Is EVITA coming over the pond?

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 2:38pm

I've heard mixed things. Is the London revival coming over to Broadway?


And I vote for Hadley Fraser as Che.

[ben1986]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 2:56pm

Right now probably not because while the revival was great it did not sell so well in the UK and I think that might scare off alot of investors.

[RainbowHigh2]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 3:21pm

Hopefully there's a producer out there who will take into account the fact that:

1) Madonna was in the movie version - there are many, many children growing up with that DVD and they would beg their parents for tickets to see the real thing on Broadway; older people also love the movie and rent it alot on Netflix;

2) there are at least two generations of fans of the cast albums (with the Premiere American Recording being probably the most popular);

3) tourists would would want to see a revival of one of the most popular ALW shows of the 1970s;

4) a limited run is possible.

I know TWIW had them running for the exits, but Evita is a time honored classic. Give it a chance!

[raphael06]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 3:26pm

Not to thread jack, but am I the only one who LOVED the movie version? I think it is one of the best movie musicals to this day.

[Weez]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 3:44pm

I also loved the movie and think it's a brilliant movie musical.

But Madonna is a shockingly poor Eva.

[ben1986]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 4:14pm

I love the design of the movie but to me it is missing the energy of the show. At certain points in the movie, starting around Santa Evita the movie just starts to drag. Also Madonna looked great in the role but that is about it, she could not sing it. In addition I was disgusted that Eva sang "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" because I feel that it takes away from Eva. Anyway just a few brief thoughts.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 4:27pm

I certainly hopes it does, and it better bring Elena with it. Philip Quast too maybe. They can leave Matt Rawle though; didn't like him. I am one of those people who grew up listening to the Lupone recording and wishing I could see a production of it. Stupidly I missed both of the recent tours, and I would love for the chance to see it again on Broadway. Something tells me with the addition of Elena and the right marketing, perhaps an out-of-town tryout to rework some of the dull moments from the London production, this could do very well on Broadway.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 4:33pm

Last fall, Webber entered a deal with the Nederlander Organization for a Broadway mounting and gained AEA permission for Elena Roger to play the role in New York - but I think plans for the transfer have been quietly aborted. The production in London proved too expensive to run and ticket sales weren't stellar - and frankly, Roger aside, the production just wasn't that great.

Apparently Webber is contemplating returning to the Hal Prince staging for the production's New York revival - but I don't think its going to be happening this (or next) season.
Updated On: 4/25/07 at 04:33 PM

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:24pm

if it does open on broadway i hope alice ripley is cast as evita!!!

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:24pm

if it does open on broadway i hope alice ripley is cast as evita!!!

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:24pm

if it does open on broadway i hope alice ripley is cast as evita!!!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:26pm

Alice Ripley is getting a little too old for it; she's in her mid 40s now.

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:31pm

just how anika rose is in her mid 30's and played a 18 year old in dreamgirls and pre-teen in carolin or change. and how marssia winokor is in her 30's and played a teenager in hairspary. i think alice is prefectly fine playing evita on stage. :)

[allvocal]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:31pm

If it does it won't be for a LONG time.. I just saw auditions up for a Non-Equity Tour of it.. sooo there ya go

[CarolynW]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 6:50pm

As someone else said no the new EVITA production is not coming to the US. Trokia is the production company that is doing the US tour of the Hal Prince version of EVITA.

FYI for those who want to know confirmed information, Really Useful Group (RUG) has a new section since this question and others get emailed to their Online Team everyday they started a FAQs section where you can look up information about shows and films that are rumored to be in the works.

The new section is called "Have a Question?" It is located in the upper right hand corner of the message board. It is also listed in a news article on their main page at this time.


Yours,

Carolyn :)
RUG

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 7:00pm

Damn, I really wanted this to transfer.

[chino]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 7:00pm

There is a big chance that it will be successful here. Why not move it here?

God, I hope they do.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 7:07pm

Where do you base those big chances of EVITA being successful here?
I'm not saying it's doomed to fail, but I don't see why anyone would assume that the show would be a hit if it were to open on Broadway (especially after the lukewarm reception the Grandage/Ashford staging got on the West End). Even with the original Hal Prince staging, I don't see any particular reason why the show would be a hot ticket.
If it does open on Broadway, Elena Roger should be the one to play the title role. She got raves across the board, sounds exquisite on the recording, and is indeed an Argentine woman which I'm pretty sure informs her performance all throughout.
I'd love to see Marin Mazzie, Alice Ripley, Ruthie Henshall, and a handful of other actresses in the title role but when given the opportunity to have Roger on Broadway, she trumps just about everyone (save for Donna Murphy, but she could be playing Curtis Taylor Jr. in DREAMGIRLS and I'd be all up for it).

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 7:15pm

I have a question for you all, what would think of "color blind" casting for the role of Eva? Just wondering. I mean Patti Lupone played her - she's not Argentinean (sp?) and most of the other ladies who have plapyed Eva have all been white, except the recent London production. Why not someone like Anika Rose - not saying she's a perfect fit by any means - but someone with her vocal range, etc. Or do you think that's a horrible idea? I kind of like non-traditional casting especially since this is a rock-musical about Eva Peron. I mean, it's not exactly the most historically accurate thing.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 8:17pm

Argentines tend to look more european than other latin americans, as you can even see in Rodger. That's why so many white women have played the role, it's a totally different thing to have a black woman, it could work but it's one of those shows that I think it would be a problem. I think whoever plays evita should look like Eva, at least from the audience.

Oh, and I would love to see it on Broadway, but I really don't like Rodger. I would kill to have Van der Pol do it.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 8:31pm

There was a huge surge of Italian immigrants to Argentina in the early 1900's, which explains why Argentine people are so European looking. They even had signs reading "Come to Argentina" in the Italian newspapers.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 11:18pm

I have said on this board before about this topic but here goes

The Evita Revival here in the UK was very expensive to run and ticket sales were not great at all(it was playing to half empty houses a lot).

Webber has decided not to take the show to New York but it looks like it will tour the UK next year using the west end sets(hes also taking Aspects Of Love out on the road in the UK this year).

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 1:18am

Elena was fab in the role. It's amazing someone that tiny can command the stage and be so powerful but she did it in spades. I saw it twice actually and wanted a transfer so everyone in NY could see it too.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 1:13pm

There was a huge surge of Italian immigrants to Argentina in the early 1900's, which explains why Argentine people are so European looking. They even had signs reading "Come to Argentina" in the Italian newspapers.

Not to mention, there is a substantial amount of people of Welsh descent in Argentina. My parents visited there last year and said the ethnic makeup reminded them of...Northern California, with fewer black people.

[Weez]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 1:31pm

You may not have Philip Quast. He's OURS now. :P

Must say, I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Roger was out sick when I went back in September, and I did enjoy Abbie Osmon very much, but it'd be nice to actually see the person who had all the fuss made about her. ^_^

Also Philip Quast is wonderful. ^_^