CCMT Presents EVITA At Lesher Center For The Arts 3/27-4/26

Contra Costa Musical Theatre (CCMT) will present the popular Tony Award-winning musical Evita at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts, March 27 through April 26, 2009. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's unmistakable and beloved score includes such songs such as "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," "You Must Love Me," and "Buenos Aires."

Tickets for Evita," ranging from $37 to $41 (with discounts available for seniors, youth, and groups), are on sale now at the Lesher Center for the Arts Ticket Office, 1601 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek, 925.943.SHOW (943-7469). Tickets can also be purchased online at www.lesherArtscenter.org

"Evita" is the story of Eva Peron, a poor Argentine girl who grew up to be one of the most worshipped and celebrated women in history. The show highlights her relationships with tango singer Agustin Magaldi, played by Derrick Silva, and rising political figure, Juan Peron. Peron, played by John Hetzler who is reprising his Shellie-award winning performance, eventually became the President of Argentina while Eva became a hero to the poor and working classes. The musical also follows Eva to her untimely death at age 33, an event that many Argentineans mourned deeply.. She was idolized and remains an iconic figure to this day.

"Eva Peron's story is a very powerful one. Audiences will be very moved as they see her story brought to life and experience the profound effect she had on the people of Argentina," said Scott Strain, president of CCMT.. "This is a new take on ‘Evita,' and even those who have seen the musical before have never seen it like this. Our use of multi-media is ground-breaking for the Lesher Center.""

"Evita" Brings New Faces to Contra Costa

The prospect of portraying the amazing life story and legacy of Eva Peron in a compelling musical has attracted many new people from around the Bay Area to Contra Costa Musical Theatre, including the show's director, choreographer and two lead performers. Eva will be played by San Francisco's Mindy Lym and Che by San Francisco's Alex Rodriguez. Lym and Rodriguez will be joined by more than 40 cast members from across the Bay Area who will be portraying many characters throughout the show from peasants to aristocrats.

The cast will work alongside such CCMT favorites as Shellie-Award-winning musical director Karl Pister, Shellie-Award-winning set designer Kelly Tighe and costumer Marianna Ford. Joining CCMT for the very first time is choreographer, Suzanne Brandt.

Director Kevin T. Morales, a very familiar face on the Bay Area theater scene, recently re-located to New York, but is returning to the Bay Area to stage Evita."

"I'm very excited to be involved with Evita' and have many ideas about telling Eva Peron's story to make the audience feel like they are brought back in time," said Morales. "They will also see how Che starts off as an intelligent college student and over time becomes the aggressive and angry militant figure with which people are more familiar."

Wells Fargo is a generous sponsor of CCMT's Evita" as well as other programs and events at the Lesher Center for the Arts. CCMT would also like to recognize the Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA), who generously provided funding for the impressive multi-media portion of this show.

 

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