Audiences at the West End’s London Palladium theater were treated to a rare “two Eva” performance of “Evita” on July 24.
Bella Brown made musical magic this week in London when she took over the lead role of Eva Perón midway through Thursday’s performance after the show’s star, Rachel Zegler, fell ill, per People.
As Zegler’s alternate, Brown gave a “powerhouse” performance as Eva in Act 2 of the stripped down revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which premiered at the London Palladium on June 14.
Brown started the show in her usual role of the Mistress, but after intermission, she wowed audience members with a knockout rendition of Eva’s signature ballad, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.”
The Jamie Lloyd-directed production notably brings the show beyond the stage. During each performance, Evita sings her signature ballad from the theater’s balcony to crowds gathered on Argyll Street, while the moment is broadcast inside to theatergoers.
Brown was scheduled to play Eva Perón four times during the production’s run, but on July 24, she stepped up to the plate after intermission to fill in for Zegler, whose breakout roles include playing Maria in 2021’s “West Side Story” and Lucy Gray Baird in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” (Zegler was set to return for the July 25 performance of “Evita,” her rep confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter Friday.)
“What a lucky audience getting to see both myself and my angel Reg Zeg!!” Brown wrote on her Instagram story after Thursday’s show.
Fans lauded Brown with a nearly five-minute standing ovation and shared videos from her balcony performance and curtain call to Instagram, which Brown re-shared to her own Instagram story.
At the end of the show, the crowd’s cheers went on for so long that Brown and her fellow cast members bowed 10 times onstage.
“You were AMAZING. Well done on stepping in so last minute,” one audience member wrote over a video of Brown beginning to take her bows.
“TEN BOWS because the ovation went on that long,” wrote another, adding, “BRAVO @bellaelupiabrown for stepping into Evita mid show and I hope @rachelzegler gets well soon!”
Another fan captioned an image of Brown, “A superstar!”
Many noted that they felt “lucky” to have seen both Zegler and Brown shine onstage on the same night.
“@rachelzegler for the first half and @bellaelupiabrown for the second half,” wrote one.
“Two phenomenal performances by two incredibly talented women,” gushed another.
Brown wrote that she was “proud” to have filled in for Zegler.
“Today really showed just how important swings and covers are within this industry,” Brown shared in a message to her Instagram story. “They are pillars of a show!! A proud day to be at ‘Evita.'”
“Evita” is playing at the London Palladium on the heels of Lloyd’s revival of “Sunset Boulevard,” which opened on Broadway in October 2024 after a successful West End run. Nicole Scherzinger notably won a Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her performance as Norma Desmond.
“Evita” will run in London until Sept. 6.
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