Oh, What A Circus: Reviewing Rachel Zegler's 'Evita' at the London Palladium

As the Argentinian flag rises on the West End, Rachel Zegler takes centre stage. Descending the steps of Jamie Lloyd’s newest production, this reimagined version of the hit musical Evita – about Buenos Aires' famed first lady – sees Zegler sharing her stardom with the renowned Eva Perón. Breaking free of the four walls, Evita garners significant attention night after night, as crowds continuously flock to the entrance of the theatre to watch Zegler perform Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from the Palladium balcony, addressing the masses on the street below. It is a staging choice that unmistakably marks this production of Evita as Jamie Lloyd’s, with Zegler’s vocals soaring across Oxford Circus.

Rachel Zegler and the company of Evita. Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

Preceding this attention-grabbing moment from the opening of Act 2 is an introduction to Eva Perón’s rise. When Zegler steps onto the balcony, it marks a point of no return, shifting the narrative towards Perón’s eventual downfall. We fall with Zegler as her emotional vulnerability travels to the audience, her vocal prowess adding depth to Evita. She fits the role, blending effortlessly with the ensemble through humorous deliveries, yet standing out in the crowd just as Eva Perón herself would have. Zegler’s presence becomes a defining force behind the production’s success.

The company is due for as much applause, particularly James Olivas as Juan Perón and Bella Brown as The Mistress. Hard at work, the cast showcase their impeccable skills through impressive dance sequences and stunning vocals. Fabian Aloise's choreography, while elaborate and at times seemingly over-compensatory in its repetitiveness and constant high-energy pulsations (much like the excessive bursts of confetti in the opening), remains striking.

Lloyd opts for a minimalist staging, with concrete-like Steeldeck steps forming the platform on which Eva Perón’s story unfolds. As evidenced in his Much Ado About Nothing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane earlier this year, Lloyd favours an on-stage party. However, in Evita, the celebratory features at times feel like substitutes for the depth that the barebones set design struggles to deliver. The carnivalesque quality of the production, albeit fun, takes away from the emotion that the story holds, leaving the actors with too grand a task in lifting the musical to its rightful place of meaningfulness. There is no doubt that Evita is an exciting musical, but it is also an emotionally turbulent story, which should be reflected in equal measures on stage. Instead, the constantly dynamic fête ironically creates a stagnant reception that leaves audience members with a baseless understanding of how Eva Perón's story is meant to progress along the musical. The first act, despite the cast’s extraordinary efforts, lacks the immersive quality and world-building that might have drawn the audience in earlier.

 Rachel Zegler and the company of Evita. Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

Creativity is, nonetheless, a hallmark of Lloyd’s productions. The confetti explosions recall Much Ado About Nothing, while theatre enthusiasts will recognise parallels between the clever employment of cinematic technology in this Evita and his earlier production of Sunset Boulevard – a descending screen broadcasts Rachel Zegler’s performance from the outward-facing balcony to the audience inside, mirroring Tom Francis’ live walk along Strand Aldwych singing the title number Sunset Boulevard. Though an effective way of breaking the fourth wall and engaging new audiences, the shift of the climax offstage risks alienating the in-theatre audience, despite Zegler’s ability to maintain sincerity through the screen. The movie-star quality provided in this moment is accentuated by a dazzling, shimmering gown for ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’, allowing for grandeur while the rest of the costumes remain relatively understated.

Contrastingly, the narrator character Che, played by Diego Andres Rodriguez, strips down and is subsequently doused in blood – another classic sign of Jamie Lloyd's handprint – plus blue and white paint, symbolising Argentina’s suffering and political unrest. Symbolism is in no short supply; the production resonates as a poignant metaphor for the shortcomings of contemporary institutions. Though the symbolism is impactful in nature, it does not fill out the gaps that Lloyd’s stripped-down production creates between the audience and the story. There is a lingering confusion present among audience members throughout the first act, as they struggle to follow Zegler’s journey. The production would have benefitted from a more direct approach that places audience members, whether new or old to Evita, more squarely in 1940s Argentina.

 Rachel Zegler and the company of Evita. Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

Expected to transfer to Broadway, Jamie Lloyd’s West End revival of Evita is a display of brilliance from leading lady Rachel Zegler and the ensemble, yet the production occasionally falls flat in a musical that offers so much potential for immersion. We are drawn in by powerful acting, vocals, and choreography, but are let go too soon. Still, the enduring spirit of Evita prevails, as we leave the theatre humming Don’t Cry for Me Argentina. Blazing through the Palladium and roaring across the streets of London, Rachel Zegler electrifies as Jamie Lloyd’s fierce, fearless Eva Perón.

Evita plays at the London Palladium until 6 September.