Snow White star Rachel Zegler quits Evita mid-show in London
The actress's departure was announced during intermission, per a People reporter who was present.
Zegler — who plays the lead, former Argentinian politician and activist Evita Perón, in the play — has yet to address why she suddenly exited or provided a health update.
Page Six has reached out to her reps for comment but has not immediately heard back.
It's also unclear whether Zegler will return to the stage for Friday's show.
The play's official Instagram has not released a statement and reps for The London Palladium theatre could not immediately be reached.
Despite Zegler's absence, Thursday's audience still got a full show as her understudy stepped in.
Bella Brown reportedly began Act 2 with Don't Cry for Me Argentina, one of the most famous songs from the play by renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The actress received a standing ovation that lasted nearly five minutes, per People, and she and the rest of the cast bowed 10 times as a result.
Brown continued to relish the praise via social media on Friday by reposting some of the compliments, including one that called her a 'superstar.'
She also added via her Instagram Story, 'Today really showed just how important swings and covers are within the industry!! They are the pillars of a show!! A proud day to be at @officialevita.'
In March, it was revealed that Zegler had been chosen to play Perón in the West End's Evita.
'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,' the West Side Story star told Deadline.
'The opportunity to bring Jamie Lloyd's singular, visionary ideas to life onstage is an honour unlike any other.'
She continued, 'The stage has always felt like home to me, and I can't wait to make my West End debut in such great company.'
The casting came after Zegler's live-action version of Snow White bombed at the box office following a series of controversial remarks and rumours of a feud between her and co-star Gal Gadot.
Her final performance at the London Palladium is scheduled for September 6th.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
20th Anniversary Collection: The comic genius of Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders says everything that's happened in her career has been the result of a happy accident, rather than any careful planning. When she and her great pal Dawn French were making their first series, French & Saunders, they were given complete freedom by the BBC, including the freedom to fail. Despite a few mishaps along the way and a battle with breast cancer, Jennifer now says that early freedom, risk-taking and random opportunities were the best things that could possibly have happened to them. Further information First broadcast in April, 2014. You can hear Sarah's full conversation with Timothy Spall on the ABC Listen App, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.
ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
Booming Asian music markets provide new opportunities for aspiring musicians
For generations of aspiring Australian musicians, there was a simple recipe for success: pack your bags and move to the UK or US. This rite of passage helped forge the careers of many Australian superstars, from AC/DC and Nick Cave to Sia and Iggy Azalea. But the dominance of Western markets is being challenged by the growing prestige and influence of the music business in Asia. The shift can be seen on streaming service Spotify, where the most-followed artist is no longer US pop superstar Taylor Swift, but Indian singer Arijit Singh. And it's changing how artists and educators think about where the opportunities lie for international acclaim. At the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, the curriculum has been shaped with Asia in mind. The college has spent years building ties with institutions in countries including South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and India. They bring in practitioners from across Asia to hold workshops; there's even talk of a trip to Seoul to learn about K-pop. Senior academic lecturer Chris Fields said music education in Australia was catching up with long-standing industry trends. "So moving away from the Western classical system necessarily, especially amongst jazz curriculums." At a practical level, students explore core musical concepts through multiple, multicultural lenses. "Rhythm and melody, these things are kind of universal but the way that traditions deal with them can be vastly different," Mr Fields said. Huge populations, rising incomes and increased digital connectivity are all helping the music business across Asia grow. In 2024, 45 per cent of all global revenue from the physical sale of recorded music, such as CDs and vinyl, came from Asia, according to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry's Global Music Report. North America and Europe still remain the biggest regional markets once digital products, such as streaming and downloads, are included. The US is still the biggest single market but Asian countries have cracked the top 10, with Japan ranked second in the world, China fifth and South Korea seventh. Music labels such as Warner and Universal are investing in the region, while Western artists collaborate with Asian idols. In the past two years, Lady Gaga performed with Korean girl group Blackpink, Ed Sheeran with Singaporean singer JJ Lin and Usher with Malaysian artist Yuna. Several Australians or those with strong ties to Australia have also built careers in Asia, particularly in the K-pop scene. Rose from Blackpink grew up in Melbourne; Bang Chan and Felix from Stray Kids, lived in Sydney; and Jake from Emhypen moved to Brisbane when he was nine. Pop singer-songwriter Satsuki moved from Sydney to Osaka, Japan, almost a decade ago. Big cities and good transportation make touring much more economical in Japan and artists can also rely on a revenue stream that has dramatically disappeared in the West: CD sales. "I didn't have any CDs at the start because I didn't have any use for them," Satsuki said. "The fact that we still sell them, that we still have CD stores is, I think, incredible. "People love having physical media and physical cover art, lyric books and all that kind of stuff." Satsuki said Japan also had an "incredibly interesting and very diverse" music industry. "Take BabyMetal, for example," Satsuki said. "They're fronted by these three, very cutesy girls that sing in a cutesy way, but also have this very, authentic metal band supporting them. "That kind of combination, I don't think you really see in the West and I think it allows people to explore different types of genres and looks and images." Asia also has opportunities for those who want to build a career behind the scenes in the music business. The film and TV industry is blossoming in many Asian countries, and someone needs to compose the soundtrack of the latest K-drama or Bollywood hit. Mr Fields said there were also opportunities to write for video games. "And if you think about the diversity of environments, playing scenarios and all these types of things, having a global perspective on sounds and ideas and these other things is critical," he said. "I've done some session work for movies in India. I know people that compose here for movies being released in India, in the US, in Brazil. "Composition and performing is global now." First-year student Ivana Yue is looking to build a career in sound design, especially for musical theatre. Her cross-cultural work reflects her background; she grew up in Hong Kong but attended an Australian International School. "My favourite thing to do is to take patterns and melodic repetitions and themes from Asian-inspired music and put it into Westernised orchestral pieces. "I also love using different Chinese scales as well, and even Japanese scales." Finding success as a musician is rarely easy, regardless of whether you look East or West. Cultural barriers, language constraints and protectionist attitudes can make it tough to crack into a foreign market. And while some countries may be reluctant to embrace outsiders, cultural exchange helped shape one of the biggest success stories in the region: K-pop. University of Malaya associate professor Jimmyn Parc said when modern K-pop emerged in the 1990s, it incorporated many elements from Western music. "There were a lot of things from United States, hip hop and reggae, and people actually complained a lot," he said. "They said, 'This is not Korean. We should not accept these kinds of things.
ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
You Need To Hear: Luude - 'Darlin'' (feat. Sean Paul & Brodie)
Australian producer Luude isn't playing around with 'Darlin'', a DnB track so huge he's landed dancehall legend Sean Paul on the beat. With help from UK up-and-comer Brodie, the track's all blistering breaks and relentless, festival-ready fire. For fans of: Summer raves Summer raves Hyper-speed Hyper-speed Finding the right temperature Finding the right temperature Sheltering from the storm
