Rachel Zegler sings from the balcony and divides London: why Jamie Lloyd’s Evita is a political act

When theatre moves to the streets, politics takes centre stage. Zegler’s viral moment is more than spectacle—it's disruption with purpose.

- 

Rachel Zegler steps onto the balcony in a shimmering gown and platinum wig, her voice soaring through the London night as she sings ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’. But the audience isn’t inside the London Palladium—at least not all of them. Instead, it’s the crowd on Argyll Street, watching for free as Zegler performs from above, turning passersby into unwitting participants in Jamie Lloyd's radical new staging.

For some, the moment is poetic—defiant, even. For others, it’s infuriating. Since the reveal that Zegler sings the show's most iconic number outside the theatre while the paying audience watches via screen, reactions have polarised. “/ paid £350 for a screen?” complained one user. The Guardian called it “unacceptable”. But in truth, that’s exactly the point.