‘Evita’ Closes on Broadway January 26

Late last month it was announced that the starring three members of Broadway’s current production of “Evita” – including Ricky Martin – would be leaving the show January 26. It turns out that date will be the final date of the show.

After the final show, the production will have played 337 performances along with 26 previews at the Marquis Theatre.

“Our extensive search for a new cast presented the significant challenges of not only replacing a high-caliber trio of stars but also synchronizing the schedules of potential replacements with that of the production,” said producer Hal Luftig in a statement.

“Despite going down the road with a variety of artists, the planets have simply not aligned for us to engage the right talent at the right time,” he continued. “Therefore, we have made the decision to end this incredible journey on a high note on January 26 with our original stars in tact.”

Previews began on March 12 of this year, and the official opening was held April 5.

“The style, grace and vision brought to this legendary musical by the cast, musicians and creative team exceeded our wildest expectations,” said producer Scott Sanders. “We were thrilled by the diversity of the audiences that have filled the Marquis every evening and look forward to sharing this beautiful production with even larger audiences across the country beginning next fall.”

A national tour of the revival will launch in September of next year at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, R.I.

The original Broadway run of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical opened in 1979 and played for 1,567 performances over nearly four years.

In the new production, Martin plays the narrator figure Che, and he is joined in lead roles by Michael Ceveris and Elena Roger in the title role.