Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has unveiled principal casting for this summer’s major new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita and the eagerly-anticipated Barbican Theatre transfer season of the multi-award-winning Jesus Christ Superstar.
One of the stars of the US tour of Bat Out of Hell and the first American production of hit show Six, Samantha Pauly will make her UK debut as Eva Peron. The Chicago-based actress and singer, who previously starred as Eva in a regional production in Connecticut, will star in London opposite Puerto Rican singer actor Ektor Rivera who will also make his UK debut in the production.
Rivera, who first found fame in the US when he was selected by superstar Jennifer Lopez to appear in her hit TV show, Q’Viva! The Chosen, recently starred as Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet! on Broadway and on the US tour.
American Idiot star Trent Saunders (original Broadway cast of Disney’s Aladdin) will return to the UK to take on the role of Che, with Olivier Award nominee Frances Mayli McCann (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour) playing The Mistress.
Announcing the casting, director Jamie Lloyd said: “After an international search, I am incredibly excited about the amazing talent we have discovered, and the variety of voices we have assembled, to share this story today. Samantha Pauly will lead a thrillingly diverse and powerful company.”
Lloyd heads a creative team that includes: designer Soutra Gilmour, choreographer Fabian Aloise, musical supervisor Alan Williams, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nick Lidster for Autograph and Barbara Houseman (season associate director, voice and text). UK casting is by Will Burton CDG for DGA, and US casting by Tara Rubin Casting.
Already the fastest-selling production in the theatre’s history, Evita will run from 2 August until 21 September 2019.
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’.
Following on from two sell-out runs at the Open Air Theatre and a successful season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar will play the Barbican from 4 July until 24 August 2019 before embarking on a tour of North America in the autumn.
The new cast for the Barbican run will be headed by Australian Robert Tripolino. Taking on the title role following his recent success in Rags at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre, Tripolino will appear alongside Ricardo Afonso (Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Playhouse Theatre, Top Hat, Aldwych and UK tour) who will take on the role of Judas.
Former X Factor winner turned musical theatre star Matt Cardle (Memphis, Shaftesbury Theatre, Strictly Ballroom, Piccadilly Theatre) will play Pilate with Irish- Sierra Leonean artist Sallay Garnett taking on the role of Mary.
Cavin Cornwall (Rip It Up, Garrick Theatre, Chicago, Adelphi Theatre) will return to the role of Caiaphas, the part he played in the original Regent’s Park Open Air production and the Lyric Opera of Chicago run last year. Cornwall also played Caiaphas during the UK area tour of the show and played Peter in the 1990 filmed version.
The cast for the Barbican run will also include Heathers star Nathan Amzi (In The Heights, Southwark Playhouse) who will take on the role of Annas.
With direction by Regent’s Park’s artistic director Timothy Sheader, design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Drew McOnie, musical supervision by Tom Deering, lighting design by Lee Curran and sound design by Nick Lidster for Autograph, the Regent’s Park production was a spectacular success when it debuted in 2016.
The production went on to win the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical and the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. It also received a further five Olivier Award nominations, for Best Theatre Choreography, Best Lighting, Best Sound, Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Actor in a Musical (for Tyrone Huntley). Public demand was so great for the production, Jesus Christ Superstar returned to Regent’s Park for a limited run in 2017.
The award-winning production is set to play over 50 venues when it arrives in North America later this year.
Jesus Christ Superstar is produced by William Village and Timothy Sheader for Regent’s Park Theatre Ltd by special arrangement with The Really Useful Group Limited.
Angela Thomas
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