NI Students To Present Evita

Students from local universities and colleges are to present the first ever amateur musical staged by local students on the Waterfront stage next week.

Queen's Music Society Theatre Group present their Spring Musical, Evita, at Belfast Waterfront from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 April, following the success of their inaugural production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Whitla Hall last year.

The company are bringing the local amateur première of this Andrew Lloyd Webber production to the Waterfront Studio, accompanied by a 25 piece orchestra.

Following the recent negative press of students in the media, QUB Student Union President Gareth McGreevey said it was encouraging to see a group of students get together and do something positive as a community.

"Projects like Evita require people to work together and get everyone involved from both sides of the community."

Co-founder and Musical Director, Ryan Quinn said the company had a wide array of musical talent within the University that can perform the shows with a large orchestra, which no other amateur company would do.

"Even the professional touring productions have reduced orchestrations and it is a rare thing to hear these shows played as the composer intended," he said.

Evita tells the story of a woman who used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums to the upper classes. It has more than 20 major awards to its credit, including an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Featuring Tim Rice's most famous lyrics and Andrew Lloyd Webber's score, it has some of the most famous music ever written including, Oh What A Circus and the famous Don't Cry For Me Argentina.

English student and leading lady, Lucy Williams, said: "I am delighted to be playing the coveted and challenging role of Eva Peron at the Waterfront in Evita. It has always been an ambition of mine since seeing the role performed by Madonna in the film alongside Antonio Banderas."

Lucy is joined by a cast of locals, including Grant Cartwright as Che, Richard Burns as Juan Peron, Keith Quinn as Magaldi and Alice McGirr as The Mistress.

Tickets for Queen's Music Society Theatre Group’s Spring Musical, Evita (priced £14.50) are available online, from the Waterfront and Ulster Hall Box Offices and by calling 028 9033 4455.

(DW/BMcC)