She may have given birth to her second child just over three months ago, but Eurovision 2009 alum Yohanna has a lot more on her plate than raising her beautiful children. She just finished performing at a concert, along with Selma, Svala, Sigga Beinteins and many other Icelandic icons, where they honoured the greatest divas of the music industry, including Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Next up on her busy schedule? Following in the footsteps of Madonna and Charlotte Perelli to portray Eva Perón in a one-off production of Evita at Harpa Music Hall in Reykjavík come November.
The musical Evita was written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and was originally released as a music album back in 1976. It was an immediate success. Two years later, it became a hit musical in the West End, and was chosen as the musical of the year, and later nabbed some prestigious TONY awards. “EVITA” has been produced all over the world and is now a timeless gem, and was made into a popular movie in 1996, with Madonna playing the part of Evita.
The story of the beloved first lady of Argentina is well-known throughout the world. Eva Perón was an actress and a singer, who was born in poverty as Maria Eva Duarte in 1919. She pursued her dreams by moving to Buenos Aires in the early 1930s, and had already made a huge name for herself in the country, under her stage name Evita, when she met Colonel Juan Perón in 1944 and married him the following year.
He ran for and was elected president of Argentina in 1946, and Eva became first lady of the country. She was a powerful activist for women’s rights, fought for labour rights and even delved into politics herself. She was immensely popular among her countrymen and women, and when she died of cancer in 1952, at the age of only 33, she was already an icon in Argentinian history and her legacy still lives on today.
Yohanna won’t be flying solo in this production of Evita. She’ll be accompanied by well-known Icelandic and British singers, such as Þór Breiðfjörð, playing Juan Perón; Helgi Björnsson, playing the part of the tenor singer Augustin Magaldi; Salka Sól Eyfeld, who portrays Colonel Perón’s mistress; and West End alum Simon Bailey, who takes on Che.
The staging is in the very capable hands of Lee Proud, who is not unfamiliar to Eurovision, since he was responsible for Hatari’s staging and could even be seen prancing about the streets of Tel Aviv last spring, along with the dancers Sólbjört and Ástrós, wearing a harness and a leash.
This won’t be the first time Yohanna and Andrew Lloyd Webber have moved in the same creative circle. At Eurovision 2009, Yohanna sang for Iceland while Baron Lloyd Webber composed the UK entry for Jade Ewen. Yohanna placed second with “Is It True”, while Jade placed fifth with “It’s My Time”.
And after this production, the Christmas season will start for Yohanna, who will join Eurovision 2013 star Eythor Ingi on a mini tour, bringing us all Christmas joy, as well as throwing her own intimate concerts, along with her husband Davíð Sigurgeirsson. Busy times ahead for the queen of silver, and we bet that she wouldn’t have it any other way.
What do you think? Are you excited to see Yohanna in the iconic role of Eva Peron? What role should she tackle next? Tell us your thoughts below!
IIRC, Shiri Maimon played Evita as well.
This is where I don’t hate Madonna for portraying Eva Peron in that old movie. I’ve read that Eva herself faced so many hardships even before dying because of his abusive husband who wanted to “preserve” her body more instead of healing her (I’ve read that he fattened her up while she was getting weaker and hurting at the same time). Then I guess upon learning that, Madonna portrayed her well, in the end with real tears and all that jazz.
I know this has been said many times before but I make no apology when I say that Yohanna and indeed Iceland were robbed in 2009. I personally think that their song was as good as any entry in the past twenty years or so. Her performance was as close to being flawless as you are likely to hear. I am so happy to read that she is in a starring role at last. For the amount of talent this young lady possesses I must be blunt and say she has under achieved on an international basis. I so wanted… Read more »
You won’t believe it, but I fully agree with you! ?
Yohanna should have won in 2009! For me she is simply Iceland’s Most Beautiful Voice, a great artist with an angelic voice, just unbeatable…
Don’t forget that Andrew Lloyd Webber also competed back in 2009 and Yohanna wiped the floor with him…
This is such a good point! I have added a paragraph. Thank you! 😀