s rise-to-power personas. All in all, we never lingered long; brilliantly directed by Ursula Martinez, the show’s scenes were laced together with each bout of audience laughter. Sh!t Theatre, it seems, know their audience very well.
The multimedia was effective in not only keeping a pacy rhythm, but also to punctuate the organic speech between Biscuit and Mothersole with political intrusions. For example, feedback emails from male audience members burst upon the screen, reminding us that the criticism is perhaps more pervasive and politically charged than we first think. Towards the close of the play, the screen allows us witness the journey of their research in Argentina and Spain which even extended to finding Isabel’s (supposed house). The show was not without moments of poignance – the back wall illuminated by Isabel’s mournful weeping – that served to remind us of the human behind the humour.
Having never attended a Sh!t Theatre show before, I had no idea of the comedy magnificence I was in for! ‘Evita Too’ runs until Wednesday 31st December, with tickets available here: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/
Reviewer: Eleanor Hall
Reviewed: 11th December 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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