By Variety | Created at 2026-10-01 14:46:34 | Updated at 2026-10-01 16:56:59
2 hours ago
Rachel Zegler hesitated when “Evita” director Jamie Lloyd pitched her on his big idea for their West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical. Zegler was portraying Argentine first lady Eva Perón as a modern pop star, and Lloyd wanted his leading lady to perform the show’s best-known song, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” from a balcony facing the street while theatergoers inside watched on screens.
“I just remember thinking, ‘Well, it will be unbelievably embarrassing if nobody comes,’” Zegler says with a laugh. “’It would be amazing if we could have paid extras, like a film set.’”
Her concerns were for naught. “Evita” was the hottest ticket of last summer in London, and every night, hundreds of people gathered outside the Palladium for free to watch as Zegler belted the emotional ballad to the masses. Though divisive, Lloyd’s staging choice wasn’t just a gimmick; “Evita” chronicles the rags-to-riches story of Perón, and the scene symbolized her solidarity with the people.
As “Evita” prepares to transfer to Broadway in the spring, Lloyd is reimagining the iconic balcony sequence to work for Times Square — and theater fans are clamboring to find out how it’ll be staged from the Winter Garden Theatre. They’ll have to wait: Zegler isn’t about to give up the surprise.
“It’s a different city, and we’re at the heart of a completely different amount of foot traffic and actual traffic,” she says. “We are working tirelessly to bring something special for that moment.”
“Evita” marks a homecoming for the 25-year-old New Jersey native. She was plucked from obscurity as a high schooler to lead Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of “West Side Story” and parlayed her fame into leading roles in movies (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” “Snow White”) and on the stage (in the Broadway revival of “Romeo + Juliet”). Helping Zegler recapture the electricity of “Evita” on Broadway are her West End co-stars Diego Andres Rodriguez and James Olivas. Rodriguez, 25, playing the everyman narrator Che, is returning to the New York stage after his turn in Lloyd’s popular “Sunset Boulevard” revival. Olivas, 29, is making his Broadway debut as President Juan Perón.
No shortage of theater luminaries and stars — from Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone to Mandy Patinkin (as well as Madonna and Antonio Banderas in the 1996 film adaptation) — have brought “Evita” to life. But as Zegler, Rodriguez and Olivas point out, Lloyd’s production is unique because all three leads are Latino — a responsibility they don’t take lightly.
“It’s too hard to comprehend what this moment will be,” Rodriguez says. “But we’re all going to enter with ganas — desire — to spread the message of why we, as Latinos, should be onstage all the time.”
Months before they reunite for Broadway rehearsals, the trio gathers via Zoom to talk about the show’s acclaimed West End run and the public’s enduring fascination with celebrity politicians.
What were your first impressions of each other?
Rachel Zegler: As soon as Diego had been cast as Che, I went to see him in “Sunset Blvd.” I was immediately taken with him. I didn’t get to meet James until our first day in London. My first impression was “He is so tall. I don’t know what I’m going to do eight times a week, having to kiss this really tall man and hurt my neck.” And then I immediately fell in love with him, just like everybody else on that job.
Diego Andres Rodriguez: I remember being 17 and watching “West Side Story” in the theaters. I was like, “This is exactly what I want to do.” It’s such a full-circle moment to take the stage with Rachel.
And I finally met James in London. I was like, “I think he’s one of those California guys.” Then he was like, “Bro, I’m from Texas.” I was like, “Bro, I’m from Texas.” We were living in the same building and were on the train every day for rehearsals, and so we had a lot of time to get to know each other. He found a brother in me.
James Olivas: Like Diego said, we immediately connected as Tejanos. It’s crazy that one of us made it; the fact that two of us made it was even wilder.
What did you learn about doing the show in London that you’ll take with you to New York?
Zegler: It requires an insane amount of stamina. Diego and I don’t leave the stage. London was amazing to understand how to pace ourselves. Theater is a sport, more vigorous than most, in the sense that most athletes aren’t playing eight games a week. We’re doing eight shows. It’s tough on the body. It’s tough on the voice. It requires an intense amount of rest. Knowing when to shut up is really the most important thing.
What was it like to have masses of people show up for the balcony sequence?
Zegler: It took one tech rehearsal for people to start paying attention. I was doing it with just a piano — we were testing the speakers and cameras. The next day, they were showing up in hordes.
Why did it become such a moment?
Zegler: It was a conversation about accessibility in theater. People were able to witness something for free on Argyll Street every night. You could hear a pin drop in that square. It was unbelievable. Something I’ll never forget is the sheer amount of people on the last night. There were more people outside than inside the theater. I couldn’t see the end of the crowd.
Andrew Lloyd Webber had expressed a safety concern about staging the sequence on Broadway because of gun violence in the U.S. Was that a worry?
Zegler: We were very fortunate with the London Palladium to have essentially a half street that was rarely used for cars and trucks. It won’t be the same in New York.
Will the essence of it, Eva performing to the people, be preserved?
Zegler: At the core of “Evita” is that Eva Perón was for the people, and so there is always going to be an intention of incorporating a connection between Eva and her public.
Did you study any prior “Evita” performances as inspiration for your characters?
Olivas: I had to distance myself from what Peróns came before me because I can’t be a 50-year-old man doing this role; no one’s going to buy it. I took threads of what came before, but I had to surrender to the idea that it has to be so uniquely myself.
Zegler: Jamie and I had a conversation after my initial audition for the role. We talked about doing this like a Coachella set. This performance is very much like Beyoncé at Coachella and costumes inspired by Dua Lipa. We end up accentuating how we hold politicians and celebrities to similar standards in the current day and age. Eva Perón was a perfect example of a celebrity politician and how that never really changed.
Why are audiences so drawn to the intersection of celebrity and politics?
Zegler: We live in a society where everything is so immediately accessible. We know everybody’s thoughts and feelings about everything, and there-fore the line between celebrity and politician is blurred. It permeates every conversation that most socially conscious people are having these days.
Rodriguez: The show is incredibly political, this new take on it. We have this responsibility to show up as Latinos who are meeting this show at a political point. It is political for us three to be up there.
What does it mean for the three of you to transfer with the show to Broadway?
Zegler: I was born and raised in New Jersey. I moved to New York when I was 17, and I’ve spent every waking minute of my life obsessed with Broadway. Anytime I get to come back to New York theater is a huge honor, and it’s not something that I take lightly. It’s really important for young people like us to see Latin bodies onstage, experiencing joy and success. I really hope that it inspires another generation of Latin performers.
Rodriguez: It shows a turning of the tides.
Olivas: There is such a prevailing narrative in this industry and this country of what the Latino community is, who we are and the content of our character. It’s amazing to show a positive representation of our community and show that we come in all shapes and sizes and have so much to offer.
This is such a high-energy show. How do you recover after a performance?
Zegler: I become like a ravenous pubescent teenage boy. I would stage door for a while and then I would order food so it would meet me at home. I would walk the dog, eat food, take a shower and then steam [my throat] while watching “Gilmore Girls” or “How I Met Your Mother.” I would go to bed around 2 a.m. when my adrenaline would finally dissipate.
Rodriguez: I took so many showers. I take, like, four a day anyway.
