SAN DIEGO–Cygnet Theatre will present a concert Staged-Reading of the Tony Award-winning musical Evita, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.
The two-night-only performance, held August 3 and August 4 at 7 p.m. at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town, will feature some of San Diego’s brightest musical theater stars.
The musical opened in London in June 1978, with Elaine Paige as Evita. It moved to Broadway in 1979, with Patti LuPone in the role. The show won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 1996, Madonna and Antonio Banderas starred in a film adaptation of the production. A 2012 Broadway revival brought the story back into the public spotlight.
Evita will be headed by Allison Spratt Pearce (My Fair Lady, Cygnet Theatre; Come From Away, La Jolla Playhouse) as the indomitable Eva Perón, Cygnet Artistic Director Sean Murray (My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha) as President Juan Perón, and Jeffrey Scott Parsons (Cabaret, Welk Resorts; West Side Story, San Diego Musical Theatre) as the Revolutionary “Che” Guevara. The all-star cast also includes Bryan Banville, Kelly Pendergast, Sue Boland, Marlene Montes, Kelly Derouin, Ralph Johnson and current Dogfight cast members Sarah Errington, Caitie Grady, Debra Wanger, Charles Evans Jr., Erik von Metzke and Ben Gibson. Terry O’Donnell will serve as Music Director and Cygnet Resident Artist Manny Fernandes will direct.
Fernandes is no stranger to directing, having helmed a concert-reading ofAssassins at Cygnet as well as various other local productions. “Evita is one of the iconic modern musicals, and one that hasn’t been produced locally often. Right now, the thing I’m most excited about is seeing Allison and Sean, who were both phenomenal in My Fair Lady, take on the roles of Eva and Juan Peron.” He continues, “Much like the characters in the show, Sean and Allison both have a natural grace and magnetism that makes them a perfect fit.”
Evita tells the story of Eva Perón, who used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady. The show features some of theater’s most beautiful songs, including “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “High Flying, Adored.”
The pre-show reception begins at 7 p.m. with silent auction and sponsorship opportunities. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Tickets to attend the performances are $50 each. Additional gifts to sponsor the theater’s Summer Benefit will be matched, dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000, by theater patron April Blankfort. All proceeds will support the actors, designers and directors working in Season XIII.
For more information, visit Cygnet’s website at www.cygnettheatre.com, or call the box office at (619) 337-1525.
