Evita tells the story of Eva Perón’s rise to power in Argentina.
The musical follows Eva Duarte, who moves from the provinces to Buenos Aires and builds a career as an actress before becoming the wife of military and political leader Juan Perón. It presents her public influence and political work alongside criticism of her ambition and methods.
Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music and Tim Rice wrote the lyrics. The score includes “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” which became the musical’s signature song. Evita first opened in London in 1978 and reached Broadway in 1979, where Patti LuPone played Eva Perón in the original production.
Evita is based on the life of a real historical figure, but it is a musical drama rather than a documentary biography. The narrator Che is a theatrical device and is not a literal portrayal of one single historical person. Eva Perón died in 1952 at age 33.