West End passersby see Rachel Zegler sing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina on balcony

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Hunger Games star Rachel Zegler has treated West End passersby with a performance of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from a theatre balcony.

The actress plays Eva Peron, the former first lady of Argentina, in Jamie Lloyd’s new production of the hit musical Evita, which follows the story of Peron as she rises from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Latin America.

The 24-year-old was seen singing the musical’s most popular number from a balcony outside the London Palladium theatre on Thursday.

Dressed in a white strapless gown with white-blonde hair, Zegler can be seen serenading crowds of fans who have stopped to film the performance from outside the theatre.

The artistic choice has meant that ticketed audience members are unable to witness the live rendition themselves, but rather, watch it on a screen from inside the theatre.

Zegler rose to fame after staring as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story which saw her win the Golden Globe Award for best actress.

She has since garnered a series of film credits including for the Hunger Games franchise, appearing in the prequel, The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, as Lucy Gray Baird, and also starred in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, both of which were released in 2023.

She went on to make her Broadway debut in 2024, starring as Juliet in Romeo And Juliet with clips going viral after Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, who played Romeo, did a pull up on stage to kiss her.

Zegler is also known for starring in the title role of a live action film version of Disney’s Snow White.

Her portrayal of Peron in Lloyd’s production marks the actress’ debut on the West End.

Evita opened on June 14th and will run at the London Palladium for 12 weeks.