A new Argentina indeed! Tony nominee Josh Young and Caroline Bowman have been tapped to star in the national tour of Evita as Che and Eva, respectively. The cast will also include Sean MacLaughlin as Juan Peron, Christopher Johnstone as Magaldi and Krystina Alabado as the Mistress. Desi Oakley will play the alternate Eva. The tour of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice tuner will launch at the Providence Performing Arts Center on September 8 and will go on to tour 25 cities, including Tempe, Costa Mesa, Seattle and Portland.
Young made his Broadway debut in the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar (another Lloyd Webber/Rice classic) as Judas Iscariot and received a Tony nomination for his performance. Bowman was most recently seen on the Great White Way in the ensemble of Kinky Boots. She made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of Wicked, where she also understudied the role of Elphaba. MacLaughlin’s Broadway credits include Lestat, The Woman in White, Bombay Dreams and The Phantom of the Opera. Oakley has been seen in the current revival of Annie and Wicked. Johnstone toured in the Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific, and Alabado bowed in American Idiot on Broadway and in the national tour of Spring Awakening.
The rest of the cast will include Ryan Bailer, Nicholas Belton, Jessica Bishop, Ronald L. Brown, Holly Ann Butler, Diana DiMarzio, Katharine Heaton, Tony Howell, Katie Huff, Patrick Oliver Jones, Ian Liberto, Alison Mahoney, Robin Masella, Megan Ort, John Riddle, Morgan Rose, Michael Scirrotto and Tug Watson.
Directed by Michael Grandage, Evita charts the rise and fall of Eva Peron, the one-time charismatic and glamorous young First Lady of Argentina. With a score by Lloyd Webber and Rice, the musical features the songs “Buenos Aires,” “High Flying Adored” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” The revival opened at Broadway's Marquis Theatre on April 5, 2012 and starred Ricky Martin as Che, Elena Roger as Eva and Michael Cerveris as Peron. The production ran for 337 performances and was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.