Paying theatregoers have bemoaned watching Don’t Cry For Me Argentina on livestream while passersby experience it live for free. But is it a seven-minute stunt worth waiting for?
Move over Romeo: theatre’s second most famous balcony scene has stolen the show.
Every night this week Rachel Zegler has emerged halfway through Jamie Lloyd’s production of Evita at the London Palladium to sing its biggest number to the Oxford Circus crowds. Last weekend the Hollywood ingenue was serenading surprised shoppers, but since her performance of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina went viral it’s become the hottest (free) ticket in the West End.
Some stand in wait for two hours to catch the seven-minute scene. But what is the experience actually like – and is it worth hanging around for?
On Wednesday night, the crowd was a mix of musical theatre fans and Rachel Zegler stans. Most were in their 20s and 30s, although an older couple on holiday from Nebraska had been sent along by their daughter, and Susan, who had been there longest, was a 76-year-old who had seen the original production with Elaine Paige.
