Rachel Zegler made an early exit Thursday from a performance of Evita at the London Palladium, because of an illness. Her sudden departure was announced at intermission, according to PEOPLE, who was in the audience.
A rep for the Snow White star told Entertainment Weekly that she was still scheduled to perform on Friday night.
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Zegler’s understudy, Bella Brown, who had previously played another character in the production, took over the part of Eva Perón, the late, controversial first lady of Argentina. It was Brown who sang the show’s signature song, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.”
Brown made a statement on her Instagram Stories: “Today really showed just how important swings and covers are within this industry!! They are the pillars of a show!! A proud day to be at @officialevita.” She highlighted fans who were excited to have seen both actresses in the role.
Just this month, Zegler celebrated the official opening of the revival of the 1978 musical from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber, noting that the cast is stacked.
“At the core of this process is a cast of the most incredible individuals I have ever come across,” Zegler said. “Triple threats in every sense of the word. Our company keeps its arms open and ready to accept whatever the day brings. Our swings keep the show running with an ease that only they can pull off. It’s wildly inspiring to witness on a day-to-day basis.”
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The Golden Globe-nominated actress noted that she had “a deep love for everyone who has touched this production” and that she “never thought I would get to live my dream this way.”
In fact, Zegler said in a statement to Deadline when Evita was announced that it had been “such an important musical to me since I was a little girl, when my dad and I would sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ together on my back patio. The opportunity to bring [director] Jamie Lloyd’s singular, visionary ideas to life onstage is an honor unlike any other.”
Zegler’s run as Evita is scheduled to continue through Sept. 6.
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