Evita Too musical at the Southbank Centre – review

Evita Too is a bold, riotous and quietly devastating musical, and a fitting way to close the year. Written and performed by Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole of Sh!t Theatre (they also supply original music and songs), this is theatre that knows exactly what it wants to interrogate, and does so with wit, rage and a surprising amount of tenderness.

The show centres on Isabel Perón, Argentina’s first female president, a woman largely written out of history. Overshadowed by the mythologising of Eva Perón, Juan Perón’s first wife who has been remembered, treasured and almost canonised, Isabel remains little more than a faint pencil mark on the past’s pages. Evita Too seeks to rub that mark harder, asking why her story has been forgotten, and what it tells us about power, sexism and historical narrative.

There is a delicious irony at the heart of the piece. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita was written and first staged while Isabel Perón was actually in office. One woman immortalised in musical theatre glory, the other governing a nation and quietly erased. Sh!t Theatre use this tension intelligently, weaving between political history, pop musical legacy and contemporary feminist critique.

True to its Edinburgh Fringe roots, the production is gleefully anarchic. Interactive vodka shots fired from water guns, giant effigies and a surreal talking head puncture the narrative with absurdity. Freddie Hayes’ puppet design and Rose Hockaday’s associate design contribute to the show’s surreal visual language, allowing moments of farce to sit comfortably alongside political bite.

This is not perfect theatre, but it is damn near close. Directed by Ursula Martinez, the use of video on stage is particularly striking. Designed by Biscuit and Mothersole, supported by video associate Mark Morreau, it places timestamps across the space so the audience are always punctuated in the historical moment. It grounds the absurdity in real political consequence and gives the show a strong sense of momentum and clarity. Zoë Hurwitz’s set design and Dan Carter-Brennan’s lighting work in tight collaboration to keep the stage in constant flux without ever feeling cluttered.

While much of the show is laugh out loud funny, there is a not so quiet sadness running beneath it. The reality of being a woman in power, particularly in what is still very much a so called man’s domain, hangs heavy throughout. The humour never fully lets you forget the cost.

Biscuit and Mothersole are both wonderful performers. There is a brief moment where they literally bare their naked bodies on roller skates, and it never feels gimmicky or gratuitous. Instead, it feels perfectly calibrated for a show interrogating how women’s bodies are scrutinised, politicised and weaponised, even when they occupy the highest offices.

Sound wise, the production is slick and confident, leaning more towards a live concert than traditional musical theatre. With music production by Ian Hill, supported by additional composition from Olivia Jamieson, the score lands with punch and clarity, reinforcing the show’s contemporary edge.

The production’s only reservation lies in the occasional over intellectualising of certain jokes. At times, the writing feels pitched exclusively towards very clever, culturally attuned audiences who will catch every reference and quip. While this sharpness complements the sophistication of the music, it limits accessibility in places.

That said, Sh!t Theatre’s musicals remain a genuine treat. The company has built a reputation for consistently bold, inventive work, and they occupy a rare and exhilarating space between fringe theatre and off-West End stages, navigating both with confidence and a fiercely distinctive voice.

Evita Too is funny, furious and a sharp reminder of who history chooses to remember, and who it is content to forget.