Actress Rachel Zegler exited midway through a Thursday evening performance of Evita at the London Palladium due to illness, prompting her understudy to take over for the remainder of the show, as reported by The New York Post.
Zegler, 24, is currently starring in Jamie Lloyd’s West End production as Eva Perón, Argentina’s former first lady.
Zegler had performed earlier that day during the matinee show. However, theater officials announced during intermission that she would not return for the second act. Understudy Bella Brown stepped in, opening the act with the signature number, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.”
Despite the abrupt cast change, audience members responded enthusiastically.
Brown received a nearly five-minute standing ovation and took ten bows with the rest of the cast. On Instagram Stories, Brown wrote:
In a follow-up post, she added, “What a lucky audience getting to see both me and MY ANGEL REG ZEG!!”
Zegler, who debuted in West Side Story and played the title role in Disney’s Snow White, is scheduled to perform in Evita through September 6. The musical began its run in June.
Her role in Evita has been described as a lifelong dream. In a March interview, Zegler told Deadline, “‘Evita’ has 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.”
However, her performance has not been without criticism. As part of Lloyd’s staging, Zegler performs “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from a balcony outside the theater. Ticketed audience members watch via a live stream from inside, which some viewers have called a “rip off.”
One comment on X read, “I’m excited to see her, but not sure how I feel about paying that much to watch the most iconic moment on a screen.”
Another added, “Sorry, are you saying I’ve paid that much for 2 tickets and she’s singing the biggest number outside at people who haven’t paid?”
Others defended the concept. One user called it a “beautiful symbol” representing those who cannot afford to attend theater.
Zegler has also drawn headlines offstage. This month, she was seen kissing dancer Nathan Louis-Fernand at Hyde Park. The pair attended a Sabrina Carpenter concert on July 6.
Louis-Fernand, a former Magic Mike Live performer, shared throwback footage from the show earlier this year. Zegler previously dated Hunger Games co-star Josh Andrés Rivera, with the relationship reportedly ending late last year.
Zegler’s Evita run follows controversy surrounding her comments during promotion for Disney’s Snow White. She criticized the 1937 original film and reportedly made political remarks targeting voters who supported President Trump in the 2024 election.
