EVITA Closes Early at A.R.T. Due to COVID-19 Cases in the Company

Evita closed early at the American Repertory Theater due to COVID-19 cases within the company. The musical was originally set to run through July 30, but played its final performance on July 28.

According to a Facebook post from A.R.T. from July 29, "We are heartbroken to be bidding the Evita company happy trails early. Due to cases of COVID-19 in the company, last night's performance was the final one in Cambridge."

The post goes on to say, "We wish everyone swift and strong recoveries and look forward to Evita continuing its rainbow tour in Washington DC this fall. Thank you to all of you who joined us at the A.R.T. to make this such a memorable production."

Evita at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University was directed by Sammi Cannold and produced in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company. The production began on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at opened officially on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

Shereen Pimentel (she/her) led the cast in the role of Eva Perón and was joined by Gabriel Burrafato (he/him) as Magaldi, Omar Lopez-Cepero (he/him) as Che, Caesar Samayoa as Perón (he/him), and Naomi Serrano (she/her) as Mistress.

The ensemble included Martín Almiron (he/him), Julian Alvarez (he/him), Adrienne Balducci (she/her), Leah Barsky (she/her), Bianca Bulgarelli (she/her), Camila Cardona (she/her), 2008 Tango Dance World Champion Melody Celatti (ella), Esteban Domenichini (he/him), Rebecca Eichenberger, Sean Ewing (he/him), Nicole Fernandez-Coffaro (she/her), David Michael Garry (he/him), Eddie Gutierrez (he/him), Eric Anthony Lopez, Jonatan Lujan (he/him), Caleb Marshall-Villarreal (he/him), Ilda Mason (she/her), Jeremiah Valentino Porter (he/him), Leonay Shepherd (she/her), and Maria Cristina Posada Slye (she/her). Sky Vaux Fuller (she/her) will appear as Child. Marissa Barragán (she/her), Mathew Bautista (he/him), Isabella Lopez (she/her), and Miguel Angel Vasquez (he/him) served as offstage swings. Jeniysys Oliver-Joseph was the understudy for Child.

Evita features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Tim Rice. It is directed by Sammi Cannold (she/her) and choreographed by Emily Maltby (she/her) and award-winning Argentine tango choreographer Valeria Solomonoff (she/her). Kelsey Burns (she/they) is the associate choreographer. Music supervision is by Kristen Blodgette (she/her), associate music supervision is by Michael Patrick Walker (he/him), and music direction is by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh (she/her). Orchestration is by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Orchestration originally by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Scenic design is by Emmy Award winner Jason Sherwood (he/him), costume design is by Helen Hayes Award winner Alejo Vietti (he/him), lighting design is by Tony Award winner Bradley King (he/him), sound design is by Connor Wang (he/him), and hair and wig design is by Ashley Rae Callahan (she/her). Rebecca Aparicio (she/her) is associate director, Claire Warden (she/her) is the intimacy director, and Max Rodriguez (he/him) is the assistant director. Evita's stage management team includes production stage manager Victoria Navarro (she/her), stage manager Derric Nolte and assistant stage manager Elizabeth Ramirez (she/they). Casting is by Benton Whitley CSA and Micah Johnson-Levy of Whitley Theatrical. Produced by arrangement with The Really Useful Group.

Icon or human, villain or saint, aggressor or victim: Who was the woman inside the iconic ball gown? Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Tony Award-winning rock opera Evita follows the adored and reviled Eva Perón's meteoric rise from an impoverished childhood to first lady of Argentina until her death at 33. Directed by Sammi Cannold (Forbes' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment, Endlings, Violet), this eagerly anticipated revival featuring unforgettable songs including "Buenos Aires" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" explores how we make sense of contradictions in legacy.