Between long-runners Phantom and Les Miz, the return of Saigon and Cats, and now this news, it’s Back to the Future for the West End. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita is coming back to London for a limited engagement. The production, which is based on the current U.K. touring version directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright, will star Marti Pellow as Che and Madalena Alberto in the title role. The show will play 55 West End performances at the refurbished Dominion Theatre from September 16, with opening night set for September 22.
Pellow is the lead singer of popular U.K.band Wet Wet Wet. His theater credits include The Witches of Eastwick, Chess, Jekyll & Hyde, Chicago and Blood Brothers. Alberto’s credits include the role of Piaf at the Curve Theatre and Fantine in the 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables.
Evita charts the rise and fall of Eva Peron, the one-time charismatic and glamorous young First Lady of Argentina, and includes songs such as “Buenos Aires,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” The musical opened on Broadway in 1979 with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin in the roles of Eva and Che. A 1996 film adaptation starred Madonna and Antonio Banderas as the lead characters. The musical was revived on Broadway in 2012, starring Elena Roger and Ricky Martin.