Tina Arena to play Evita at the Sydney Opera House

Tina Arena, who has a string of hit albums and singles and successful tours to her name, will play the Argentinian political leader in the Andrew Lloyd Webber show.

It has been more than a decade since Arena last trod the boards, playing Roxie Hart in the London production of Chicago to critical acclaim.

Her last Australian stage turn was as Sally Bowles in Cabaret in Sydney in 2002, but the pop star said she felt the time was right to tackle the role made famous by Madonna in the 1996 film adaptation.

"I have been approached to do this role on a couple of occasions," she said. "I never felt emotionally ready for it. I felt I had a lot of living and learning before I could get up and take on the enormity of the story and the human spirit she possessed."

The show charts Peron's life from an ambitious teenager through her political life as the first lady of Argentina to her death at just 33.

The original London production in 1978 won a string of Olivier Awards before transferring to the West End where it became the first British musical to win the Tony for best musical.

It includes some of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's biggest hits, including Another Suitcase In Another Hall, On This Night of A Thousand Stars and the iconic Don't Cry For Me Argentina.

The role is widely considered one of the most challenging in music theatre. The leading lady has 19 songs to perform as well as portraying a complex character arc.

"It's an incredibly demanding job," Arena said. "It's a really challenging sing, I am going to have to be incredibly disciplined."

Arena is the first cast member announced for the show with the search now under way for the other lead characters, including Juan Peron and the show's narrator, Che.

Ricky Martin played the role of Che in the 2012 Broadway revival and expressed interest in playing the role in Australia when he was a judge on the local series of The Voice.

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