EVITA Press Release Page 1 For Immediate Release TALENTED LOCAL CHILDREN CHOSEN TO JOIN STELLAR INTERNATIONAL CAST IN TIM RICE AND ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S MUSICAL MASTERPIECE [Hong Kong, 4 May, 2018 ] The Producers of EVITA are delighted to announce today the 18 Hong Kong children who will perform in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical in its debut Hong Kong season from 11 May until 10 June 2018. The audition, held in mid-March, saw Resident Director Anton Luitingh fly in to put the youngsters through a series of acting and singing tests. The 18 Hong Kong young actors and actresses aged from eight to 13 have been handpicked from amongst 200+ talented and passionate boys and girls who competed for the roles in the show. ‘It is a really tough task to choose only 18 young performers from all the potential applicants. I can see so much talent in Hong Kong and I am really looking forward to working with these young performers in May.’ said Anton. EVITA won two Olivier Awards following its sensational West End opening in 1978, for Best Musical and Best Performance in a Musical for the then unknown Elaine Paige, who saw off Barbra Streisand, Liza Minelli and Faye Dunaway for the role which propelled her to stardom. As Lloyd Webber says in his new autobiography ‘Unmasked’, written to mark the occasion of his 70th birthday, “I lost count of the number of curtain calls” on the show’s thrilling opening night. It went on to be one of the hottest tickets in the West End, with “standing room only”. EVITA opened on Broadway in 1979, where it became the “toast of the town” and won an incredible seven Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, cementing Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s place as one of the most successful musical partnerships of all time. EVITA was the first British musical to receive the Tony Award for Best Musical. In total, the show has won more than 20 major awards. EVITA Press Release Page 2 Set in Buenos Aires between 1934 and 1952, EVITA charts the rags-to-riches rise of Eva Perón, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, from her humble beginnings through to the extraordinary wealth, power and status which ultimately led her to be heralded as the “spiritual leader of the nation” by the Argentine people. For decades, EVITA’s passionate love story coupled with the tragic hand of fate, has thrilled theatre- lovers all over the world. The 1996 movie starring Madonna as Eva, Jonathan Pryce as Perón, and Antonio Banderas as Che Guevara went on to win an Oscar and three Golden Globes. This new international production stars EMMA KINGSTON (Eva Perón) who has performed in Les Misérables in London’s West End as well as UK productions of In the Heights, Fiddler on the Roof, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Grease. South African musical star JONATHAN ROXMOUTH (The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd) will perform the role of Che, and playing Juan Perón is ROBERT FINLAYSON (The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon in the West End, as well as Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Aspects of Love, High School Musical, West Side Story). The finest ever pairing of Tim Rice’s lyrics and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music has created some of the best loved songs in musical theatre, including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars, Oh What A Circus, You Must Love Me and Another Suitcase in Another Hall. As Lloyd Webber explains in ‘Unmasked’, he wanted to write an anthem for Eva that could be turned on her, and used in a different way – against her. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina was the result and the song was recorded and released before the show was developed. He sent it to Hal Prince and the show’s journey to the stage began. The iconic song reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and enjoyed similar success internationally, with Karen Carpenter, Olivia Newton-John and Petula Clark all releasing cover versions. David Essex’s recording of Oh What A Circus reached Number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and Another Suitcase in Another Hall has also been recorded by various artists, with Madonna’s version reaching the top ten in the UK. The production reunites the original creative team of renowned Broadway director HAL PRINCE, the West End and Broadway choreographer LARRY FULLER and the original designer TIMOTHY O’BRIEN. Hal Prince has won 21 Tony awards, more than any person in history, earning him the accolade ‘The Prince of Broadway’. As well as EVITA, his directorial and producing credits include Candide, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Show Boat, A Little Night Music, Follies, Cabaret and Fiddler on the Roof. Hal Prince said “I am absolutely thrilled to be directing this original production of EVITA. I believe that it is Tim and