Josh Young as "Che" with the touring cast of "Evita." Photograph by Richard Termine
For most preteens, being forced into theater classes might seem like punishment for being a little too rambunctious—in the case of Josh Young, the actor who will play Che in the Fox Theatre’s upcoming production of Evita, it literally was.
“I was getting into a lot of trouble at school, and I think my parents sensed that I needed an outlet for my creativity, if you can call it creativity,” says the actor. “They put me into theater class…and that was kind of it for me. From there on, you couldn’t keep me out of the theater. It kept me on the straight and narrow. It was an outlet that I needed, and I’m really grateful that my parents put me into that because I am doing something [professionally]…that I love doing more than anything else.”
The touring musical Evita will open at the Fox Theatre (527 N. Grand) on Tuesday, October 8, and runs until October 20. St. Louis is the third stop on their tour—Providence and Chicago have already had the pleasure—and the cast will continue their run until the end of June 2014 in other cities around the nation.
It will be a long tour, but luckily, Young seems downright ecstatic to be playing Che again. He portrayed the character for the first time back in 2010, at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.
“Actually, I think that’s the only reason I’m having this opportunity [now]—well, not the only reason. When I played it in 2010 at Stratford, Hal Luftig, the producer of this [2013] tour, came up to see me because he was going to be producing [Evita] in 2012. He might have just wanted to see what we did differently. We had a really great production directed by Gary Griffin, the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare, and so Hal saw me in that, and fast-forward three years, he offered me the part on this tour.”
Are you excited to be playing him again?
I’m totally excited, mostly because this is such a different portrayal of Che. [He] has been completely reimagined for this production. When Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice conceived the show, they conceived the narrator, who didn’t really have an identity. He was just the narrator…Eventually, when it got to Broadway, Hal Prince, the original Broadway director in ’79, said, “Let’s make it Ernesto Che Guevara.” He thought that that would add some serious tension with Eva because their ideas conflicted a lot. That worked for [them] obviously because they won a Tony and Mandy Patinkin was brilliant as Che Guevara, but in this production we’ve really taken advantage of the fact that in the score and script, it doesn’t say “Che Guevara”—it just says “Che.” And what “Che” means in Spanish…it’s an exclamation for “Hey, buddy” or “Hey, friend.” So what we’ve done is we’ve taken advantage of the fact that it just says “Che,” and we’ve made him a friend or a buddy or just a man, one of the working class people. In that, we’re able to see how one of the working class people is affected by Juan Perón and all of Eva’s political moves. I think through those eyes, the story is told a little better than as Che Guevara.
So when you played Che before, was it based on Che Guevara?
It was absolutely Che Guevara. We had a really cool concept where we had Guevara aging alongside Eva. So when the show starts (I’m not spoiling anything by saying she dies at 33), [it] starts with her funeral, and we started with Che being the same age [as Eva] in his full military regalia, beard and everything. Then after the funeral, we start at the beginning of both of their stories. So I ripped off the beard and we had Ernesto Guevara back when he was a medical student. We had him grow from the age of 20 to 33 years old alongside Eva, so at the end of the story, where it also ends at her funeral, he’s back in that military [uniform], bearded, in the beret…that was absolutely based on Guevara. So I think that’s really cool that I may be the only person who’s ever had the opportunity to play it both ways.
What is it like trying to play the same role in two different productions?
I was concerned, because I thought our production in Stratford was very successful, and I thought the way we handled the character was great and I loved it…I was worried that it wouldn’t be as effective or as good a device at telling the story, but I’ve come to thinking that this is the best way to tell the story. Eva’s whole thing is about being a champion of the working class, so who better to tell the story than somebody who has a family to provide for, is a working class citizen [and] needs Eva to change his life? Whereas Che Guevara, although he disagreed with a lot that Eva said, their paths never crossed. He was born in Argentina, and then essentially grew up and came to power in Cuba. They really had nothing to do with each other, except butting heads when it came to politics. Here, we have somebody who is directly affected. And in our story, we go a step further and…in the beginning, they’re friends…I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll just say that.
