Don’t cry for her, London – Rachel Zegler was back in her lead role in Evita on Friday, July 25, after stepping out mid-show on Thursday, July 24, due to an illness.
Zegler, 24, appeared back onstage in London just one night after her mid-show exit. The Golden Globe-winning actress is currently making her London stage debut as Eva Perón in director Jamie Lloyd’s stripped-back revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic rock opera.
The actress shared fan-captured photos of herself on stage on her Instagram Stories on Friday, including the moment she took her final bow at the end of the show.
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Bella Brown performs Don’t Cry For Me Argentina live on the balcony as she steps in for Rachel Zegler to play Eva Peron in Evita
PEOPLE was in the crowd at the London Palladium on Thursday to report on the moment when Zegler’s understudy Bella Brown stepped into Eva’s shoes after intermission. Brown was seen earlier as Eva’s mistress in the musical. Brown’s rendition of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” earned her a five-minute standing ovation.
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Zegler returned on Friday to perform the notable Act 2 outdoor balcony scene in which she sings “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” the most famous tune from composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and songwriter Tim Rice’s score.
The unique balcony-style performance is a hallmark of Lloyd’s production. Like he did in last season’s Tony Award-winning revival of Sunset Blvd. (which recently wrapped its run on Broadway after transferring from the West End), Lloyd utilizes cutting-edge video technology to capture an outdoor, live performance of a song and project it to those inside.
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In doing so, the performance becomes accessible to anyone who happens to be walking by the theater at that moment. In the iconic scene, Eva sings from the balcony of the Presidential Palace to her adoring Argentinian supporters. Lloyd stages the performance on the balcony of the London Palladium, with the public gathered below on Argyll Street in London mimicking the historic moment.
Evita — which follows the controversial second wife of Argentine military leader-turned-president Juan Perón — is currently scheduled to run until Sept. 6 in London.
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