Rachel Zegler Recalls Auditioning for ‘Evita’ and Singing 40 Pages

Tom Felton can’t go anywhere without getting recognized as Draco Malfoy, the icy-blond villain he memorably portrayed in eight “Harry Potter” movies. The actor, who is reprising his iconic role on stage in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” was finally the one to geek out at seeing famous faces at Variety’s annual Business of Broadway Breakfast.

“Do you realize we’re going to be in the same room as Aaron Sorkin and Bradley Whitford?” said Felton, who hosted Monday’s event, presented by City National Bank. “If you don’t think that’s cool, I don’t know what is. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan.”

“West Wing” alumni Sorkin and Whitford, reuniting for a revival of “A Few Good Men,” were among the bold-faced names who gathered over egg soufflé and fresh fruit at the Mandarin Oriental to celebrate a new season of plays, musicals and revivals. They were joined by “Evita” stars Rachel Zegler, Diego Rodriguez and James Olivas; and “Dolly: A True Original Musical” director Bartlett Sher and writer Adam Speers as well as Katie Rose Clarke and Carrie St. Louis, who play Dolly Parton in the biographical show. Sorkin and Whitford were accompanied by “A Few Good Men” director Michael Arden and actors Krysta Rodriguez (“Smash”) and Tom Blyth (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”).

Felton joked with Blyth that he’s “started a club” for Toms making their Broadway debuts.

“If anyone has Tom Hiddleston’s number, please, that would be helpful,” Felton cracked from the stage. “I’ve already got Tom Holland’s, so don’t worry.”

Here are four takeaways from the artists bringing some of the most exciting theater to New York.

‘A Few Good Men’ Feels All Too Timely for Whitford

This production of “A Few Good Men” marks the first revival of Sorkin’s explosive courtroom drama, which takes place in 1989 and follows military lawyers who uncover a high-level conspiracy as they defend their clients, two U.S. Marines accused of murder. Whitford says the show’s themes of political corruption are especially relevant today.

“None of it feels anachronistic, even though the story is happening in 1989. We have a president who targets women and tells them, ‘Shut up, piggy,’” Whitford said, referring to last year when President Trump snapped at a female reporter after she asked about his name in the Epstein files.

First produced on stage in 1989, “A Few Good Men” was adapted into the 1992 movie directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Whitford has a long history with the show, having been a replacement cast member in the original production.

“It’s very interesting to do this play right now,” Whitford said. “It’s more than a courtroom drama. It’s about a fundamental argument in the world right now, which is: Do we cooperate and deal with things through legal procedures? Or is dominance the way forward?”

Sorkin says he’s been pitched to revive “A Few Good Men” over the years but never pursued the opportunity because he felt like his original version of the script needed work. When he was approached by Arden to revisit the show, the director allowed Sorkin to take another pass at the material.

“‘A Few Good Men’ was the first thing I ever wrote. I was young. I was green,” Sorkin said. “I asked for the chance, ‘Can I do a polish and keep writing?’ It’s the same story you know. I’m just trying to write better.”

Whitford cracked, “I just pitched a line to him out in the lobby, to which Sorkin replied: “It was a good idea!”

Even After “West Side Story” Fame, Rachel Zegler Is Still Auditioning for Roles

Zegler became a bona fide leading lady after she was plucked from obscurity as a high schooler to star in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of “West Side Story.” She’s since led movies like “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” (along with Blyth, who was also in the room) and “Snow White.” And she made her Broadway debut in the revival of “Romeo + Juliet.” Still, she had to prove her chops before she was cast as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical new take on “Evita.”

“Yes, of course. I still audition for a lot of things,” she said. “If anyone wants my number, I’ll be here after!”

According to Zegler, it was a “no-brainer” to want to be part of Lloyd’s revival, which portrays the Argentine first lady as a modern pop star. She auditioned during the thick of her run as Juliet in the ultra-modern “Romeo + Juliet.”

