Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit, aka Sh!t Theatre, always create funny, quirky, punky theatre and with Evita Too they have done it again. Only this time with the added bonus feature of catchy songs that you will walk out of the theatre humming. Evita Too is their very own mega-musical. Look out Lord Webber.
Of course, this being theatre they tackle the musical genre in their own inimitable style, stripping everything back to basics and building it up all over again, with a shoestring set, lo-fi DIY props but a great deal of attention to detail, resulting in a show that is comic in parts, but also says much about politics and feminism.
Evita Too tells the story not of Eva 'Evita' Peron but of Isabel Peron, the second wife of Juan Perón and President of Argentina after his death until a right wing coup. She is now forgotten back home. Mothersole and Biscuit, who have a penchant for politics and intrigue, spend a chunk of their non-existent budget flying abroad for research purposes. At 91 Peron now lives in Spain, but they struggle to find anyone that knows about her past.
Their story, as far as I can tell, sticks to the facts and is both chilling and hilarious as we are taken, variously, from 1970s discos to an airport massacre. A little light audience participation has fans playing corpses (as well as making cocktails – alcohol seems to be a motif in Sh!t Theatre's work – everyone got free rum at their last show about Maltese politics, which might be exactly when I became a truly committed fan).
As the story progresses we also get a guide to making a hit musical (don't forget to sell the 'merch' they are advised by a top producer) and more personal material about Mothersole and Biscuit and their thoughts about becoming mothers. Peron did not have children. They touchingly wonder if they will ever have children. Eggs, frozen and licked, are another theme running through Evita Too.
Mothersole and Biscuit are clearly talented visual artists as well. In fact during their multi-media show they show film of an exhibition they staged near Peron's Spanish home in the hope of luring her out. Instead they only managed to lure out a teatotal vegan who was not so keen on the cheese and wine. Their paintings, though, are great. If only they sold them as merch I'd buy one.
Oh, and as I said, there are genuinely infectious singalong songs. Evita Too might be a little too rough around the edges (in a good way, it's what they do) to transfer to a big West End stage but as well as having great voices and a gift for harmonies, they know how to write a catchy melody. I don't know what their next project is, but maybe it should be something about the Eurovision Song Contest. There is certainly politics and intrigue there. Or failing that they could just enter it.
Until October 15.
