London : Evita will return to London’s West End after 21 years in June. All the details surrounding the musical's revival have been revealed.
The musical will begin performances at London's Adelphi Theater on June 2nd and officially open on the 21st. Set to direct is Michael Grandage, the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse responsible for such recent hits as Guys and Dolls, Don Carlos, As You Like It , and The Wild Duck .
"I am delighted to welcome Michael Grandage and his team to the show which was the pinnacle of my collaboration with Tim Rice" Andrew Lloyd Webber said in a statement, "and it promises to be an exciting summer."
The creative team will include musical supervision by Simon Lee, choreography by Rob Ashford, set and costume design by Christopher Oram, lighting design by Paule Constable, and sound design by Mick Potter.
"Evita is such a rich musical that Michael Grandage's new production can show a different side to Hal Prince's ground-breaking original," said producer André Ptaszynski. "We are bringing colour, dance and a new Argentina to London audiences."
Cast in the three lead roles are:
Elena Roger as Eva Peron
Roger was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she appeared in regional productions of Saturday Night Fever, Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast , and Nine.
Argentinian singer Elena Roger, pictured in London Tuesday 31st January 2006, is to star in the title role when the hit musical Evita returns to the capital after 21 years. Performances of the production begin in June 2006. EPA/STR
Philip Quast as Juan Peron
Quast has won three Laurence Olivier Awards for his work in Sunday in the Park with George, The Fix , and South Pacific .
Matt Rawle as Che
Rawle has appeared in West End productions of Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, Into the Woods , and Hard Times – The Musical .
Evita is based on the life and times of Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine dictator Juan Perón. It chronicles her life as Argentina’s most complex and powerful figure, against a backdrop of political unrest, until her tragic death of cancer in 1952.
The musical features lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The pair began working on Evita in 1974. Originally released as a concept album, the first stage production of the musical starred Elaine Paige and opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in 1978. It set the record for the highest box office advance in West End History, running for seven consecutive years. The first Broadway production opened in 1979 starring Patti Lupone and ran for 1,567 performances.
This new production will feature the Oscar winning song "You Must Love Me" from the 1996 film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.
For Evita tickets visit www.evitathemusical.com .
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