TIM Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece Evita has opened its UK tour at the Theatre Royal Bath.

Featuring some of the most famous and inspiring stage music ever written, including the classic songs 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, Evita visits Bath direct from Europe as part of a spectacular new national tour.

Bringing to the stage the dynamic, larger-than-life persona of Eva Per�n, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Per�n, Evita tells her extraordinary story from young and ambitious beginnings to the enormous wealth and power she gained during her ultimate rise to sainthood.

Evita has more than twenty major awards to its credit, including the Oscar-winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, and features one of the most coveted roles in musical theatre.

The role of Eva will be played by Abigail Jaye and Mark Powell appears as Che.

Born in 1919, Mar�a Eva Duarte de Per�n was the second wife of President Juan Per�n and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952.

The musical Evita began as a rock opera concept album released in 1976.

Its success led to productions in London’s West End in 1978, starring Elaine Paige, David Essex and Joss Ackland and on Broadway in 1979 where it ran for an incredible 1,567 performances and won seven Tony Awards including Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical of the year. In 1981, the Evita cast recording was awarded a Grammy Award.

Evita appears at the Theatre Royal Bath until May 14.

Tickets, priced �19-39, are available from the box office on 01225 448844 or www.theatreroyal.org.uk