Damask and Dark
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The Dog's NameThis might seem like a random/dumb/trivial question, but I was just wondering if there was a reason that Larson chose the name "Evita" for the dog that Angel helps do away with. Is this just because it sounds good paired with the word "akita," or was there a more deliberate reason? I know Larson was really inspired by Sondheim in his career, and Sondheim is mentioned in "La Vie Bohème" (not to mention his part in tick, tick... BOOM! too). Since Larson pays tribute to Sondheim, I was wondering if he might also be poking fun at ALW with this dog reference. It's no secret that some Sondheim lovers aren't especially fond of most of ALW's work, and Evita is one of ALW's biggest shows. Also, the dog dies by falling from the 23rd story of a building, and Evita's most famous song ("Don't Cry For Me, Argentina)" takes place on a balcony (might be over-analyzing here, but oh well). There are lots of yappy dog breeds besides akitas, at any rate, so it seems more likely to me that the name "Evita" would have been chosen first for the joke, and then "akita" chosen to go with it. Otherwise the dog could have been a chihuahua, terrier, etc. Thoughts?
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Gwen
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I thought of that too and found it interesting. It certainly would make sense I think.
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What you own
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Yeah, The whole thing with the balcony is from La Boheme. But other then that. That sounds right. 
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Vanessa20
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| What you own wrote: | | Yeah, The whole thing with the balcony is from La Boheme. But other then that. That sounds right. |
Actually, there's no mention of a balcony in Boheme, and the parrot that corresponds to the dog is killed with poison, not by falling. So who knows; maybe it is a reference to ALW's Evita. Unless it's different in Murger's original book. It's been a long time since I looked at that.
Just being the resident opera geek. 
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SianZena
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I love this analysis of it!
Always wondered why the dog was called Evita (apart from the creation of the sounds), but this explination seems to fit well!
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