Shereen Pimentel and Omar Lopez-Cepero Will Lead EVITA at A.R.T.
American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, led by Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., announced today the cast and creative team of Evita. Featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Tim Rice and directed by Sammi Cannold, Evita begins performances at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge on Wednesday, May 17, opens officially on Thursday, May 25, and runs through Sunday, July 16, 2023. Evita is presented in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company and included in its 2023/24 season.
Shereen Pimentel (she/her) leads the cast in the role of Eva Perón and is joined by Gabriel Burrafato (he/him) as Magaldi, Omar Lopez-Cepero (he/him) as Che, Caesar Samayoa as Perón, and Naomi Serrano (she/her) as Mistress.
The ensemble includes Martín Almirón (he/him), Julian Alvarez (he/him), Adrienne Balducci (she/her), Leah Barsky (she/her), Bianca Bulgarelli (she/her), Camila Cardona (she/her), 2008 Tango Dance World Champion Melody Celatti (ella), Esteban Domenichini (he/him), Rebecca Eichenberger, Sean Ewing (he/him), Nicole Fernandez-Coffaro (she/her), David Michael Garry (he/him), Eddie Gutierrez (he/him), Eric Anthony Lopez, Jonatan Lujan (he/him), Caleb Marshall-Villarreal (he/him), Ilda Mason (she/her), Jeremiah Valentino Porter (he/him), Leonay Shepherd (she/her), and Maria Cristina Posada Slye (she/her). Sky Vaux Fuller (she/her) will appear as Child. Marissa Barragán (she/her), Mathew Bautista (he/him), Isabella Lopez (she/her), and Miguel Angel Vasquez (he/him) are offstage swings.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Tony Award-winning rock opera Evita follows the adored and reviled Eva Perón’s meteoric rise to first lady of Argentina before her death at 33. Sammi Cannold (Endlings, Violet, Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment) helms this eagerly anticipated revival. The first day Evita tickets were available to the public set an A.R.T. record for the highest day of sales in the theater’s history.
Cannold is joined on the Evita creative team by co-choreographers Emily Maltby (she/her) and award winning Argentine tango choreographer Valeria Solomonoff (she/her) and associate choreographer Kelsey Burns (she/they). Music supervision is by Kristen Blodgette (she/her), associate music supervision is by Michael Patrick Walker (he/him), and music direction is by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh (she/her). Orchestration is by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Orchestration originally by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Scenic design is by Emmy Award winner Jason Sherwood (he/him), costume design is by Helen Hayes Award winner Alejo Vietti (he/him), lighting design is by Tony Award winner Bradley King (he/him), sound design is by Connor Wang (he/him), and hair and wig design is by Ashley Rae Callahan (she/her). Rebecca Aparicio (she/her) is associate director, Claire Warden (she/her) is the intimacy director, and Max Rodriguez (he/him) is the assistant director.
Evita’s stage management team includes production stage manager Victoria Navarro (she/her), stage manager Derric Nolte and assistant stage manager Elizabeth Ramirez (she/they). Casting is by Benton Whitley CSA and Micah Johnson-Levy of Whitley Theatrical.
“I could not be more thrilled to be working with this extraordinary company, led by the phenomenal Shereen Pimentel,” said director Sammi Cannold. “After completing an international casting search and welcoming back many Evita veterans, I’m delighted to announce this group of exceptional performers.”
