Maine State Music Theatre to Stage Andrew Lloyd Webber's EVITA

Maine State Music Theatre will be presenting one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most beloved musicals, EVITA, June 29 through July 16.

Lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber teamed up to bring the life of Argentina's controversial First Lady to stage. This dynamic musical masterpiece tells the story of Eva Perón through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences. Iconic songs in the show include "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "Rainbow High," and "On this Night of a Thousand Stars". EVITA creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the First Lady herself.

As an illegitimate fifteen year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at twenty-two, the President's mistress at twenty-four, First Lady at twenty-seven, and dead at thirty-three. Eva "saint to the working class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military" was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique to the 20th century.

MSMT newcomer, Kate Fahrner, will be tackling the emblematic role of Eva Perón. Fahrner has an impressive creative resume and has been seen on Broadway in Wicked and has toured with national productions of South Pacific, The Full Monty, and Cats. Opposite Fahrner, Matt Farcher will be portraying Che, while Nat Chandler will step into the role of Perón. Farcher was last seen in the U.S. Premiere of The Count of Monte Cristo at Pioneer Theatre as Edmund/The Count and is also new to the MSMT stage. Chandler has been seen in previous MSMT productions including The Scarlet Pimpernel, Beauty and the Beast, and Spamalot. He has most recently been seen as Emile Debecque in South Pacific, Georges in La Cages aux Folles, Robert Wilson's Zinnia's and Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. Finally, Ben Michael is cast as Magaldi. Michael comes to Brunswick for the first time this season, previously seen as Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde at the Fulton Theatre, Bob Wallace in White Christmas at Arvada Center for the Performing Arts, and Giorgio in Passion at Arden Theatre Company.

Rounding out the largest ensemble in Maine State Music Theatre history are Liz Shivener, Billy Clark Taylor, Selena Qureshi, Glenn Anderson, Matty Rickard, Mark Stuart, Jaime Verazin, Ernest Sauceda, Justin DeParis, Olivia Ashley Reed, Heather Morgan, Lexi Rabadi, Matt West, Cameron Wright, Kyle E. Baird, Mike Backes, Ceasar F. Barajas, Raymond Marc Dumont, Siri Howard, Jessica Lorion, Megan Flynn, Berkley Jones, Haley Ostir, Katie Whittemore, Giovanni DiGabriele, Alex Drost, Marty Lauter, and Kyle Laing.

The youth ensemble is comprised of local children Kobi Appleby (Topsham, ME), Anna Bainter-Clark (Westbrook, ME), Charlotte Blakemore (Brunswick, ME), Lily Carrigan (Portland, ME), Aymeric Dauge-Roth (Bath, ME), Ashley J.H. DeSchamp (Manchester, ME), Andy Dolci (Lewiston, ME), AiDan Gallagher (Freeport, ME), Elaine Landry (Camden, ME), Eli Thomas Maynard (Freeport, ME), Alexa Reddy (Brunswick, ME), Alexandra Spiegel (South Portland, ME), Nina Stevens (Scarborough, ME) and Madeleine Vaillancourt (Lewiston, ME).

Under the direction of Marc Robin, this production is bound to make audiences feel the summer heat of Buenos Aires while pulling them into the personal relationships that fueled this timeless story.

Maine State Music Theatre's 2016 Season is sponsored by Highland Green and OceanView at Falmouth. This show is brought to you by Casco Bay Wealth Advisors, DownEast Magazine, Dispatch Magazine, Norway Savings Bank, Wex, Senter Place, and Frontier Cafe.

Tickets are available online at www.msmt.org, over the phone by calling (207) 725-8769, or in person by visiting the Box Office located at in the Pickard Theater at 1 Bath Road, Brunswick. Visit www.msmt.org for more information.

Photo by Roger S. Duncan

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