Producing a show on the Mainstage involves a lot more public relations work, too, Corbett says. "It was an incredible thing to produce `Evita.' In a house production you end up doing all the technical work, whereas when you're producing on the Mainstage. you end up on the phone all the time."

In choosing the show's cast, Fratto, Corbett and Dopico, as well as the show's choreographer. Rebecca C. Shannon '89, auditioned a total of about 150 people and called back four or five actors for each of the six major roles.

Fratto says that the most talented auditioners were not necessarily the people he cast in the leading roles. "Some people were objectively the best singers, dancers, and actors but they were not always the people that I picked," Fratto says. "I thought about things like, is the voice too brassy, is the presence too weak or too strong?' Looks of course enter into it. but obviously they can be dealt with," he says.

For instance, Fratto says, Jacqueline H. Sloan '90, who plays Eva, has "a magic quality about her presence that made her perfect for this role. whereas someone else may have more power in the higher registers."

Even though they represent some of the best that Harvard has to offer, the actors and actresses also have found the show to be demanding, members of the cast say.

Sloan says that meeting the demands of a difficult musical score while keeping in sync with the orchestra is no mean feat.

"There are a lot of melodies, but a lot of intervals. It's all really difficult. There are a lot of things to co-ordinate. If you mess up, everything falls apart," Sloan says.

It's almost like you have to fit a mold that's already made. It's hard to be spontaneous and keep singing at the same time," she adds.

The lead actors say they found that while working on "Evita," their perceptions of their characters changed.

Sloan says that she came to realize that Eva, even if she was often cruel and manipulative, was also subject to a wide range of human emotions.

"She's a real character. She's really mean, but really genuine," says Sloan, speaking of Eva. "She's really loves jewels but she really wants to help the poor and she considers herself one of them," she says.

Sloan, who also appeared in "The Ruling Class" and "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui," adds that Eva is not afraid of using any and everyone to get what she wants. "I think that's the point of the play--we're all using one another so we can't point the finger at anyone. I don't think that's anyone's life motto. But everyone has bad things about them, and hopefully everyone has good things about them too," she says.

Dean E. Shapiro '91 says that he initially thought of his character. Peron's husband, a military dictator, as a device needed only for plot purposes. As the rehearsal process continued, however, he realized that his character gradually developed through the play. "I saw him as a third wheel to move the plot along," says Shapiro of his character, but "he definitely grew."

"I related to his experiences, but I didn't understand how crucial to the actor and the show that it was that he be a real person," he adds.

Pier Carlo Talenti II '90, who plays Che, the story's narrator, had a difficult time separating his character from the music that the character sings. Talenti says that he also worked on exploring the nature of the relationship between Che and Eva. "I don't remember the character being as complex as he is for me now," Talenti says.