So the first time you were offered the opportunity to do Evita, were you excited or intimidated? Because it’s a pretty well-known show.
When I first auditioned for it at Stratford, I was about to do anything I could do to get the job, just because I knew I had a lot to bring to it. And this role fits [me] so well in terms of singing. I love the storytelling this role has to offer, but I love singing it just as much and I had been singing it my whole life. It sits so well in my voice that it feels like home to me, and that’s another reason I’m glad to be back doing it again in a totally different way.
How long did you rehearse before it opened?
Caroline [Bowman], who plays Eva, and I started two weeks before everybody else, and then everybody else had three weeks of rehearsal, so I rehearsed a total of about 5 weeks.
That’s getting a show up and running pretty quickly.
It is, but I think in casting this show…they looked at people they knew. They had a great casting director, Bernie Telsey, he’s the casting director in New York and I think they kept in mind that they had a quick rehearsal process so they needed people who were on the ball and I think they got them. We have a fantastic cast.
It’s definitely the best-sung production of Evita I’ve ever heard. There are also incredible actors, but you could shut your eyes and go out of there just as happy as if you had seen the show.
There’s a lot of dancing, though, right? There’s some tango?
Yeah, there’s a ton of dancing. And the dancing is incredible. I have a waltz that is kind of tango-style, but there are some incredible tango dancers.
Did you have any experience in tango before this show?
None. No. But I have a tiny bit now. I only have a little. Me saying that I tango in the show, it really wouldn’t be right. What other people do in the ensemble is amazing tango, and what I do, I barely brush the surface.
You said you have a waltz, so that’s more what you do?
Yeah, there’s a song called “The Waltz for Eva and Che.” They don’t have much contact throughout the show, and then they do this duet together. Essentially, it’s a confrontation, and Che is questioning if she is just a puppet, if she is in it for her own benefit or the people’s, and that’s kind of the climax of the show. So we’re singing this great song and waltzing at the same time.
What are the best things about this production?
Like I said before, you could go to this and keep your eyes closed and have an amazing two hours, just because the voices are incredible. But, like you said, the dancing is one of the things that people go out talking about. We have incredible choreography and our dancers are fantastic. And in addition to that, you have this amazing story of Eva Duarte Perón, and her life and fall from power. I think it makes for a great night at the theatre. First and foremost, we’re there to entertain and I think, though we’re not there to give a history lesson, if people go away from it feeling like they learned something, that’s a bonus.
I think with the way the show is set up, it encourages people to leave the theater thinking about it and wondering, especially with the ending.
Yes. Yes, the ending is a source of controversy, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. The ending leaves people thinking about if there’s going to be an Evita: Part 2, but there never was. Maybe there still could be.
I know I personally wondered what happened, so I looked it up and it wasn’t as…
Yeah, I guess there’s not enough material to warrant a part two, but…
But still it’s very interesting and sad…so on a different note: what has been the most fun role for you to play?
Oh, it’s this one. I think you’ll see, anybody can see, that I’m having a blast. Out of all the roles I’ve played, this is definitely the most fun.
What is a role you’d love to play someday?
Billy Bigelow in Carousel.
Do you have a favorite musical to watch?
In the Heights, I’d say.
Do you ever wish you’d chosen another career path?
I think in any actor’s career there are months that go by that you’re wondering, “Will I work again?” because your life depends on the quality of your audition, if you’re going to work again. So, in those times when you’re auditioning, if you don’t get the job, you’re wondering when the next one’s going to come. And at that time, you might wonder, “Why didn’t I just take over my father’s dental practice?” But it’s worth it in the end, because I would not be a happy person working in people’s mouths all day and having blood on my hands. And I do find that in this profession, if you just work really hard…I think half of it is just showing up and putting yourself out there, I find when I’m working as hard as I can, work begets more work.
Well, you have to have the genuine talent, too. That’s sort of important.
Well, that too.
