In a recent Vogue interview, director Jamie Lloyd revealed that he was initiated into the world of theatrical entertainment by way of Michael Jackson’s Bad tour. His revival of Evita, the 1978 hit musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, bears all the influence of such musical spectaculars with microphones, an on-stage band, high-energy dance routines, and head-spinning strobe lights. The production, which evolves a concept trialled at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2019, is the rags-to-riches history of an Argentine First Lady as if told from the Glastonbury Pyramid stage, with a hit-packed setlist and the febrile crowd of the London Palladium to boot.
The musical charts the rise and fall of Eva Perón, an Argentine actress who cannily manoeuvres her way into political influence as First Lady. Her role on the governmental stage is clear: she is to be a seductive weapon for an autocratic regime, beguiling the working classes with her entrancing glamour and making use of her acting talents to deliver sweet-worded speeches that stress her kinship with the masses. That Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jamie Lloyd have chosen this moment to revive Evita is, of course, suggestive. However, the production veers towards sensual revelry at the expense of exploring deeper messages about the realities of political corruption and narcissistic leadership.
As the titular Eva ‘Evita’ Perón, Rachel Zegler subverts expectations: her national spiritual leader is a modern pop princess. Eschewing the magisterial reserve of Madonna in the 1996 film adaptation, her performance vibrates with a feisty, high-octane Dua Lipa energy. She struts around the stage in leather bralettes and hotpants and is surrounded by a posse of twerking backup dancers performing MTV-style choreography by Fabian Aloise. While this makes for a rollicking show, it somewhat flattens Eva’s character. Born into poverty, she worked hard to acquire dignity and carefully curated her regal persona (dressing ‘up to the nines’ with help of Christian Dior no less). Having her clad in skimpy two-pieces for most of the show fails to reflect her new social status and power. When the frothy fairy tale ball gown does appear for the infamous balcony scene outside the Palladium, it’s a showy costume for the adoring crowds, erroneously indicating that Evita hasn’t psychologically transcended the ghetto.
This does not diminish the astonishing talent of the key players. Zegler’s Evita – only her second stage role after playing Juliet last year on Broadway – is magnetically watchable; she blazes across the stage like a rocket of tenacious ambition who, with a gentle smile or lachrymose look, brings her followers close to her heart. The subtlety of her approach is best served in ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, which is sung thunderously on a balcony to an audience outside the theatre in Argyll Street and is effectively live-screened to allow for intimate close-ups. Likewise excellent is ‘I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You’, a duet with Juan Perón (James Olivas, a ductile and cool presence), which explodes with sassy flirtation and shows Zegler à la Lady Macbeth, shamelessly puppeteering her future husband. The Mistresses’ (Bella Brown) ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’ also stands out for its heart-wrenching pathos and vocal force.
Whatever the excellence of the singing, what could be improved upon uniformly is the clarity of diction. It is frequently impaired by muffled delivery, as well as excessive shouting and bellowing orchestral scores, making the narrative hard to follow for those unfamiliar with Eva’s biography. The character of Che (a swaggering, lion-hearted Diego Andres Rodriguez), a Marxist revolutionary who offers hectoring narration and acerbic critiques of Peronism, regrettably falls prey to this, meaning key narrative moments slip by lost in sound.
In true Lloyd style, Soutra Gilmour’s set is kept spare, allowing pulsating choreography and lush vocals to inject colour. Tiered steps nod to Eva’s scaling of the social ladder; at the top of these are light-up letters spelling out ‘EVITA’, reiterating her status as a global icon. While adding to the electric concert ambience, the lack of visible context makes the production feel at a remove from Argentine culture and political history rather than an exploration of it.
Overall, Evita’s multifarious spectacles are full of theatrical joy, making for a thrilling night out, but the directorial decisions could do more to offer meaningful insight into the characters and nuances of a morally ambivalent narrative. Jamie Lloyd has made a name for himself by shaking up the West End and Broadway by injecting fusty classics with electricity, verve and youthful energy. And it’s hard not to admire the way that – like his frequent collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber – Lloyd has an astute understanding of what works commercially. He plays audiences like an organ, offering Hollywood performers, immersive tricks, and high-tech productions. But the question remains: does pulling the same rabbit out of the hat each time really make for magic?
Evita
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Photo credits: Marc Brenner
Cast includes: Rachel Zegler; Diego Andres Rodriguez; James Olivas; Aaron Lee Lambert; Bella Brown.
Until: Saturday 6th September 2025
Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes including an interval.
Review by Olivia Hurton