The UW-La Crosse Theatre Department brings to life Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's, "Evita," the captivating story of Eva Peron. The classic musical brings to life the dynamic, larger-than-life persona of Eva Peron, wife of former Argentine dictator, Juan Peron.

Once a member of the working class, Eva rose to fame, "hustling and fighting, scratching and biting" her way to the top. But that's just one aspect of the story. Evita, as she was called, left behind a fascinating political legacy because she was a saint to the working-class, yet hated by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military.

As a celebrity and woman in power, Eva Peron, the person, morphed into the phenomenon known as "Evita." No longer simply one woman, she became an enigma both loved and loathed. In death as in life, there have been many different interpretations of the persona of Eva Peron. Evita has been called whore and feminist, tyrant and saint.

According to UW-L director Mary Leonard, Eva Peron's complexities are "what drew lyricist Tim Rice to writing this show in the first place. He was extremely intrigued by this hotly debated celebrity. She was an active voice in a male-dominated political sphere," says Leonard. "That alone is fascinating material for a dramatic play."

The production is intriguingly based not only on Eva Peron's story, but also on her celebrity status and how the public perceived her.

UW-L senior, Therese Walth, playing Eva in the show, has the difficult job of trying to decipher persona from person. "She kept many of her goals and ambitions to herself, so no one really knows who exactly Eva is," says Walth. "It's my hope (and the way that I would like to portray her) that she was good, and that she really did want to help the poor and make a better life for the lower class."

That may prove difficult in a show that hints to Eva Peron's promiscuity and thirst for power, but that is also the beauty of the show. As Tomas Eloy Martinez, author of "Santa Evita" and Director of the Latin American program at Rutgers University says in an online article for Time Magazine: "Human beings are full of contradictions and labyrinthine complexities. Rarely do they resemble their portrayal in the musicals of Hollywood and Broadway."

Walth fully acknowledges the challenge ahead. "The hardest thing is the way Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice depicted her. They chose to emphasize the rumors and myths that made her out to be manipulative and power hungry," says Walth. "But I really think there was so much more to her... I don't want her to be the power hungry character that she seems to be, but rather give her a softer side that suggests that she was much deeper."

Eva Peron herself was well aware of the multi-facets of her façade. In a quote on her official Web site she states, "A few days of the year I represent Eva Peron...Most of the time, however, I am Evita..."

"She was a fascinating woman and she had so many facets to her personality," says Leonard. "I want the audience to see her many different faces."

A gripping theatrical experience, Evita is a fascinating biography told through a memorable and compelling musical score. The UW-L production is directed by Mary Leonard and stars Therese Walth as Eva, Nick Bailey as Che and Sam Albertsen as Peron.

Performances are February 24-25 and the following weekend March 2-4, at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on February 26 & March 4. All performances take place in UW-L's Toland Theatre in the Center for the Arts at the corner of 16th and Vine Street.

Tickets are $12 for the general public, $10 for non-UW-L students, senior citizens and children and $4 for UW-L students with valid student identification. For reservations, call the box office at (608) 785-8522.