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Asolo Rep Reunites All-Star Cast of EVITA in Concert Helmed by Broadway's Josh Rhodes

Posted: March 30 / 2021

Ana Isabelle & Friends in Concert Stand Back, Sarasota! runs April 15 - 24


Click here to download artist headshots.

Click here to download Evita production photos. 


(SARASOTA, FL) – Asolo Rep proudly closes its 2021 outdoor season with Ana Isabelle & Friends in Concert: Stand Back, Sarasota! The concert reunites some of the stars of the theatre's 2017 hit production of Evita. Directed by Broadway's Josh Rhodes, the concert previews April 15 &16, opens April 17 and runs thru April 24 on Asolo Rep's outdoor Terrace Stage, located on the front steps of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

When the sun goes down, the heat kicks up when unstoppable actress, singer, dancer, and Latin pop sensation Ana Isabelle takes the Terrace Stage in a rare concert appearance. After her explosive performance as Eva Perón in Asolo Rep’s Evita in 2017, Ana landed the role of Rosalia in Steven Spielberg's upcoming West Side Story; joined a veteran film cast in Imprisoned starring Laurence Fishburne; and co-starred in the remake of Coppola's Dementia 13. Now, she reunites with some of her Evita co-stars, including Justin Gregory Lopez (Che), and tango dancers Guadalupe Garcia and Junior Cervila, in an electric evening of song and dance. Filled with Broadway standards and her own pop hits, this is a musical event not to miss. 

"This show will be a fantastic fusion of music and dance from the Broadway stage and around the world," said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. "It springs from the lives of the individual artists coming together to make it, but I truly believe it will speak to a universal experience. Reuniting this fantastic group of Latinx artists, who all appeared in our 2017 production of Evita, will be the perfect, spectacular finale to the Terrace Stage season. With Josh Rhodes directing, this is a team that cares deeply for each other, for telling amazing stories, and for the Sarasota audience."  

Justin Gregory Lopez recently appeared in Dave Malloy's hit off-Broadway musical Octet (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance) and original cast recording, as well as NBC's Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated Jesus Christ Superstar Live starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles.  

Celebrated tango dancers Junior Cervila and Guadalupe Garcia have performed around the world, including Amsterdam, London, Munich, Paris and more. They also serve as judges for the World Tango Championships. 

Josh Rhodes previously directed The Sound of MusicEvitaGuys and Dolls and more at Asolo Rep. On Broadway he choreographed Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, First Date, It Shoulda Been You, and Bright Star.  He was also the choreographer of Carousel on London's West End. His work has also been seen at New York City Centre Encores, the MUNY and the Old Globe. 

"This special show is what happens when four friends get the chance to come home to a theater they love and create a show that is uniquely crafted for them," said Director Josh Rhodes. "It’s a beautiful homecoming! These Latinx artists are singing the music that inspires them. There will be pop music, Latin music, Broadway music, and lots of dancing. When you have Ana Isabelle with Junior, Guada, and Justin it is guaranteed to entertain, impress and make you dance in your seat."

Stand Back, Sarasota! reunites Josh Rhodes with Evita creative team members Paul Tate dePoo III (Projection Designer) and Sinai Tabak (Music Supervisor & Arranger). The creative team also includes James Rushin (Music Director), Adam C. Spencer (Scenic Designer), David M. Covach and April Carswell (Costume Designers), Ethan Vail (Lighting Designer), Matthew Parker (Sound Designer), and Michelle Hart (Resident Hair & Make-up Designer).

Asolo Rep’s Outdoor Series is brought to you by Headline Sponsors, Drs. Joel and Gail Morganroth.  Additional support for the series is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and the Linnie E. Dalbeck Memorial Foundation Trust.


Health and Safety Protocols
Asolo Rep Outdoor Performances


Following the guidance of government health officials, Asolo Rep has implemented several policies to help make your experience as smooth and safe as possible.

· Advanced ticket sales only, cut off is two hours prior to performance. No walk-up sales.

· Upon arrival at venue, patrons, staff and volunteers will receive no-contact infra-red temperature checks.

· Contactless Entry: print at home tickets can be printed or scanned from phone

· Masks are required to be worn over the nose and mouth by patrons, staff, and volunteers at all times when on the premises

· Concessions will not be available for purchase and food and drinks are not allowed in the seating area.

· Performances will have no intermission.

