Latest news with #AndrewLloydWebber
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rachel Zegler's West End Evita performance comes under fire as 'multiple people fall ill' while trying to catch a glimpse of the star's famous song during the soaring heat
's recent West End Evita performance has come under fire after 'multiple people fell ill' while trying to catch a glimpse of the star during the soaring heat. The performer, 24, belted out Don't Cry For Me Argentina on the balcony of the London Palladium for her performance in Evita on Thursday. An estimated 200 people gathered outside for hours to see the star's performance, but after standing for so long under the sun emergency services reportedly had to be called moments before her appearance. A source told The Sun: 'As word spreads more and more people are flocking to the Palladium to see Rachel's performance and it's turning into a bit of a nightmare. 'Crowd control is bad enough on the public street but with the heat it's becoming really dangerous. 'Ambulances were parked outside the venue for almost an hour before racing to the hospital just minutes before Rachel appeared.' MailIOnline has contacted London Ambulance Service for a comment and further information. Rachel is playing former First Lady of Argentina Eva Peron in the show, which debuted in 1978 and was written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The play follows her rise from a poor background to becoming a powerful political figure and cultural icon in Argentina. For her performance of the iconic song, Rachel donned a white strapless dress and sported a platinum blonde wig styled into a chignon. The actress put on a passionate performance for the crowd gathered outside but not all were happy with the staging of the show. Furious fans took to social media to express their frustration that they will not see Don't Cry for Argentina on stage, despite paying for tickets. One person wrote: 'Sorry, are you saying I've paid £350 for 2 tickets and she's singing the biggest number outside at people who haven't paid?' Another explained that they 'go to the theatre to share the same space with a performer'. Others, however, said the move would help encourage more people to go to the theatre. Abi, a 21-year-old student from London, said: 'I think it's making theatre more accessible. 'It's actually adding to the ambience of the show. 'The speech she does at the end of the song does hit completely different seeing it outside. It adds so much more to her performance to see her do it to the people.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
AP top stories June 20
Here's the latest for Friday, June 20th: Netanyahu visits site of missile strike in Rehovot; Russia launches overnight drone assault on Ukraine; British superyacht raised from sea by salvage crew off Sicily; Andrew Lloyd Webber attends Royal Ascot
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Zegler Serenades Crowd Outside Theater for Free in a New London Production of ‘Evita'
In a new production of Evita, one of the biggest moments isn't on the stage. Midway through the show, Rachel Zegler, playing Argentine first lady Eva Perón, emerges onto an exterior balcony at the London Palladium and sings 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' to whoever is passing by below. The performance is streamed back on video to the audience inside. More from Billboard Watch Rachel Zegler Play 'Finish the Lyrics' Disney Edition Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to Receive Vanguard Award at The Guitar Center Music Foundation Gala & Benefit Concert Shakira Announces Two More Dates in Mexico, Extending Record to 28 News has spread quickly since the show began previews this week, and hundreds have gathered outside the historic venue in London's West End theaterland to enjoy the free serenade by the Snow White star. The show's composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said that it makes for 'an extraordinary moment' in his musical about a woman who rose from poverty to power and was adored by the masses. 'Within the theater, it's really exciting because suddenly you see her with a genuine huge crowd, which you can't do onstage,' Lloyd Webber told The Associated Press on Thursday (June 19). 'I think there will be people who are disappointed that she hasn't sung it live in the theater, but I think it's going to be greatly outweighed by the theatricality of using film in that way.' The decision by director Jamie Lloyd has sparked some grumbling from ticketholders who paid up to 245 pounds ($330) for a seat, only for the musical's most famous number to be sung offstage. It's a technique Lloyd has used before. He had a character in Sunset Boulevard perform a song while walking down the street outside the theater, and his production of Romeo and Juliet saw star Tom Holland play a key scene on the theater blogger Carl Woodward told the BBC that he could understand why some theatregoers who'd forked out for a ticket felt 'a bit aggrieved,' since 'a trip to the theater for some is really a once-a-year occasion.'But Lloyd Webber cited an opinion piece in The Times of London noting that the gesture is 'kind of what Eva Perón would have wanted — that people are actually experiencing her big anthem, as it were, for free.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
AU Financial Review
a day ago
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
There's a small pool of investors banking on Cats being a hit. Again
Cats returns to Sydney's Theatre Royal this weekend, 40 years since it introduced the mega-musical as a mainstay of entertainment budgets, and the investors making it possible have been together almost as long. Putting up half of the $4.5 million it has taken to get Andrew Lloyd Webber's feline fantasy to the stage is John Frost, with the rest coming from a handful of characters who've been backing the chief executive of Crossroads Live Australia since as far back as the 1980s.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Rachel Zegler's Evita criticised for ‘loud music' trigger warning
A West End revival of Evita includes a trigger warning for 'loud music and sudden noises'. The production at the London Palladium, which stars Rachel Zegler in her UK stage debut, also warns audiences they could be upset by strobe lighting, flashing lights and haze. Zegler, 24, plays the titular role of Eva Perón in a production of Sir Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical, which follows the story of Perón as she rises from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Latin America. Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: 'Warning fans of musical theatre that they may hear loud music and sudden noises is beyond parody. Just how stupid do theatre owners think their customers are? 'I cannot imagine someone who's paid £350 for a pair of tickets to Evita complaining that it contains loud music. They'd be more likely to complain if it didn't.' Trigger warnings, which alert audiences to potentially upsetting material, have become an increasing trend in theatre productions over recent years. Shakespeare's Globe issued 'content guidance' last year for a production of Antony and Cleopatra, warning that it contained 'depictions of suicide, scenes of violence and war, and misogynoir references'. In 2023, an ableism trigger warning was added to A Midsummer Night's Dream after the Globe cast an actor with dwarfism, Francesca Mills. Producers explained that audiences may become distressed by Helena's famous line: 'Though she be but little, she is fierce.' The theatre also attached a warning to a 2021 production of Romeo and Juliet over its 'depictions of suicide, moments of violence and references to drug use', plus gunshot sound effects and the use of fake blood. Such warnings have been criticised by some of Britain's most prestigious actors. Sir Ian McKellen scoffed at a trigger warning on a recent play, Frank and Percy, which mentioned strong language, sexual references, and themes of grief and death. 'I think it's ludicrous,' he said. 'I quite like to be surprised by loud noises and outrageous behaviour on stage.' Dame Judi Dench said last year: 'I can see why they exist, but if you're that sensitive, don't go to the theatre, because you could be very shocked. Where is the surprise of seeing and understanding it in your own way?' Ralph Fiennes also added: 'We didn't used to have trigger warnings. There are very disturbing scenes in Macbeth, terrible murders and things, but I think the impact of theatre is that you should be shocked and you should be disturbed.' Another talking point of the new Evita production, directed by Jamie Lloyd, is Zegler's performance of the musical's best-known song, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, from the theatre's outside balcony on Argyll Street. While her rendition has delighted members of the public, paying audience members have been forced to watch it on a screen via a live video link inside the theatre. One person wrote on social media: 'Sorry, are you saying I've paid £350 for 2 tickets and she's singing the biggest number outside at people who haven't paid?' Another said they 'go to the theatre to share the same space with a performer'. The Colombian-American actress and soprano, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Maria in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, starred in Disney's embattled ' woke ' Snow White film earlier this year. She came under fire for describing the beloved 1937 animation as 'extremely dated' and likening the prince's behaviour to that of a 'stalker'. There was added controversy over her clashing views with Gal Gadot, her Israeli co-star, on the war in Gaza, and she was forced to backtrack after scolding Donald Trump voters. The London Palladium has been contacted for comment.
