Word has it that Evita is going to be revived on Broadway. If it is true, then I’m really going to see it this time around. When it was revived in London four years ago, all I was able to do was get the T-shirts and souvenir program. When it was done in Manila in 1986, after the EDSA Revolution, I was too young to go. Although Don’t Cry for Me Argentina and I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You were played a lot on radio from 1979 to ’80, the show wasn’t performed in the Philippines until after the Marcoses were ousted from power—there were whispers back then that Imelda didn’t like Evita.
And speaking of Imelda, Here Lies Love, a concept album by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim about the life of Mrs. Marcos, is finally coming out in April. Evita started out as a concept album before it evolved into the beloved stage musical. (I still believe that Evita: An opera based on the life story of Eva Peron 1919-1952 is the best Evita recording ever.) Will Here Lies Love be performed on stage eventually?
Shushan Purim begins at sundown today. It commemorates the day when the Jews of Shushan, the capital of Persia, finally rested after defeating their enemies. I love the feast of Purim. For me it’s a reminder that anti-Semitism—and indeed racism itself!—should be fought aggressively. For Haman is still alive, and he is as mighty, powerful and wicked as ever—and he comes in many forms and guises.