‘So beautiful’: Rachel Ziegler praises access to Evita’s free balcony scene | Olivier Awards

It was the most talked-about theatrical spectacle of the year: Rachel Ziegler performing Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina from the balcony of the London Palladium to crowds gathered in the street below. At the Olivier Awards on Sunday night, Ziegler delivered the song from Evita again — this time on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall — and took home the award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Host Nick Muhammad said Ziegler became “a new landmark for Londoners” during Evita’s run last summer. “People who didn’t buy a ticket could watch the movie live for free, while everyone inside had to pay to watch it on a giant screen,” he explained, jokingly describing it as “a business model I’m sure he could really catch on.”

Ziegler described Evita’s director, Jamie Lloyd, as a “genius” for presenting the scene in this way and offering “a theatrical, street-only piece” to young people who might not be able to afford West End ticket prices. “It’s so beautiful that Jamie Lloyd has created such an accessible theatrical moment for people to go through and witness something really wonderful,” she said. She later added that she felt lucky to have been part of the show and that she would like “everyone from all different walks of life” to be able to experience art in this way. She praised Londoners for making her feel welcome and described those who waited outside to watch the balcony scene as “giving their energy and love.”

The actress, whose musical films include West Side Story and Snow White, said she would sing the high notes from another Evita song, A New Argentina, as part of her routine before taking to the stage. At the awards ceremony, she paid tribute to Elaine Page, who created the role of Eva Perón, First Lady of Argentina, in the West End in 1978. Page received the special award for her career in theater and said Ziegler’s win was “proof of pudding” for the enduring musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Ziegler, a popular winner, made sure to thank Bella Brown, Eva Peron’s understudy at the Palladium. Brown played Madame in the musical but was also Ziegler’s understudy and in one performance he replaced the star midway through the show. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without such a great understudy,” Ziegler said, praising Brown’s work in both roles.

While acknowledging the difficulty of replicating the balcony scene, Ziegler and Lloyd Webber spoke of their hope that Evita would transfer to Broadway, like Lloyd’s revival of the composer’s Sunset Boulevard. The show, starring Nicole Scherzinger, won seven Olivier Awards. Evita received two awards out of five nominations, and choreographer Fabian Alloise was also honoured. He praised the actors for how they performed his dance moves on a stage designed in the shape of a huge staircase. Evita won Best Musical Revival for Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre.

Ziegler, who has lived in London “on and off” for four years, returned to the Palladium for a solo concert shortly after Evita finished, and then again, last month, for a production of the musical The Last Five Years co-starring Ben Platt’s Dear Evan Hansen. A live recording of this performance will be released next week.