“Everything from Paul Tate DePoo III’s grungy yet eye-popping sets (a seemingly crumbling brick back wall, and a high-rise staircase that becomes the balcony where Eva sings “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”) to Brian C. Hemesath’s elegant, plentiful and occasionally clever costumes and Paul Miller’s impactful lighting, work as one to tell the story.
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DePoo’s sets provide their own surprises as pieces are wheeled or flown in, giving it a constantly changing look. Rhodes and Miller use the lighting design as characters when military leaders battle for supremacy during “The Art of the Possible.” The staging of big crowd scenes is embellished both by Will Pickens’ sound design and the projections of arenas and Eva created by Alex Basco Koch.”

“Lighting Designer Paul Miller and Lighting Programmer Jackson Miller provided ambient lighting that beautifully elevated or toned down the feel of each scene.

This is a production not to be missed. In its tradition of excellent theatre and fresh ideas, Asolo Repertory Theatre once again hits the nail on the head.”

“There probably aren’t enough superlatives in the thesaurus for the just-opened Asolo Repertory Theatre revival of Evita. Even those who dismiss the highly commercial works of tunesmith Andrew Lloyd Webber will have nothing unkind to say about it. Everything about the production is Broadway-quality, a triumph of passionate performance and state-of-the-art stagecraft.”

“Asolo Rep’s always spectacular technical wizardry is also in play here. Scenic design by Paul Tate DePoo III is authentically Argentina. The focal point of the setting is a huge, 20 step staircase used in multiple ways. There is a major coup de théâtre in the first few minutes of the show almost alone worth the price of admission. I mentioned costuming for the ensemble, but Mr. Hemesath’s designs for our heroine are also stunning. Lighting design by Paul Miller plays the darks of Evita’s early days against the bright light of her days in the spotlight. Sound design, using a brand new sound system that sounds spectacular, is by Will Pickens. Projections by Alex Basco Koch are used sparingly, but when they are used, they make a great contribution. ”

“The technical team behind the production is also first-rate. Paul Miller’s lighting is cinematic, not realistic—like the saturated colors of a Vincente Minnelli romance. Brian C. Hemesath’s costume design has the same filmic implausibility. This isn’t a documentary; it’s a bio-pic. A movie in somebody’s mind. Paul Tate DePoo III’s versatile set has a lot of moving parts, including a giant stairway on wheels and the revolving doors of unhappy, jilted bachelors. His design aptly evokes Buenos Aires as a New World colonial city with Spanish influences. Thanks to DePoo’s quick-change artistry, the set morphs from a grungy slum to a palace courtyard in a matter of seconds.”