Multiple theater fans ‘fall ill' waiting in heat to watch Rachel Zegler perform ‘Evita' balcony scene amid backlash: report
Over 200 excited fans waited outside the London Palladium for hours in nearly 90-degree heat on Thursday to see Zegler, known for starring in Disney's live-action flop 'Snow White,' sing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' for free as part of the musical, according to The Sun.
But not everyone made it to the show's most famous number, which served as the Act II opener.
5 Rachel Zegler performed 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from the balcony of the London Palladium.'We were called at 8:16 p.m. (sic) yesterday to reports of a person unwell in Argyll Street, central London,' a London Ambulance Service told the outlet.
Two ambulance crews responded to the theater, where Zegler made her West End debut in the Jamie Lloyd's production just days earlier.
'While treating the patient, our crews were called to help a second person who was unwell nearby,' the spokesperson added. 'One patient was taken to [the] hospital and the second was given medical advice and discharged at the scene.'
Zegler reshared a series of Instagram posts from paid ticketholders who praised her performance on Thursday night — but has not publicly commented about the fans who got sick while waiting to see her sing outside.
'Crowd control is bad enough on the public street but with the heat it's becoming really dangerous,' a source told the outlet.
The Post has reached out to the Zelger's team for comment.
5 Hundreds waited outside the venue to see Zegler perform the most popular song in 'Evita' on Thursday.
Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages
5 Two people fell ill while waiting to see the actress perform in sweltering temperatures.
Invision
The scare is just the latest controversy attached to the production.
At the start of Act II, Zegler, playing Eva Perón, the former First Lady of Argentina, walks out on the balcony overlooking the street outside the venue and sings 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' to unpaid audiences outside the theater while ticketholders inside watch via live stream.
The uncommon creative decision angered fans who paid hundreds of dollars to see Zegler in the show directed by Lloyd, who is known for his unconventional staging in shows like Broadway's 2023 revival of 'A Doll's House' and 2024 revival of 'Sunset Boulevard.'
5 The West End revival of 'Evita' opens July 1.
Brett D. Cove / SplashNews.com
5 The musical will have a 12-week limited engagement in London.
Invision
One fan called the livestream decision 'a bit of a rip off' to ticket holders inside.
'If I paid for a theater ticket, I wouldn't be so thrilled that I couldn't see all of the performance in person,' one person commented on X.
But some theater fans promote the decision to have her sing on the balcony.
'The show is about Eva Peron giving power to the people,' a social media user on TikTok wrote. 'Singing this song on the balcony to the people who can't afford tickets makes so much sense.'
The musical debuted on Broadway in 1979 with book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
London's revival of the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical officially opens July 1 and is scheduled for a 12-week limited engagement.
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