First, if you haven't seen Evita, go find someplace performing it and go see it. The movie will do in a pinch. It's probably Webber's most compelling work with both a compelling plot and an engaging soundtrack.
In any case, there is a one-man-Greek-Chorus type character named Che (Colm Wilkinson for those of you listening to the concept or UK cast, Mandy Patinkin for those of you with the Broadway cast, Antonio Banderas for those following along on film).
There's a reason I ask - my wife is currently working backstage on a production of Evita, so I spent this past weekend immersed in the great show. On Friday I watched and Saturday and Sunday I worked as a stagehand.
I was quite surprised to see the character Che make his entrance wearing military fatigues and a black beret with a star on it. At first it vexed me, but by the end of the weekend, I was flat-out disappointed with it. I don't think there is any evidence in the libretto to suggest that Che is actually supposed to be Che Guevara, and depicting the character so obviously as Guevara is, in my opinion, a grave error.
I did some googling, and there is a commonly quoted synopsis that says that Che is supposed to be Guevara. That synopsis is never attributed to any author. There is also a Salon article that explicitly states otherwise. It could be a literary mystery, but it could be an interesting discussion.
Reasons Che is not Guevara:
No last name is given for Che in the libretto. If he is Che Guevara, why not call him Che Guevara?
"Che" as a word is sometimes used as a friendly form of address in Latin America - that's where Ernesto Guevara got his nickname. The character was named as such to indicate his role as everyman, the average joe-on-the-street Argentine.
The play, which presents a negatively skewed but largely factual account of the second half of Eva Duarte de Peron's life. There is no evidence to believe that Guevara ever directly interacted with Eva or Juan Peron in reality. Most (if not all) other named characters in the show were connected to Eva in reality.
Finally, while the stage show hints at Che's death, he is explicitly killed off by the end of the film. Obviously the real Guevara lived into the 1960s so they cannot be the same person.
Reasons Che might be Guevara:
The name Che is just too obvious. For a show coming out of the 1970s, the connection between the word Che and the man named Che is simply impossible to dismiss.
Guevara was born in Argentina and was an impressionable young adult when Juan Peron came to power and managed to destroy the Argentine economy within a few short years. There' can be no doubt that Guevara's experiences in 1940s-50s Argentina shaped his eventual destiny to help the socialist revolution in Cuba.
Guevara probably was not fond of the Perons. The Che character is usually less than complimentary as well.
New from the wife:
In the musical during the opening number Oh What A Circus, Che says:
And who am I who dares to keep
His head held high while millions weep?
Why the exception to the rule?
Opportunist? Traitor? Fool?
Or just a man who grew and saw
From seventeen to twenty-four
His country bled, crucified?
She's not the only one who's died!
Guevara would have been 17 in 1945, when Eva Duarte married Juan Peron. She died in 1952....when Guevara was 24.
Based on this clue, I am starting think that in the Musical, Che really is supposed to be somewhat representative of Guevara. But, he is the young Guevara of the 1940s and 50s so it is still a mistake to depict him as the 1960s icon with the beard and beret.
I think later on, Rice and Webber started to think that the inclusion of Che as anything other than one-man-Greek-Chorus doesn't really make sense. The above passage was cut from the movie and factoring in Che's apparent death, the connection between Guevara and Che becomes nonexistant.
I know this is probably way above ATOT, but what do you think?
In any case, there is a one-man-Greek-Chorus type character named Che (Colm Wilkinson for those of you listening to the concept or UK cast, Mandy Patinkin for those of you with the Broadway cast, Antonio Banderas for those following along on film).
There's a reason I ask - my wife is currently working backstage on a production of Evita, so I spent this past weekend immersed in the great show. On Friday I watched and Saturday and Sunday I worked as a stagehand.
I was quite surprised to see the character Che make his entrance wearing military fatigues and a black beret with a star on it. At first it vexed me, but by the end of the weekend, I was flat-out disappointed with it. I don't think there is any evidence in the libretto to suggest that Che is actually supposed to be Che Guevara, and depicting the character so obviously as Guevara is, in my opinion, a grave error.
I did some googling, and there is a commonly quoted synopsis that says that Che is supposed to be Guevara. That synopsis is never attributed to any author. There is also a Salon article that explicitly states otherwise. It could be a literary mystery, but it could be an interesting discussion.
Reasons Che is not Guevara:
No last name is given for Che in the libretto. If he is Che Guevara, why not call him Che Guevara?
"Che" as a word is sometimes used as a friendly form of address in Latin America - that's where Ernesto Guevara got his nickname. The character was named as such to indicate his role as everyman, the average joe-on-the-street Argentine.
The play, which presents a negatively skewed but largely factual account of the second half of Eva Duarte de Peron's life. There is no evidence to believe that Guevara ever directly interacted with Eva or Juan Peron in reality. Most (if not all) other named characters in the show were connected to Eva in reality.
Finally, while the stage show hints at Che's death, he is explicitly killed off by the end of the film. Obviously the real Guevara lived into the 1960s so they cannot be the same person.
Reasons Che might be Guevara:
The name Che is just too obvious. For a show coming out of the 1970s, the connection between the word Che and the man named Che is simply impossible to dismiss.
Guevara was born in Argentina and was an impressionable young adult when Juan Peron came to power and managed to destroy the Argentine economy within a few short years. There' can be no doubt that Guevara's experiences in 1940s-50s Argentina shaped his eventual destiny to help the socialist revolution in Cuba.
Guevara probably was not fond of the Perons. The Che character is usually less than complimentary as well.
New from the wife:
In the musical during the opening number Oh What A Circus, Che says:
And who am I who dares to keep
His head held high while millions weep?
Why the exception to the rule?
Opportunist? Traitor? Fool?
Or just a man who grew and saw
From seventeen to twenty-four
His country bled, crucified?
She's not the only one who's died!
Guevara would have been 17 in 1945, when Eva Duarte married Juan Peron. She died in 1952....when Guevara was 24.
Based on this clue, I am starting think that in the Musical, Che really is supposed to be somewhat representative of Guevara. But, he is the young Guevara of the 1940s and 50s so it is still a mistake to depict him as the 1960s icon with the beard and beret.
I think later on, Rice and Webber started to think that the inclusion of Che as anything other than one-man-Greek-Chorus doesn't really make sense. The above passage was cut from the movie and factoring in Che's apparent death, the connection between Guevara and Che becomes nonexistant.
I know this is probably way above ATOT, but what do you think?
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