THEATER REVIEW: ‘EVITA’ : Peronist Opera : The Music Theatre of Ventura County traces an Argentine rags-to-riches story in song.

The sardonic bystander-narrator, Che, describes her as “the greatest social climber since Cinderella.”

“All I want,” she explains, “is a whole lot of excess.”

So goes the story of Eva Duarte, a sometime singer and actress who rose from society’s lower ranks to marry Juan Peron and become the first lady of Argentina before dying of cancer in 1952 at the age of 33.

And that’s the subject of “Evita,” by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice.

Originally conceived (like the English pair’s earlier “Jesus Christ Superstar”) as a 1976 record album, the show was subsequently staged. Debuting on Broadway in 1979, “Evita” became a long-running sensation and won a septet of Tony awards including that for Best Musical of 1980.

“Evita” plays through this Sunday afternoon at Oxnard Civic Auditorium, the first production of the new Music Theatre of Ventura County, an outpost of the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera.

Formed as a professional company, the Music Theatre of Ventura County plans to stage shows during the summer, combining professional actors with semi- or non-professional local talent.

The current production, originated for this run, gathers three principals from earlier companies of the show, a director (Mark Lipschultz) who stage-managed three national “Evita” tours, a choreographer (Timothy Smith) who has directed or choreographed nine productions of the show, and sets and costumes created for the show’s Latin American tour.

In other words, the current production--which also includes a 23-piece orchestra and chorus of 38 singer-dancers--is about as authentic as is possible without the participation of any of the show’s creators, and even the Oxnard staging and choreography are said to be re-creations of the original.

Ah, but is it any good? That depends on your point of view as a spectator. Of course it’s pretentious, with the writers describing the show as an “opera” and all of the dialogue sung. But with the lyrics all in English and--thanks to electronic amplification of the lead voices--quite comprehensible, the show’s a lot closer to “Tommy” than to “Carmen.”

On the other hand, as “culture” goes, the show is several steps ahead of Neil Simon or Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The production--any production of the show--is somewhat limited by the show’s origins as a record album: Staging wasn’t part of the original plan. With that in mind, what was dreamed up by director Hal Prince and choreographer Larry Fuller is commendable and imaginative.

Several scenes of “Evita” are more memorable from a visual standpoint than are most of the songs. Perhaps after writing one eminently hummable melody, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” Lloyd Webber focused his attention on trying to get his story across; singability and memorability suffer.

Rice’s lyrics, on the other hand, are frequently amusing and manage to get the story across in a relatively brief time span (you’ll be out of the theater in 2 1/2 hours). The song “Goodnight and Thank You,” in which Evita attaches herself to man after man of increasing social position is a particular delight in that respect.

A large chorus of singers and dancers and a number of film projections and prerecorded sound effects add considerably to the atmosphere.

Starring as the social-climbing Eva Peron is Valerie Perri, who starred in the Los Angeles and the first national company productions of the show. In Saturday night’s performance, she seemed a bit too stiff and distant to be the idol of a country, but sang beautifully. Doug Carfrae--one of the two principals appearing in “Evita” for the first time--looked like he might really be a South American dictator, and handled his relatively lackluster role of Juan Peron nicely.

As social gadfly Che, the other newcomer, Jordan Bennett, exudes sarcasm. But it’s Mario Simon who turns in the most rounded characterization. As the first rung on Evita’s ladder to the top, nightclub singer and romantic idol Augustin Magaldi, Simon is a pompous, vain popinjay--sort of a Wayne Newton of the pampas.

For all of the imported talent, it’s important to note that most of the production staff, including director Lipschultz, musical director Elise Unruh, choral director Stephen Dombek and executive producer Paul Iannaccone, are locals, affiliated with the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera.

An ambitious production, nicely realized, “Evita” is a worthy cornerstone for the Music Theatre of Ventura County.

* WHERE AND WHEN: “Evita” plays at 8 tonight through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday, at Oxnard Civic Auditorium, 800 Hobson Way (at 9th Street) in Oxnard. Tickets range from $15 to $23.50, with student, senior and group discounts available, and are available at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium box office, from all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 366-6064.