Photo Flash: Northern Stage's EVITA

Eva Perón shocked the worked with her rise to fame, and her life has provoked impassioned debate ever since. Was she an angel or a devil? A savior or a gold digger? A hero or a villain? Decide for yourself as the Andrew Lloyd Webber - Tim Rice smash hit Evita bursts onto the boards at Northern Stage on April 13.

The company has gathered an unprecedented group of the most talented New York singers and dancers for this extravaganza, including Wicked performer and recording artist Merideth Kaye Clark as Eva, Adam Fleming from the Broadway companies of Hairspray and Wicked, and Fred Rose, who has appeared on Broadway in Company, Phantom of the Opera and Cabaret, as Juan Perón.

Returning from the recent hit The Wizard of Oz are award-winning director Brooke Ciardelli and choreographer Connor Gallagher, who appeared on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast and has won multiple awards in New York for his choreography. After Evita, Gallagher joins the creative team for the upcoming musical adaptation of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The musical director is Northern Stage newcomer Adam Wachter from Broadway's The Addams Family and Off-Broadway's Spidermusical.

Evita runs live on stage at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction from April 13 - May 8, 2011. Performances are Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m. (except for the Opening Night performance on Friday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.), and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. (no performances April 24), with an additional 2:00 p.m. matinee on Thursday, April 21. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000 . Tickets are also available through the Northern Stage website, www.northernstage.org.

Evita is sponsored by Mascoma Savings Bank, Domus and White River Toyota.

Eva Perón came to Buenos Aires at the age of 15, a child born out of wedlock who grew up in poverty. Her drive and charisma led her to a career as an actress that resulted in her marriage to Colonel Juan Perón; the next year, Juan was elected President of Argentina, and Eva became a powerful First Lady. Her fight for labor rights and women's suffrage made her a powerful political force in her own right, and she founded the nation's first large-scale women's political party, the Female Peronist Party. Upon her death at the age of 33, she was given a state funeral and was named the "Spiritual Leader of the Nation" by the Argentine Congress.

At the same time, the Perón regime weathered accusations of fascism, and Eva's habit of wearing expensive furs, designer dresses and gaudy jewelry made some question her commitment to the poor and disenfranchised. Rumors of Swiss bank accounts swirled. Meanwhile, the military and the upper classes remained suspicious of her motives, believing that she was using her public position to further her personal goals, and the military played a role in her decision to renounce her nomination for the vice-presidency.

Photo Credit: Oscar Blustin