Andrew’s finest work and audiences in Hong Kong are truly in for a treat.” Tim Rice is the recipient of three Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, three Oscars and 12 Ivor Novello Awards. His other musicals include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Blondel, Chess, Beauty and the Beast, Aida, From Here to Eternity and The Lion King. EVITA Press Release Page 3 Andrew Lloyd Webber is the recipient of seven Tony Awards, seven Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar. When Sunset Boulevard joined School of Rock, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway last year, Lloyd Webber became the only person to equal the record set in 1953 by Rodgers and Hammerstein with four Broadway shows running concurrently. His other musicals include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tell Me on a Sunday, Song and Dance, Starlight Express, Aspects of Love, Whistle Down the Wind, The Woman in White and Love Never Dies. EVITA comes to Hong Kong as part of an international tour, taking in Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo, and is presented in Hong Kong by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises in association with David Ian Productions and Pieter Toerien Productions, and by special arrangement with The Really Useful Group. The Title Sponsor of EVITA Hong Kong season is American Express Hong Kong. Official Sponsor is Asia Miles. Official Ocean Carrier is OOCL. Official Hotel is Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong. Official Media Partner is SCMP. Official Partner is VOOV Live. ENDS Ticketing Information EVITA Performance Dates: From 11th May to 10th June 2018 Venue: Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Show Dates Show Times Tuesday to Friday 7:45pm Saturday 2:00pm & 7:45pm Sunday 1:00pm & 6:00pm Standard Ticket Prices: $1,045 (VIP), $845 (A Reserve), $595 (B Reserve), $445 (C Reserve) Student Package* $895 (VIP) / $695 (A Reserve) / $330 (B Reserve) Family Package* (A set of 4 tickets): $3,580 (VIP) / $2,780 (A Reserve) / $1,320 (B Reserve) Ticket prices are exclusive of HK Ticketing service charge and courier fees *A limited number of tickets fo r Full-Time Students and F u n N i g h t O u t packages (a set of 4 tickets) are available in VIP, A and B Reserves for all performances (excluding Fri & Sat evenings). EVITA Press Release Page 4 Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Tickets can be purchased via all HK Ticketing hotline or website as follows: - HK Ticketing hotline: 31 288 288 - HK Ticketing website: www.hkticketing.com For more information, please visit www.lunchbox-productions.com For more updates, please visit Notes for Editors ABOUT LUNCH BOX THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS Founded in Hong Kong in 1992 by James Cundall, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions has established an unrivalled reputation for producing top quality international entertainment across five continents, and is now headquartered in the United Kingdom with companies in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and The Philippines. Productions include musicals such as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked, Mamma Mia, West Side Story and Chicago; spectaculars such as Riverdance and Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria; boutique shows such as Stomp, Tap Dogs, Slava’s Snowshow, Potted Potter, Circus Oz and Barry Humphries’ Farewell Tour ‘Eat, Pray, Laugh!’; musical concerts including Thriller Live, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Abba Mania; international artists Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Elaine Paige; plays such as The Woman in Black, The Mousetrap and The 39 Steps; children’s shows Thomas the Tank Engine and Barney’s Space Adventures; events such as Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland (an outdoor Christmas ice rink and funfair in York, UK) and The Last Night of the Proms for the Hong Kong Handover; and The Imperial Ice Stars’ productions of The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Swan Lake on Ice, Cinderella on Ice and The Nutcracker on Ice. As well as producing this portfolio of shows, James Cundall spent the first five months of 2010 based in Shanghai, as Producer of the Outdoor Opening Ceremony of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, on behalf of David Atkins Enterprises. In addition to EVITA in Hong Kong, productions for 2018 include: Irish Celtic in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia; Beyond the Barricade in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia; Louis Pearl The Amazing Bubble Man and Potted Potter in Hong Kong; Swan Lake on Ice in Australia; Mamma Mia in Singapore and Manila; Stomp in Australia and New Zealand; Chicago in New Zealand; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time in Australia; and Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York, UK.