Civic Theatre Opens 87th Season with Evita

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre will open their 87^th season with Evita.    The Civic’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical masterpiece will play in the Civic Auditorium, 329 South Park Street, September 25^th through October 10^th.  Featuring a compelling score which fuses chorales with Latin, pop, and jazz this multiple Tony Award-winner is as complex as the woman it honors.

Eva Perón used her smarts and charisma to escape her dirt poor beginnings in the slums of Argentina and rise meteorically to the presidential mansion as First Lady. Adored as a “saint to the working class”, she became one of the most powerful women in the world. Full of passion, greed and ambition, Evita tells Eva’s unforgettable story. The enthralling score features some of theater's most beautiful songs, including Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Another Suitcase in Another Hall and High Flying, Adored.

Director/Choreographer Jay Berkow (The Who’s Tommy, Into the Woods) along with Musical Director Brent J. Decker (The Who’s Tommy) lead the talented cast. The roles of Eva Peron and the show’s “everyman” Che are two of the most vocally demanding roles in musical theatre, so those roles have been double cast in the Civic’s Production.  Civic newcomer Hannah Hesseltine and Abbey Brooks (Crazy for You) will be sharing the role of Eva, while Joe Dely (Jeckyll & Hyde) and newcomer Matt Kurzyniec will be playing Che. Rounding out the principal roles are Zachary Joel Smits (Les Miserables, Into the Woods), Ken Holda (Lend Me a Tenor, Into the Woods), and Julianna Hirsh (Shrek, the Musical.).  The Civic cast also includes an incredible ensemble of singers and dancers who will be featured in the numbers Buenos Aires and A New Argentina.

The stage management team for Evita is comprised of Stage Manager Mike Artis and Assistant Stage Managers Jacki Stahr and William Ross

Evita tickets are now on sale. Order your tickets online at www.KazooCivic.com, or by calling the Civic box office at 343-1313. As always, discounted tickets are available for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more.