On December 14th 1996, I was able to attend the world premiere of Evita in LA's Shrine Auditorium. Needless to say, I had a fantastic time.
How did I manage to get the tickets? The lyricist for Evita, Tim Rice, managed to contact the vice-president of Walt Disney Publicity (Denise Greenawalt). I am so greatful to Tim and Denise. Both deserve ample praise for their kind deeds. Thank you so much Tim for your successful efforts in getting a nobody to the world premiere.
My cousin and I arrived at the Shrine at 5:30 pm (the suggested arrival time on the sheet). Unfortunately, the stars didn't arrive until about 6:45 pm (case in point: DON'T GO TO A GALA PREMIERE ON TIME)!!! Our walk up the red carpet and around the corner into the Shrine was short and sweet. (We got to walk the red carpet because Sir Tim Rice not only managed to get us tickets, he got us the Gold VIP tickets that permitted guests to the party afterwards). Swarms of ICON members (The Official Madonna Fan Club) were in the stands, some sqealing in delight at any sign of a limousine. I got shivers thinking how loud they would get when Madonna herself arrived. Speaking of ICON, I am a member myself. On the carpet, an entire stream of media personnel were eagerly awaiting her arrival as well. Many of them were probably more anxious than the fans in the stands.
Inside the theatre (which looks kind of Victorian?), we were able to view the arrival of the stars, many of whom had to stop at the numerous media cubbyholes. I was a little upset that our seats were in the balcony, as I was sure that Madonna would be in the main floor area for the screening. (To my delightful surprise, I was wrong. It turned out that all the stars got the balcony!) Our seats happened to be in the first row of the balcony, on the far right-hand side. What amazed me about the treatre was how good a view of the screen those in the balcony received. Gradually, the seats began to fill. When Madonna (finally) arrived, she was escorted to the middle section of the 3 rows of seats that are situated in front of the first row of seats in the balcony (although they are not referred to as being the first 3 rows of seats, I don't know why).
I remember pretending to want to get a soft drink, so that I could get a closer view of Madonna. Trust me, EVERYONE wanted to get a good view of her. I remember feeling sorry for her, since everyone was staring at her in awe, and I'm talking about all the "important" people in the balcony when I am talking about everybody. She didn't say much at all, in fact, she seemed quite reserved within herself. Meanwhile, I couldn't believe I was just a few feet away from the diva (yeah, she really is a diva, just look at her overall effect on the public).
Madonna later left to do a photo shoot with fellow cast members. Liz Rosenberg, her publicist, was so protective of Madonna, it got to be quite annoying. I honestly got the impression that Liz was quite "show-off-y" that she got to be so close to the star. I momentarily left the theatre to see how the photo shoot was going. Madonna and Antonio were there, among others, as the camera clicked and clicked at the stars under bright lights. I remember how Madonna looked EXACTLY as she had been appearing in Evita-esque make-up/get-up in the magazine appearances she had been making. However, I also admit she looked quite "made-up" (her face had a lot of make-up, and so she looked a little "fake"). As the shoot broke up, Liz went into her protective mode again. No one could get to nor talk to Madonna (ie. admirers were ignored). You know, I understand why Liz is protective of someone who is liable to be attacked, but to be perfectly honest, no one at the theatre was screaming that Madonna was there (like a lot of fans do). People were quite respectful of her, aside from the staring factor. This is why I thought Liz was, well, overdoing her job. I also think this was quite rude towards those who were politely respectful in Madonna's presence (like me).
Antonio looked so hot! You know, I never thought he was extremely attractive, but he looked very hot in real life. I could see what Madonna has seen in him all along.
Inside the theatre, the movie was about to begin. Shortly before it began, I recall seeing Alan Parker turn around and unsuccessfully try to get us to do the wave and cheer incessantly. When the lights darkened, and the screen began to flicker, people were on the edge of their seats. This is what we all had been waiting for, and we were getting an exclusive complete view of the film before everyone else. When the Cinergi logo appeared (the first image to appear on the screen), a huge C&C (clap and cheer) erupted from the crowd. When the beginning credits appeared, Madonna and Antonio got the biggest cheers. I remember feeling so good for Madonna, as she was being so... loved! When Tim Rice's name appeared, he got a big cheer as well (same level of cheering that Andrew Lloyd Webber's name received, deservedly so). I was so proud to actually know Mr. Rice. Really proud of him.
I really loved the movie, it made me appreciate the lyrics so much more than I had previously. I mean, to have to sing throughout a movie to get the plot across. I didn't expect see the shots of young Eva though (shots which didn't resemble the later Eva Peron played by Madonna). There was a big clap at the end of the first singing number, Oh What A Circus. Similar occurrences with Buenos Aires and Another Suitcase In Another Hall. The audience had a lot of fun with Goodnight and Thank You. I loved Antonio's hand gestures during this song, especially when he says "which means!". Many more numbers were C&C'd, including the most famous (and lovely) number, Don't Cry For Me Argentina. It was beautiful how the Argentine crowd was silenced as Eva began the infamous lines. Very powerful. Another powerful moment was during the heart-breakening death scenes, as Eva lay dying in full knowledge of her growing cancer. Truly, these scenes show that Madonna is an accomplished actress. The LA crowd was so quiet after these death scenes, mainly because we were so moved by Madonna's character on the screen (and we just couldn't believe that Madonna could play the role so well).
When the ending credits started rolling, the audience gave a huge C&C and standing ovation to Madonna as she was escorted out by (surprise) Liz Rosenberg. Madonna didn't really acknowledge this, as far as I recall.
My cousin and I moved on to the party. I remember being right behind Colm Meaney (from Star Trek) in the line-up (he is a very big man). At the party (where a full dinner buffer was served), we saw quite a lot of stars. We also kept on coming across Marissa Tomei (who looks so small and short in real life, but she had a gorgeous date with her). After the dinner, we were walking around the tables when we finally spotted Madonna. Liz Rosenberg (surprise) kept on coaxing Madonna to leave, but she did stop to nicely talk to two young kids. I remember touching her arm and hand ever so gently.
When we finally left the party, we each received "The Making of Evita" (by Alan Parker), as well as assorted Evita make-up (some of which I'm proudly wearing right now). Overall, it was a great night. Pictures are from ICON site.
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