Ayme Olivo, Richard Bermudez and Davis Gaines to Star in EVITA at Musical Theatre West

Musical Theatre West (MTW) presents Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's musical masterpiece Evita at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center February 10-26.

The seven-time Tony Award-winning musical captivated audiences with Eva Peron's passionate and unforgettable true story of her meteoric rise to become Argentina's champion of the poor and most influential first lady.

Evita brings to life the dynamic, larger-than-life persona of Eva Perón, who remains the most complicated and powerful woman Latin America has ever produced. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she captivated a nation with her story, from her humble beginnings to film starlet, mistress, influential wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Peron, and saint to the working-class. One of the most acclaimed collaborations between Webber and Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) this legendary musical features the memorable songs including "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "High Flying Adored," "You Must Love Me," and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall."

Taking on the role of Eva Peron is Amye Olivo, who earned critical acclaim for her performances as Maria in Candlelight Theatre's production of West Side Story; as Nina in Cabrillo's production of In the Heights; and as DiAna Morales in MTW's production of A Chorus Line. In the cast of Mamma Mia! Olivo toured throughout the country on the production's national tour. Richard Bermudez returns to MTW in the role of Che, after appearing in the company's productions of Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, The Full Monty, and The King and Il. For the Moonlight Theatre, Bermudez earned a "Best Featured Performer" nod from BroadwayWorld for his performance as Frederick Barrett in Titanic. Broadway's Davis Gaines returns to MTW in the role of Juan Peron. Best known for his turn as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Gaines starred in more than 2,000 performances during the show's run on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco. Webber and Hal Prince then turned to Gaines to star in the World Premiere of Whistle Down the Wind. Additional Broadway and National Tour credits include Hello, Dolly!, Camelot, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. For MTW, Gaines starred in last season's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Man of La Mancha, for which he earned both an Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld Award for "Best Lead Actor in a Musical," Spamalot, The Music Man, 1776, and Mack and Mabel.

Evita began as a rock opera concept album released in 1976. Its success led to productions in London's West End in 1978, winning the Laurence Olivier Award "Best New Musical" and "Best Female Performance in a Musical" and nominations for "Best Male Performance in a Musical" and "Director of the Year" for Harold Prince.

Rounding out the cast is Zachary Ford as Magaldi and Ashley Marie as the Mistress. The ensemble features Joseph Abergo, Lola Alonso, Emily King Brown, Carly Cannata, Joven Calloway, Abby Carlson, Megan Cherry, William Clayton, Hayley Collins, Ayesh Cortinas, Kristina Dizon, Bryan Dobson, JillIan Easton, Ashlee Espinoza, Juliet Garbacz, Eddie Guitierrez, Marcos Hernandez, Gabriel Kalomas, Celeste Lanuza, Chloe Leatherwood, Bill Ledesma, Landon Mariano, Luis Martinez, Isabella Medina, Louis Pardo, Steven Rada, Rile Reavis, Lisa Stone, Jeffrey Christopher Todd, and Sheri Vasquez.

The show's arrival on Broadway became a sensation in 1979. It swept the Tony Awards, winning "Best Musical," "Best Original Score," "Best Book of a Musical," "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical," "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical" "Best Direction of a Musical," and "Best Lighting Design," as well as earning nominations for "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical" "Best Scenic Design" Best Costume Design," and "Best Choreography."

MTW's production of Evita is under the direction of Larry Carpenter, with choreography by Hector Guerreo. David Lamoureux, serves as musical director. Evita is made possible thanks to the support of Honorary Producers Don & Marlene Temple, Associate Producers Ackerman Family/Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation, the Port of Long Beach, and the Schulzman-Neri Foundation. Season Honorary Producers include Ackerman Family/Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation, Ken and Dottie Reiner, Don & Marlene Temple, Kathy Baker Campbell and KC Wilson, and youth performance underwriters include the Ackerman Family/Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation, Don Black & Judy McNulty Black, and Dr. Ronald & Sylvia Hartman. This production is presented through special arrangement with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization.

Tickets (starting at $20) are now on sale at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999, ext. 4, or at the MTW Ticket Office. Tickets start at $20. Performances play the Carpenter Performing Arts Center - 6200 E. Atherton, Long Beach, 90815, February 10 through 26, 2017.

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