Jamie Lloyd-helmed EVITA revival to play the London Palladium in 2025- Page 36

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 10/24/25 at 2:22am

CoffeeBreak said: "Seb28 said: "RippedMan said: "She isn’t giving regal or anything. I could see why Webber might be miffed because I do think Lloyd’s style isn’t the best for telling a story."

I think the problem is that the director Jamie Lloyd (aside from not understanding the material and texts) lacks any form of class and maturity. The things that he thinks are “cool” are embarrassing to most adults. The constant street-style, taunting attitude of the whole ensemble, Eva, Che and Peron feels pathetic and childish. Like a community-centre performance of the gangs of West Side Story. The gestures, the trying to look cool, the aggression, the taking off their shirts multiple times, Eva literally beating up Che in the second act (Eva would never do this at this point in her character-arc), it feels like it’s directed by a 12-year old street-brat. And the characters feel like low-life, empty shells, without having actual adult interaction with eachother. It is indeed more "brat" than "regal". It's not sexy or cool at all.

Previous versions are much more mature, exciting and the fights between the characters there take place on a completely different, higher and more intelligent level which is much more thrilling. It’s all about the sophisticated political games and the differences in class and defyingthat. A depraved game on the highest levels. A psychological thriller that's exciting, matureand directed in a way that makes it clear for the audience what the stakes are and what is actually taking place.

The only moments where this productionremotely becomes alive is during dcfma and high, flying adored. After that it collapses like a house of cards again. Those were the only 2 scenes where some of the needed maturity came into play. The only 2 scenes that radiated any form of intelligence and class. The only 2 scenes where the setting and context supported the actors and the story.

Aside from those 2 scenes, it’s just a trashy concert on stairs that harms the material. Peron and Eva are being portrayed as 2 little brats from the street. With no difference in class between them. No actual relationship. No intelligence. Just aggressive, conceited little children without any form of gravity. Combined with the rest of the terrible direction, caused by Lloyd not understanding anything about the scenes or the lyrics, makes it an incoherent, lame and inadequate whole.

Even though some songs are sung really well, such as “Another suitcase”, “A New Argentina” and “Rainbow High”, it doesn’t work and the audiences have no clue what the story is about. Audiences don't understand that Eva is dead at the beginning, because she is dancing around like a pop star, chilling with the people, they don’t understand who Magaldi is, what he is doing, what his relationship with Evais, what the context is, (nobody laughed at “Your act hasn’t changed much. Neither has yours” because the audience didn’t even have a clue that there was an act, they just saw someone on the stairs) in “Good night and thank you” we don’t have any idea who these men are and if Eva was actually involved with any of them, we don’t know who Peron is, he is presented as the hot guy from the baseball club in the backstreet of the high school. We don’t know what she wants from him, we don’t know his position, his goals and we don’t see them interacting with eachother, just standing on opposite sides of the stage, blurting out lines and fist gestures. We don't see her and his character arcs. We don't know what the stakes are. We don’t know what her relationship with Che is or what her opinion of him is or why she is angry at him, and if he’s actually there in most scenes or not. We don’t know what Eva actually achieved with Peron because in act 2 she is still in the leather bra, still proving the prejudices the people had about her, there is no character-arc or growth whatsoever. And because she, the story and their relationship never grew, we don’t care about her. There basically is nothing instead of a trashy concert and trying to look cool while beating people up. She is just as unkind and aggressive in "Surprisingly good for you" as she is in "Waltz forEva and Che".

It's really a shame because the talent and potential is there, they just need a director.

If I were Andrew Lloyd Webber I wouldn't accept it either. Major changes need to be made to the production before it can go to Broadway. Before it becomes professional."

IT was fantastic in London and no one felt this way -Webber, general audiences or reviewers."

 

Actually there were plenty who didnt think it was fantastic in London. Theres just no point in saying it as you just get people shouting back at you. Same as when you dared say anything critical about Sunset.

I enjoyed it for what it was, a very well sung concert with some impressive gimmick viral moments. But the narrative was weak, many people new to the show had no idea what was going on. Rachel sang very well and gave a great performance, but she wasnt a great actress. It did feel more like Six.

Its very showy and impressive, but scratch the surface there wasnt much  depth there.

