Broadway hit ‘Evita’ comes to Keith-Albee Theater

“Evita,” a musical that has won a Tony Award for Best Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album, comes to the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The British musical was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also composed “Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

“It is also cool to see ‘Evita’ come to Huntington, because Michael Cerveris, a Huntington native, has played in this musical,” Angela Jones, the Marshall Artist Series’ marketing director, said.

“Evita” combines Latin music, pop, jazz and musical theatre styles. Set in Argentina in the 1940s, Eva Perón, best known as Evita, leaves her life of poverty behind to become an actress and, eventually, the first lady of President Juan Perón. Evita became a legendary figure in Argentine politics, fighting for women’s suffrage and against poverty.

Cerveris played Juan Perón, Argentina’s president and Evita’s husband, in a production of the musical. He performed next to music star Ricky Martin. Cerveris is a two-time Tony Award Winner. He won Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for playing John Wilkes Booth in Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins” and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for playing Bruce Bechdel in “Fun Home.” In 2012, he was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in “Evita.”

Tickets for “Evita” are available at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center box office located on Marshall University’s Huntington campus on 5th Avenue. The box office is open 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Full-time students receive one free ticket. Part-time students receive one half-price ticket.

Emily Phipps can be contacted at [email protected].