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Evita Revival Posts May Closing Notices at Adelphi

Michael Grandage's acclaimed revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's 1978 classic Evita will finish its run at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre this spring. Though ticket agents have not yet been notified, the company were given notice last night that the show will finish on 26 May 2007, just under a year after the start of its run.

The production opened on 21 June 2006 (previews from 2 June) and was nominated for three Laurence Olivier, three Evening Standard and seven Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards (winning Best Choreographer for Rob Ashford in the Whatsonstage.com Awards) and last month extended its booking period to 15 December (See News, 22 Jan 2007).

Based on the life and times of Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, the musical stars Argentine actress Elena Roger* in the title role alongside Philip Quast as Juan Peron and Matt Rawle as narrator Che Guevara. Also in the cast are Lorna Want, Gary Milner and *Abbie Osmon, who performs the role of Eva on Monday evenings and Thursday matinees.

Evita is directed by Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage and designed by Christopher Oram, with choreography by Rob Ashford, lighting by Paule Constable and sound by Mick Potter. It’s produced by Andre Ptaszynski for the Really Useful Theatre Company Ltd.

In a summer 2002 Big Debate survey on Whatsonstage.com, theatregoers named Evita as the musical they would most like to see revived. This production was originally touted for a 2003 opening, but was put on hold because Lloyd Webber reportedly felt the theatre climate was then too biased towards feelgood shows rather than those with serious political themes (See The Goss, 4 Nov 2002).

No further productions have been announced for the theatre.

- by Caroline Ansdell

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