Cambridge, Massachusetts' American Repertory Theater has added a new revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita to its upcoming season. Sammi Cannold will be at the helm after staging a concert production of the rock opera at New York City Center in 2019. The A.R.T. production will begin May 14, 2023, and continue through July 16 at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square.
Cannold returns to A.R.T. after helming the world premiere of Endlings and a site-specific production of Violet. She is the youngest female director in the Massachusetts theatre's history.
"With Hal Prince’s original production and ongoing research on the ground in Argentina as our north star, our phenomenal team and I will expand upon the ideas we began to explore at NYCC: examining Eva’s story from a female and Argentine perspective, portraying this woman as a humanized icon, and seeing Evita’s troubled teenage years as a dark, problematic backdrop lingering behind her dazzling 20s and 30s," shares Cannold of her vision for the upcoming production.
READ: Why Sammi Cannold Visited Argentina Before Mounting Her Daring New Evita at City Center
The Massachusetts run will be followed by an engagement at STC in Washington D.C., part of the company's 2023-24 season. Specific dates are to be announced.
Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous) and Argentinian recording artist Maia Reficco split the titular role with Jason Gotay (Bring It On) as Che for the New York City Center bow, alongisde Enrique Acevedo (City Center's Zorba) as Perón, Philip Hernández (Les Misérables) as Magaldi, and Maria Cristina Slye as Mistress. Casting for the A.R.T. run is to be announced.
Evita, which premiered in 1976 as a two-LP concept album, features a score with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Rice. Hal Prince staged both the original London and New York productions of the musical, which made stars of Elaine Paige in London and Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone on Broadway. The score features such tunes as "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "Buenos Aires," "A New Argentina," "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You," and "Rainbow High." Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce starred in a 1996 film version; Elena Roger headed the cast of the London and Broadway revivals, the latter with Ricky Martin.
New York City Center Cast of Evita
