Acclaimed theatre show Evita will return to the West End for a limited run to mark the 65th anniversary of the death of Eva Peron.

The hit musical, penned by Lord Lloyd-Webber and Sir Tim Rice, is to be staged by Bill Kenwright from the end of July to mid-October, to coincide with the commemoration of Peron’s death during the same time period in Argentina.

Emma Hatton attending the Olivier Awards
Emma Hatton attending the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House (Ian West/PA Wire)

Last staged on London’s West End in 2015, the musical dramatises the life of Argentine political figure Peron and features the hit song Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

The lead role of Peron will be played by Emma Hatton, who starred as Elphaba in popular West End show Wicked.

Madonna and Antonio Banderas at a photocall for the Evita film in 1996
Madonna and Antonio Banderas at a photocall for the Evita film in 1996 (Sean Dempsey/PA Archive)

Italian actor Gian Marco Schiaretti will take on the role of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

The musical first made its West End debut in 1978 and a film version of the show, which starred Madonna and Antonio Banderas, followed in 1996.

:: Evita will run for 12 weeks at the Phoenix Theatre from July 28 to October 14 2017