Jamie Lloyd’s Evita, starring Rachel Zegler, opened on the West End last night. This morning the reviews came out, and the critical response was immediate and clear: it’s a triumph. The Independent called Zegler “enthralling,” The Telegraph lauded her as “perfection,” and The Stage and WhatsOnStage joined the chorus of praise, hailing her performance as “astonishing” and “awe-inspiring.” And yet, across social media, and some online news sources, another narrative emerged, one filled with vitriol, cynicism, and an alarming amount of misinformation.

The most controversial moment came almost a month ago, when a video of Zegler performing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from the London Palladium balcony was posted on X and TikTok. The video was reposted countless times, and others quickly followed. Social media lit up, but it wasn’t all in admiration. A wave of negative responses hit. “Ridiculous,” some wrote, while others said it was “deeply unfair.” The main outrage came from the fact that paying audiences were being “forced” to watch a pre-recorded performance from a screen while the star sang outdoors to the people on the street. It didn’t matter that the balcony moment was created for those inside the theatre, (like all other aspects of the performance), and it was filmed and choreographed for theatregoers who bought tickets to the show. If you have experienced the scene from the screen, you will know that the balcony section features a variety of cameras positioned on different levels, which capture Zegler’s every microexpression. The crowd below can’t see the quick glances to camera, or the other characters' reactions to her performance, these can only be seen inside. 

However, it doesn't matter that the song is performed three times in the show, and only once outside. Or that Zegler winks to the camera and drinks champagne after she exits the balcony and Eva shifts personas. Showing the character in a completely different light to the one the people on the street experienced. The outrage and misinformation about the outdoor performance had already taken root. Some online news publications even suggested that Zegler was performing the song on the balcony because she had refused to do it on stage. We think the multi award-winning director, Lloyd, would have had some say with one of the most iconic songs in the show, no?  

Curiously, no such outcry followed when Tom Francis took to the streets to belt Sunset Boulevard’s title number down The Strand (and now across the pond in Times Square), or when Tom Holland stepped onto the rooftop of the Duke of York’s for a dramatic scene in Romeo and Juliet. So, why has Zeglers outdoor performance had such a negative reaction?

The answer lies not in the logistics of staging, but in who is at the center of it.