Shakespeare Theatre Company opened its new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita September 14, and the reviews are out. Find out what the critics are saying about the Sammi Cannold-directed revival below. Performances continue through October 15.
Cannold, soon to make her Broadway debut at the helm of How to Dance in Ohio, directs this new production of the rock opera following an earlier run at co-producer American Repertory Theater. The new staging is an expansion of ideas Cannold first explored in a 2019 production at New York City Center.
Shereen Pimentel (West Side Story) is back in the title role after leading the A.R.T. run, opposite Gabriel Burrafato as Magaldi, Omar Lopez-Cepero as Che, Caesar Samayoa as Perón, Naomi Serrano as Mistress, and Eddie Gutiérrez as Young Cadet. Melissa Parra and Ariadne Rose share the role of Child.
The ensemble comprises Martin Almiron, Julian Alvarez, Adrienne Balducci, Leah Barsky, Bianca Bulgarelli, Camila Cardona, Melody Celatti, Esteban Domenichini, Rebecca Eichenberger, Sean Ewing, Nicole Fernandez-Coffaro, David Michael Garry, Eric Anthony Lopez, Jonatan Luján, Caleb Marshall-Villareal, Ilda Mason, Jeremiah Valentino Porter, Leonay Reina, and Alysia Velez. Rounding out the company as swings are Marissa Barragán, Jorge Guerra, Isabella Bria Lopez, and Ángel Lozada.
Read the reviews below:
The Arts Fuse (David Greenham)
MD Theatre Guide (Charlotte Selton)
The Washington Post (Peter Marks)*
*This review requires creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Cannold's creative team includes co-choreographers Emily Maltby and Argentine tango choreographer Valeria Solomonoff, music supervisor Kristen Blodgette, associate music supervisor Michael Patrick Walker, and music director Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Lloyd Webber's originals.
The production also features scenic design by Jason Sherwood, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Connor Wang, and hair and wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan. Rebecca Aparicio is associate director and Claire Warden is intimacy director. Alfredo Macias is production stage manager with Derric Nolte and Marne Anderson as assistant stage managers. Casting is by Benton Whitley and Micah Johnson-Levy of the newly established Whitley Theatrical, and Nicholas Petrovich, Erica A. Hart, and Cindy Tolan. The revival is produced by arrangement with The Really Useful Group, and by special arrangement with No Guarantees.
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.
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Shereen Pimentel in Evita
Caesar Samayoa in Evita
Omar Lopez-Cepero and company of Evita
Omar Lopez-Cepero in Evita
Omar Lopez-Cepero in Evita
Caesar Samayoa and company of Evita
Shereen Pimentel in Evita
Naomi Serrano and Shereen Pimentel in Evita
Omar Lopez-Cepero in Evita
Shereen Pimentel in Evita
Company of Evita
