Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines Lyrics
Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines
[Aristocrats:]Thus all fairy stories end
Only an actress would pretend
Affairs of state are her latest play
Eight shows a week, two matinees
My how the worm begins to turn
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
My how the worm begins to turn
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
[Eva:]
The chorus girl hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
She won't go scrambling over the backs of the poor to be accepted
By making donations just large enough to the correct charity
She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy
Even if you asked her to be
As you should have asked her to be
The actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
She won't join your clubs, she won't dance in your halls
She won't help the hungry once a month at your tombolas
She'll simply take control as you disappear
[Che:]
Forgive my intrusion, but fine as those sentiments sound
Little has changed for us peasants down here on the ground
I hate to sound childish, ungrateful, I don't like to moan
But do you now represent anyone's cause but your own?
[Eva:]
Everything done will be justified by my foundation
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
I hear this one as a razor in satin. The orchestra keeps things crisp - snare clicks, bright brass, sly woodwinds - while the chorus of blue-bloods snipes from the balcony. Eva doesn’t plead. She reframes the terms. Then Che cuts through with a reality check. It’s a scene song that moves like a column inch: quick, quotable, a little poisonous.
Highlights
- Text vs. tone: Elegant orchestration masks a cage match about class and legitimacy.
- Character writing: Eva’s lines pivot from rebuke to strategy; Che’s verse grounds the debate in street-level stakes.
- Structural snap: Two and a bit minutes that reset the show’s power board ahead of the next number.
- Takeaway: Charity as optics, power as narrative - and Eva will write her own.
Creation History
The number first appeared on the 1976 studio concept album before the musical ever hit a stage. The Broadway Premiere American Recording (1979) captured Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin in a tight, satirical exchange that plays as a prelude to the following track. Production on that album stayed in-house with the composer and lyricist overseeing the sessions to keep the dramatic contour intact.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
High society sneers at Eva - the “chorus girl.” She counters, refusing to play their charity pageant or climb by flattering the right salons. Che steps in to remind everyone that rhetoric doesn’t feed the poor. Eva answers with the ace she’s about to play for the rest of Act 2: a personal foundation that will outmuscle the old guard’s gatekeeping.
Song Meaning
This is reputational warfare. Eva rejects the soft power of elite clubs in favor of direct control. The mood sits between jaunty and combative - a smile with clenched teeth. The message is simple: if the doors won’t open, build a bigger house and invite the nation.
Annotations
Thus all fairy stories end / Only an actress would pretend / Affairs of state are her latest play / Eight shows a week - two matinée
Meta stacked on meta: a musical about a woman accused of “playing” at statecraft, sung by an actress who is playing her - for eight shows a week. The sneer is the point; the rhyme lands like a slap.
By making donations just large enough
The line jabs at performative philanthropy - giving just enough to look good, never enough to feel it. The number weaponizes etiquette, then tosses it aside.
She won’t be president of your / Wonderful society of philanthropy / Even if you asked her to be / As you should have asked her to be
That’s a direct shot at the old Sociedad de Beneficencia, whose presidency traditionally went to Argentina’s First Lady. Eva wasn’t invited, so she created her own foundation and rewired the country’s charity optics overnight.
Style and instrumentation
Brisk 2-feel with marchy snare, punctuating brass, and sly reeds. Harmonies stay bright so the barbs sparkle. The chorus thinks they’re singing a patter song; Eva turns it into a manifesto.
Emotional arc
Starts with ridicule, pivots to rebuttal, lands in a plan. Che’s interjection keeps the ground truth in frame.
Touchpoints
Tango city, cabaret bite, and a press-conference cadence. The number foreshadows the coming battles over who gets to claim compassion - a social history lesson sewn into a catchy two minutes.
Key Facts
- Artist: Original Broadway Cast of Evita - Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin
- Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyricist: Tim Rice
- Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice
- Release Date: 1979
- Album: Evita (Original Cast Recording)
- Label: MCA Records
- Length: 2:21
- Track #: 15
- Genre: Musical theatre with pop sheen
- Instruments: orchestra, snare-led rhythm section, brass, woodwinds, strings
- Mood: satirical, defiant, strategic
- Language: English
- Music style: bright patter-with-bite over a light march pulse
- Alternate billing: Often titled “The Chorus Girl Hasn’t Learned the Lines (You’d Like To Hear)” in licensing materials
Questions and Answers
- Who produced “The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like To Hear)”?
- Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
- When was it released?
- 1979, on the Broadway Premiere American Recording.
- Who wrote it?
- Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice.
- Why does Eva reject the elite charity circuit in the lyric?
- She’s choosing control over permission - trading social approval for institutional power.
- What musical fingerprints define this track?
- Quick patter, clean snare, bright brass hits, and a tight verse structure that leaves room for Che’s counterpunch.
Awards and Chart Positions
- Tony Awards 1980: The original Broadway production won Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book, Best Direction, Best Lighting Design, Best Actress (Patti LuPone), and Best Featured Actor (Mandy Patinkin).
- Grammy Awards 1981: The Broadway Premiere American Recording won Best Cast Show Album.
- Film soundtrack impact: The 1996 movie soundtrack, which includes this number performed by Madonna and Antonio Banderas, peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and earned multi-territory certifications.
How to Sing The Actress Hasn’t Learned the Lines (You’d Like To Hear)
- Ranges: Eva sits mezzo-soprano with agile mix; Che is tenor with speechy bite; the aristocrats work as a bright ensemble.
- Breath plan: Treat each barb as a phrase. Micro-breath after key commas keeps diction sharp without rushing the patter.
- Diction: Consonants carry the satire. Land “clubs,” “tombolas,” “philanthropy” cleanly - clarity is the punchline.
- Tempo feel: Light march - forward lean without pushing. Let the snare ride under you; don’t chase it.
- Acting beats: 1) Aristocratic jab, 2) Eva’s refusal, 3) Che’s challenge, 4) Eva’s solution - the foundation. Keep the smile; let the steel show at the vowels.
Additional Info
- Concept roots: The duet appears on the 1976 concept album with Julie Covington and Colm Wilkinson before any stage production.
- Screen version: The 1996 film soundtrack features Madonna and Antonio Banderas on this track.
- Alternate title: Licensed materials sometimes list it as “The Chorus Girl Hasn’t Learned the Lines (You’d Like To Hear).”
- YouTube/streaming: Official audio of the 1979 Broadway recording is available on major platforms; several label channels host the track.