Photo Flash: EVITA Comes to Riverside Theatre

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, present one of Broadway's great musicals, Evita. Sponsored by Bobbie Olsen and Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers Group, Evita performs on the Stark Stage from January 8-27, 2019.

Winner of 7 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Evita is the passionate, exhilarating story of Eva Peron who used her charisma and charms to rise from her penniless origins to political power as the first lady of Argentina at the age of 27. Acclaimed and adored as a champion of the poor, her glamour, power and greed ended with her heart-breaking death at an early age. Created by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Evita is filled with an electrifying score of pop, jazz and Latin influences, including the unforgettable grand anthem, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

Tony Award® and Drama Desk Award-nominated theatre director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge returns to Riverside to direct and choreograph the production.

"When I work on revivals, I dig into the characters and relationships resulting in intimate rather than epic storytelling," says Ms. Milgrom Dodge. "With this production of Evita, we are embarking on a storytelling approach that will illuminate Eva's motives, in, what I hope will be, a very empathetic way. I hope the audience engages in Eva's story with wonder, fascination, excitement, danger and passion."

Born María Eva Duarte in 1919, in rural Argentina, Eva Perón grew up poor with dreams of becoming a famous actress. By the age of 20 she had not only moved to Buenos Aires, but found work with theatre companies and had started her own entertainment business, which produced radio programs.

She met Juan Perón in 1944 and her life changed dramatically. A powerful colonel and government official, Perón was immediately taken by Eva's beauty and sophistication. A year after their marriage in 1945, Perón won a landslide victory and became president of Argentina. A skilled speaker, Eva used her position as first lady to fight for causes she believed in, including women's suffrage and improving the lives of the poor. Eva died of cancer one month after her husband's second inauguration in 1952 and was given a funeral fit for a head of state.

The story of a poor girl who became a prominent political power has been the subject of countless books, films and plays. On September 25, 1979, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit Broadway musical Evita opened at the Broadway Theatre and closed on June 26, 1983 after 1,567 performances. The show was nominated for 11 Tony Awards® winning 8 including Best Musical, Best Score (Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber), Best Leading Actress (Patti LuPone), Best Featured Actor (Mandy Patinkin), and Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince).

Riverside Theatre's production of Evita is directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and stars Natalie Cortez (Eva), Angel Lozada (Che), Enrique Acevedo (Peron), Martín Solá (Magaldi), Iliana Garcia (Mistress), and Baylin Bischoff (Young Eva).

The cast also includes: Paul Aguirre, Nicole Benoit, Theo Blumstein, Nathaniel Burich, Juan Caballer, Michelle Cabinian, Edgar Cavazos, Halley Cianfarini, Tyler Alexa Colgan, Hunter Cook, Giovanni Da Silva, Daniela Delahuerta, Dena DiGiacinto, Audrey Dowdell, Samantha Gershman, Jeff Gorti, Juan Guillen, Edgar Lopez, Ben Lundy, Erica Mancini, Adam Mandala, Félix Marchany, Sofia Tosches, Gina Ventura, and Lily Warner.

The production crew includes: Michael Baxter (Associate Director/Choreographer), Anne Shuttlesworth (Music Director), Michael Schweikardt (Scenic Designer), Richard St. Clair (Costume Designer), Yael Lubetzky (Lighting Designer), Craig Beyrooti (Sound Designer), Mark Johnson (Production Stage Manager) and Amy Bertacini (Assistant Stage Manager). Casting was done in New York by Wojcik/Seay Casting.

Evita performs January 8-27, 2019 on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets start at $35. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; with matinees on Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.

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