Mighty Oak Players’ production of “Evita” opens at Monroe High School on Friday, July 25. “Evita” follows the rags-to-riches rise of Eva Duarte Peron from 1934 to 1952. She rose from being a fatherless child to an ambitious actress to a powerful woman in Latin America. Duarte won the love of her countrymen after marrying Juan Peron, a military leader portrayed by Patrick Andrae, a former Plainsboro resident.
Andrae, a scientist in a lab by day and an actor on stage in the evening, began singing, dancing, and acting at age 15 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since his move to New Jersey in 1990, he has appeared at Kelsey Theater, Franklin Villagers, Chatham Players, Plays-in-the Park, and just about every theater within an hour’s drive.
A graduate of Allegheny College, he is an experienced synthetic chemist and has been the undergraduate lab coordinator at Princeton University for several years.
After her death at age 33 Duarte Peron was revered as a saint-like figure. The events of her life are presented in song by Che, the show’s narrator. The score includes tunes like “Oh What a Circus,” “The Art of the Possible,” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”
Evita, Monroe Cultural Arts Commission, Monroe Township High School, 200 Schoolhouse Road, Monroe. Weekends from Friday, July 25, to Sunday, August 3. $22. 877-77CLICK or www.monroetownshipculturalarts.com.
