Rachel Zegler-led ‘Evita’ revival to transfer to Broadway

The buzzy production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, directed by Jamie Lloyd, comes to New York following a critically acclaimed premiere in London’s West End.

Summary

• Rachel Zegler will star as Eva Perón in Evita on Broadway in spring 2027
• She reprises her Olivier Award-winning performance from London
• Director Jamie Lloyd's buzzed-about balcony staging of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" will be rethought for Broadway
• The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical follows the rise and fall of Argentine leaders Juan and Eva Perón

Rachel Zegler will star in Evita on Broadway this spring, reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance from London’s West End as Eva Perón. Performances will begin at a theatre to be announced in spring 2027.

Zegler, known for starring as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and in the title role of Disney’s Snow White live-action remake, made her West End debut with Evita earlier this year. She now returns to Broadway after making her debut as Juliet in Romeo + Juliet in 2024.

“The diminutive Zegler [...] might seem counterintuitive casting. But that becomes a cunning smokescreen for her Eva: she appears girlish to a succession of predatory men, and then she turns the tables on them,” a five-star Evita review on London Theatre reads. “She’s still a victim in some respects [...] yet becomes a complicated sort of heroine – someone we root for and are simultaneously appalled by as she allows violence and corruption to run rampant.”

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (book and lyrics), Evita charts the rise and fall of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, charting her rise to power from humble beginnings and the controversy and charity that defined her complicated life until her death. Originally premiering in London in 1978, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical has appeared on Broadway twice before, from 1979-83 (when it won six additional Tonys) and from 2012-13.

Tony nominee Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard, A Doll’s House, Waiting for Godot) directs this revival, which won two Oliviers earlier this month including Best Actress in a Musical for Zegler. The production gained widespread attention online and in the press for the staging of the most famous song, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” In London, Zegler performed it on a balcony outside the London Palladium, where thousands gathered outside for each performance to watch, while the audience inside the theatre viewed the number via a live camera feed.

Lloyd said in a statement that he will not replicate this staging in New York: "It became apparent that our Palladium staging of ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ would not be possible. I am really excited to explore a new idea, made especially for Broadway.”

Rice said in a statement, “I am thrilled that Broadway audiences will be able to see Jamie Lloyd’s bold and inventive version of Evita. Rachel Zegler is a magnetic ‘Eva’, delivering an electric, charismatic performance.”

Lloyd Webber said, “I am delighted to see Jamie Lloyd’s extraordinary production of Evita head to Broadway. It is so exciting to see Tim and my work reimagined in new ways, and the show has a generational talent in Rachel Zegler. I can’t wait for American audiences to experience a production which took the West End by storm.”

Zegler said, “Performing Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brilliant show in London was a dream come true, but being able to partner once again with Jamie to bring Evita to Broadway is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can’t wait to perform for my home, New York City.”

Further Evita Broadway casting has yet to be confirmed. Alongside Zegler, the London cast of Lloyd’s Evita included Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che, James Olivas as Juan Perón, Aaron Lee Lambert as Agustín Magaldi, and Bella Brown as The Mistress/Alternate Eva.

Check back for information on Evita tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Photo credit: Evita in London. (Photo by Marc Brenner)