Evita set to be staged in Sydney

The classic musical Evita will be staged in Sydney on its 40th anniversary.

Charting the life of Eva Peron, the wife of former Argentine Dictator Juan Peron, the musical is famous for songs such as Don't Cry for me Argentina and You Must Love Me written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The production will be brought to the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House in September 2018 by Opera Australia, theatre producer John Frost and UK theatre producer David Ian.

Several classic musicals have come to the Opera House in recent years including South Pacific, The King and I and Julie Andrews' recent production of My Fair Lady.

This will be the original West End and Broadway production of Evita, directed by Tony-award winning Broadway director Hal Prince.

The musical, which had its debut on the West End in 1978, has won more than 20 awards including Tony Awards for best musical and an Oscar for the film version starring Madonna .