Ricky Martin to Join Broadway's Evita Revival

Pop singer Ricky Martin will play Che and the Argentine actress Elena Roger will reprise her acclaimed West End performance as Eva Perón in Broadway’s first revival of the musical “Evita,” which is expected to begin performances in spring 2012, the producers of the show announced on Thursday.

The two actors represent a mix of celebrity and theater chops, with star power being the most crucial ingredient of late for Broadway revivals — though the story and music of the legendary Argentine first lady bring their own cachet as well. The show remains one of the most popular of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and the book writer and lyricist Tim Rice; the original Broadway production ran from 1979 to 1983, and won seven Tony Awards, including best musical, best direction for Harold Prince, and acting honors for Patti LuPone as Evita and Mandy Patinkin as Che.

The Puerto Rican-born Mr. Martin, 38, became a major pop sensation in the United States with his 1999 hit song “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” abetted by his charisma and good looks. His one previous stint on Broadway came three years earlier, as the besotted French student Marius in “Les Misérables.”

Ms. Roger, 35, drew rapturous critical notices as Evita in the 2006 revival of the show in London; she also earned a nomination for an Olivier Award, the British version of the Tony. Ms. Roger was little known beyond Argentina when she was chosen for the West End production; this latest revival will mark her Broadway debut. Ms. Roger won an Olivier last year for playing Édith Piaf in the Donmar Warehouse production of “Piaf.”

Michael Grandage, who directed Ms. Roger in the 2006 “Evita,” will direct the Broadway production. Mr. Grandage, the artistic director of the Donmar, has been nominated for a Tony Award this year for best director for the Broadway play “Red.” Rob Ashford, the director of the current Broadway musical revival “Promises, Promises,” will be the choreographer on “Evita,” as he was for the 2006 production in London.

Performance dates were not announced beyond spring 2012, and additional casting and creative team members will be announced later. The lead producers, Hal Luftig and Scott Sanders, said in a statement that the show would run in a theater owned by the Nederlander Organization, one of the three major Broadway theater owners.