· Seats are arranged in socially distanced pairs and cannot be moved. Larger parties will be seated as close as safety protocols allow.

· No physical playbills; performance information will be projected on large screens, emailed to patrons, and available on Asolo Rep’s website.

· Portable outdoor restrooms will be available.

· Patrons will not have access to the building.

· Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the venue.

· Prior to and following each performance, all seats and common areas will be disinfected with an electrostatic sprayer.


CAST

(In Alphabetical Order)

Junior Cervila
Guadalupe Garcia
Ana Isabelle
Justin Gregory Lopez


SELECTED CREATIVE TEAM

 

Director......................................................................Josh Rhodes
Music Director..........................................................James Rushin
Associate Director.........................................................Lee Wilkins
Music Supervisor & Arranger........................................Sinai Tabak
Scenic Designer.................................................Adam C. Spencer
Costume Designers..................David M. Covach & April Carswell
Lighting Designer............................................................Ethan Vail
Sound Designer.....................................................Matthew Parker
Projection Designer..........................................Paul Tate DePoo III
Resident Hair & Make-up Designer............................Michelle Hart

 


SELECTED ARTISTIC BIOS

 

JUNIOR CERVILA has performed on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre with Tango Argentino, as well as Lincoln Center and Town Hall in New York. He danced in the Carlos Saura’s film Tango which was nominated for the Foreign Film Academy Award. He filmed for the BBC with the prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet of London, Deborah Bull, and starred in Tanguera which toured to Amsterdam, London, Munich, Paris among other cities. He was a dancer with the orchestra of Daniel Barenboim and has served as a judge of the World Tango Championships since 2007. He served as the Tango Choreographer and featured performer in both Evita and Grand Hotel, directed by Josh Rhodes.

GUADALUPE GARCIA is a national teacher of Argentine folk dances who has performed in various tango productions such as Tango MalamboTango CabaretPiazzolla Tango, and was the Principal Dancer in Glorias Porteñas partnering Juan Carlos Copes. She was a member of Argentina Tango: A Selection which toured Europe and was featured in the World Yeosu Expo held in Korea. She travels worldwide performing, teaching courses and seminars together with her partner Junior Cervila, as well as serving as a judge of the world tango championships. She has served as the Tango Choreographer and featured performer in both Evita and Grand Hotel, directed by Josh Rhodes. 

ANA ISABELLE is a multi-hyphenate artist who will next be seen in Steven Spielberg’s feature film version of the Broadway hit musical West Side Story.  Other films include Imprisoned opposite Laurence Fishburne; After Everything with Marisa Tomei & Maika Monroe; and Seasons of Love with Gladys Knight, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, LeToya Luckett and Cliff “Method Man” Smith. Ana Isabelle is also a Puerto Rican music star who got her start when she won the hit Latin reality music television Viva El Sueno. Since then, she has released three albums, with a fourth in development, and her YouTube channel has hundreds of millions of views. 

JUSTIN GREGORY LOPEZ has recently appeared in Dave Malloy's hit off-Broadway musical Octet (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance) and original cast recording, as well as NBC's Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated Jesus Christ Superstar Live starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles. This performance is dedicated to those we have lost and especially to those in our hardest-hit communities.  As the product of a working class Puerto Rican family, it is a great privilege to do this for a living.  My deepest gratitude to the courageous and dutiful theatre makers, and to the audiences who continue to support the arts.

JOSH RHODES (Director) is thrilled to be back at his “artistic home.” At Asolo Rep, Josh directed The Sound of MusicEvita, and Guys and Dolls, and choreographed BarnumWorking, My Fair Lady, and Yentl as well as the upcoming Knoxville. Other directing credits include Grand Hotel (NY City Center Encores!); The Who’s: Tommy (Kennedy Center); Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (Old Globe Theatre); Paint Your WagonJersey Boys (Muny); Guys and Dolls (Old Globe); Spamalot (5th Ave.); Showboat (Bucks County Playhouse); and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. He also choreographed the Broadway productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CinderellaIt Shoulda Been You, First Date and Bright Star. On London’s West End, he choreographed Carousel at the English National Opera and Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thompson. Other choreography credits include Company starring Neil Patrick Harris and Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (PBS) and the U.K. tour of Doctor Dolittle. Rhodes is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.  

 


TICKETS

 

Tickets start at $25 for blanketed lawn seating. Patrons must bring their own blankets. Seated tickets start at $40.

Tickets are on sale online only at www.asolorep.org.