Curve’s artistic director Nikolai Foster will direct a major new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita at the Leicester venue later this year.
Foster, whose recent acclaimed productions include the UK Theatre Award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical, The Wizard of Oz and Sunset Boulevard, will take charge of the production which will run from 27 November 2023 until 13 January 2024.
Announcing the production Foster and Curve’s chief executive Chris Stafford said: “Evita stands as one of the definitive musicals of all time and we are beyond excited to be presenting a brand-new Made at Curve production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece later this year. Eva Perón has now acquired legend status; her profoundly moving story is fascinating and remains intensely relevant to the world in which we live today.
“We’ve always tried to offer our audiences here in Leicester bold and visually arresting productions of the great musicals and Evita promises to continue this tradition, as we aim high and try to match the original ambition Tim and Andrew had when they first created this extraordinary piece of musical theatre.
“All of us at Curve look forward to delivering a brand-new production of this astonishing musical to our stage.”
With more than 20 major awards to its credit, and an Oscar-winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Rice and Lloyd Webber’s Evita features some of the best-loved songs in musical theatre, including ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, ‘On This Night of a Thousand Stars’ and ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’.
The Evita announcement was accompanied by the news that Curve will co-produce the UK and Ireland tour of the multi-award-winning Come From Away. The tour of the Junkyard Dog Productions and Smith & Brant Theatricals production will open at the Leicester venue, running from 1 to 9 March 2024.
Angela Thomas