EVITA TOO
Purcell Room
★★★★★
“anarchic, brilliant, and utterly unmissable”
In a theatrical landscape where so much political commentary is derivative, predictable, woolly and yet didactic, Sh!t Theatre’s Evita Too achieves something remarkable. It’s genuinely original, subversive, intelligent and screamingly funny. Writers and performers Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole have crafted a riotous comedy and searing, thought-provoking political critique, wrapped in the story of Isabel Perón.
As the world’s first female president, Isabel Perón ascended to power in Argentina after the death of her husband, Juan. Yet, she has been scrubbed from the history books.
The show’s premise is brilliant. Discovering that Isabel Perón is still alive, the duo travel across Argentina and Spain in search of the mysterious recluse. They attempt to write a musical about her to rival Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita – which glorified Juan Perón’s previous wife Eva whilst rendering his second wife, Isabel invisible. What emerges is part travelogue, part history lesson, part existential crisis. Isabel’s story is unpacked through a collage of video (including scenes in a Perón-themed bar where staff have never heard of Isabel), original songs, puppetry, and slapstick. The design by Zoē Hurwitz and lighting design by Dan Carter-Brennan are pitch perfect.
What makes Evita Too so compelling is its refusal to offer simple narratives. Isabel isn’t presented as a wronged heroine waiting for rehabilitation. She had death squads, after all, and her eighteen-month presidency was marked by economic and political disaster. The audience is trusted to draw its own conclusions.
Under Ursula Martinez’s assured direction and stage managed by Rose Hockaday, the deliberately lo-fi aesthetic becomes a strength. Biscuit and Mothersole perform with infectious energy, shifting between comedy, documentary, and genuine pathos. Music is seamlessly integrated into the show by John Biddle (Composition and Music Production) and Jonathan Mitra (Music Assistant and Track Producer).
The brief, unnecessary and irrelevant nudity at the beginning feels gratuitous and won’t be to everyone’s taste. The remaining material is stronger without it. But this is a minor blemish on an otherwise exceptional evening. Evita Too is clever in the best sense – laugh-out-loud funny whilst addressing troubling questions about who gets remembered and why. It’s the sort of show that leaves you thinking for days afterwards, whilst also providing an absolute blast in the moment.
Evita Too is anarchic, brilliant, and utterly unmissable. Produced by Judith Dimant Productions and supported by the Southbank Centre, this is theatre that matters.
EVITA TOO
Purcell Room
Reviewed on 11th December 2025
by Elizabeth Botsford
Photography by Ali Wright