“I had called my agent using FaceTime Audio because I was working in a basement on Broadway beneath ‘Wicked,’ and I said, ‘Do whatever it takes to get me an audition in that room,’” Zegler recalls. “I sang about 40 pages of material, and then I did a two-show day.”

Theater legends and superstars like Elaine Paige, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin and Ricky Martin have starred in prior revivals of “Evita.” Rodriguez notes that Lloyd’s production is special because all three leads are Latino. “This moment is representing our community,” he says.

Olivas also sees “Evita” as a positive step forward in terms of representation.

“We are 20% of population and represent just 3% of stories [in Hollywood],” he says. “We’ve heard for decades and decades that Latinos aren’t good enough or big enough [to lead]. ‘If we really want someone to play this role, we need to cast outside the community.’ Our show is a testament that Latinos can be doing these roles.”

“Evita” already made waves last summer in London. It generated tons of attention because Zegler, wearing a blonde wig, performed the show’s best-known song, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” from a balcony facing the street while theatergoers inside watched on screens. There’s no balcony at the Winter Garden Theatre, where “Evita” is opening in the spring, so Lloyd is reimagining the iconic sequence to work for Times Square.

“We have our Jamie Lloyd tricks up our sleeve,” Zegler teased. “I’m excited for everyone to see what we’re cooking up.”

The cast also acknowledged Trump’s love of “Evita,” which the president has called his favorite show. “So, the musical about the celebrity who became a politician?” Zegler retorted.

When asked whether the president sees himself in “Evita,” Olivas cracked, ‘I’m sure he can see himself in a blonde wig!”

Dolly Parton Was ‘Just a Normal Girl’… Kinda

It could have been nerve wracking for Clarke and St. Louis to embody a true icon like Dolly Parton — but Parton couldn’t have been more supportive of them. Parton, who died in August at age 80, was deeply involved when the musical had its world premiere in Nashville in the summer of 2025. That meant Clarke and St. Louis, who play the country music legend at different points in her life, regularly had to belt Parton’s music in front of the woman who wrote it.

“I remember the first time I had to sing in front of her,” St. Louis said. It’s so nerve-wracking because you want to do her justice, but it also has to feel truthful and not like a caricature of who she was. Dolly made feel so confident in myself.”

When the musical’s cast would admit to getting starstruck, Parton would lovingly hit them and say, “Now don’t you start… I’m just a normal girl.’” St. Louis took those words to heart. “I told [Dolly], ‘You’re right. My nana always says we put our pants on one leg at a time.’ And she looked right back at me and said, “Well, not me. I’m jumping in mine with heels on!”

Clarke says that getting to know Parton in real life was helpful when it came to portraying her on stage. “She gave us confidence. It was really extraordinary. Every time I would mess up lyrics, she would be like, ‘That’s OK. You’re doing great!’”

Sher recalled talking “endlessly” with Parton about the point of “Dolly: A True Original Musical.”

“I did one of those old-school director things and said, ‘Dolly if you were to put in one sentence what you think the show is about, what would it be?’ She said, ‘I’m a jezebel — and God loves me anyway!’ That’s very much her. She embodied so many contradictions.”

Producers Always Want to Reach New Audiences

Broadway producers are working to find material that speaks to audiences who don’t regularly attend the theater. That’s one of the aims for the upcoming “Damn Yankees” revival, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Julianne Hough. So Haley Swindal, the show’s lead producer and the granddaughter of legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, is partnering with Major League Baseball to promote the musical to its fans.

“While the sports-going audience might not be our general demographic,” Swindal said, “I’m really excited to have them.”

When “Awake and Sing!’ and “Here There Are Blueberries” producer Brian Lee is considering new material to tackle, he looks at “the combination of familiarity and that teaches audiences something new.”

Meanwhile Susan Kelechi Watson, a producer on “School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play,” believes the best shows are the ones that give audiences a better understanding of stories that aren’t their own.

“One of the things that’s drawn me to producing,” she said, “is being able to bring women-centric stories to the stage — but that don’t alienate.”