Rachel Zegler Sparked Controversy at Her West End Stage Debut as Eva Perón
Rachel Zegler may have just made her West End debut as Eva Perón, but when she belted “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” it was the audience that sobbed, but for all the…
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Members of the public watch Rachel Zegler perform “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” live on the balcony as she plays Eva Peron in “Evita” at the London Palladium on June 18, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Belinda Jiao/Getty Images)
Rachel Zegler may have just made her West End debut as Eva Perón, but when she belted “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” it was the audience that sobbed, but for all the wrong reasons. The West Side Story and Hunger Games star took center stage in Evita, and while her voice soared to balcony heights, the reactions on social media were not in her favor.
Rachel Zegler and Her Fan Service Gone Wrong
Zegler is not new to controversy. The actress stars as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s production about the former first lady of Argentina. While her vocal prowess is undeniable, what she did during one of the most notable scenes of the show is receiving harsh criticism from fans, especially those who paid to see her live.
As reported by the New York Post, Zegler performed “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from a balcony overlooking the street, and people outside get to see and hear her for free, while paying fans inside the Palladium watch her performance on a screen. This move sparked outrage among fans who paid up to $500 for tickets to see Zegler perform the most famous song on screen.
On X, some of the disgruntled audience tweeted their concerns. One attendee wrote, “I’m excited to see her, but not sure how I feel about paying that much to watch the most iconic moment on a screen.” Another tweeted, “I think you might potentially be a bit gutted [if you were inside the theatre]. I know they had it on the projectors, but you might be a bit gutted to have missed the most important song.”
In Favor of Zegler
Some social media users, however, defended the actress, saying it’s not her fault. One user wrote, “Why would SHE face backlash when she didn't write/produce/direct/choreograph the show?? It's not her decision lol She literally is paid to perform the role in the show as it's produced.”
Another tweeted a photo of the crowd gathered outside to hear Zegler sing and captioned it with: “If this is the daily response to Eva Peron being a publicly accessible figure for the west end run of Evita… then it is a work of art and historically accurate perfection from Jamie Lloyd … and that is how I view it. I would love to see Rachel Zegler sing it.”
Evita will run at the London Palladium until September 6.
