Schools of Theatre, Music to Present "Evita," Opening April 3

Composers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice "test-marketed" their musical, "Evita," by releasing an album musical two years before the stage production debuted.  That approach worked with their earlier work, "Jesus Christ Superstar," and it primed the theatre-attending public for the 1978 London premier of "Evita."  The Broadway opening was a year later.

The School of Theatre will present "Evita," the musical about Argentina's controversial First Lady, at 8:30 p.m. April 3, 4 and 7 to 11 in the Center for Performing Arts Theatre.  There will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 5.  Tickets are $15 for the general public, and $10 for students and for senior citizens 60 and older.  Tickets are available at the CPA box office from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or at ticketmaster.com

The production is directed by Lori Adams from the School of Theatre.  Glenn Block, School of Music, is musical director, and the choreography is by Pamela Walden, School of Theatre.

The main characters will be portrayed by EVITA: Kelsey Burd of Washington as Evita, Ben Danielowski of Rockford as Che, Patrick Byrnes of Evergreen Park as Juan Peron, Arni Alvarez of Bloomington as Magaldi and Clayton Joyner of Springfield as Mistress.

Eva Peron was an illegitimate 15-year-old who escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires.  Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at 22, the president's mistress at 24, First Lady at 27, and dead at 34.  She was a "saint to the working-class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military" who was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century. Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, "Evita" creates an arresting theatrical portrait.