Evita for the West End masses
Every night Eva Perón appears on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the Argentinian presidential mansion, serenading the congregated descamisados, or impoverished workers. Except it's not the balcony of the Casa Rosada – it's one outside the London Palladium. It's also Rachel Zegler performing 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina', not Eva Perón. And the spectators aren't descamisados – they're (mostly) Londoners, squeezed on to Argyll Street between a Pret a Manger and a Five Guys, many of whom hold their phones aloft, hoping to catch a good shot of Zegler. This is the climax of Jamie Lloyd's radical version of Evita, and in staging the famous scene outside the theatre, he has brought the sneering, populist magic of Perón to the masses.
It's easy to understand the logic of Lloyd's decision to present the most famous number in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's 1978 musical to a passing rabble of plebs. A major theme of Evita is its heroine's disdain for the bourgeoisie ('Screw the middle classes – I will never accept them' is a notable refrain). For in singing to the crowd outside, Zegler symbolically neglects the said classes, housed comfortably inside the Palladium – those who have paid to see the show watch a video of Zegler's performance, which is livestreamed back into the theatre.
But, despite its potential for revolt – from those inside crying outrage at being denied a front-row seat for this iconic moment and asking for a refund – Lloyd's zeitgeisty ploy works. It accentuates the depth and authenticity of Zegler's performance.
Zegler is a phenomenal Evita: insouciant and cutting in her command of the stage, and of the snobs and misogynists who surround her. Diego Andres Rodriguez is the perfect foil to her cunning, as the musical's revolutionary descamisado narrator, Che. The pair skilfully waltz their way through Evita's many musical numbers, mastering frenetic choreography and a demanding musical score. Lloyd took a gamble in the staging of this stripped-back, unconventional revival, and it has paid off.
Evita
The Palladium, London W1F
[See also: Lana Del Rey's Deep South fantasia]
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