 

[The8re phan]

Posted: 10/24/25 at 7:32am

nice album, i'm enjoying the orchestrations

Updated On: 10/24/25 at 07:32 AM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 10/24/25 at 8:41am

The full album will be released in 2026. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQL6kV4jeW7

[malcs98]

Posted: 10/24/25 at 11:27am

jacobsnchz14 said: "The full album will be released in 2026.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQL6kV4jeW7"

Also according to SO’s latest video (which I’ll put the link down below) it appears the Lloyd on Lloyd violence has subsided and this production Evita will be coming to Broadway after all…NEXT SEASON! Rumor in the video is they’re aiming to take the Lyric Theatre in the Spring of 2027. Which honestly makes sense because if you think about it Jellicle Ball premiered summer 2024 and it took about a full year and a quarter to get to Broadway. However it does raise some questions regarding Rachel Zegler’s safety.

https://www.tiktok.com/@sweatyoracle/video/7563850069858929975

[goodtimes123]

Posted: 11/12/25 at 11:12pm

SO saying Evita is coming in March. Anyone else hearing this rumour?

[joevitus]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 12:41am

Theatrefan2 said: "
Actually there were plenty who didnt think it was fantastic in London. Theres just no point in saying it as you just get people shouting back at you.Same as when you dared say anything critical about Sunset."

Not buying this.

1) Even Sunset got it's share of naysaying posts here.

2) And Gypsy got comments that ranged from pro to con to in between.

I have trouble believing if "plenty" of people didn't care for Evita, a number of them wouldn't have spoken up. As far as I can tell, there's just you and the couple of people who silently upvote you.

Updated On: 11/13/25 at 12:41 AM

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 1:31am

joevitus said: "Theatrefan2 said: "
Actually there were plenty who didnt think it was fantastic in London. Theres just no point in saying it as you just get people shouting back at you.Same as when you dared say anything critical about Sunset."

Not buying this.

1) Even Sunset got it's share of naysaying posts here.

2) And Gypsy got comments that ranged from pro to con to in between.

I have trouble believingif "plenty" of people didn't care for Evita, a number of themwouldn't have spoken up. As far as I can tell, there's just you and the couple of people who silently upvote you."

 

Yeah it got some, but they always got people clapping back how they were wrong and sunset and Nicole were life changing. Its just exhausting going up against gang mentality of fandoms who dont consider/respect opposing opinions.

I dont just mean here, this is on other forums, word of mouth etc too.  Obviously not all people who had criticism of it post on broadwayworld  I didnt think that even needed to be said to be honest.

Evita was the same, but id say the fandom even more extreme and it just reaches the point it's not worth commenting when you just know you'll get push back.

Im not saying it was  a majority who didnt LOVE it, but its also wrong to say everyone loved it in London. Even Rachel's fans proved many critics right by saying they had no clue what was going on but raved about it anyway.

[binau]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 2:57am

With over 2,200 seats every night of course not everyone is likely to love Evita. And not everyone loved Sunset. It only becomes a bit annoying when people seem to get some weird obsession with hating a show and then make it upon themselves to 'go after' the show or individuals in the show which happened for Sunset here, which is just a mood/buzz killer and becomes tiresome. Let's not pretend that the criticism of both productions, especially Sunset, was always in good faith and reasonable. It got even worse and personal once Nicole started getting wrapped up in controversy for alleged political views. However, I admit I do find it personally satisfying that Nicole and the show ultimately got the 'last laugh' so ultimately all of this pathetic hysterical whining was a complete waste of time. A sign that we no longer have to be bullied and intimidated by these kind of people. 

I would say there is also a difference between someone having individual concerns with a show and then someone who is trying to change the narrative or reality of what is happening. People can have individual concerns with Evita but there is no changing the narrative that with Evita, something special happened in London. I have seen hundreds of shows but I have never seen an event like Evita in London. The sales and audience reaction were what they are. This is why personally I would bet on the show going to NYC, so rumours of an opening don't shock me. It was probably always about theatre availability. 

 

 

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 4:18pm

binau said: "With over 2,200 seats every night of course not everyone is likely to love Evita. "

At the performance we attended (Sat evening 28 June) six seats in front of us that had been full were empty for Act II. When I mentioned this to the person seated to my left, she explained that she had seen the original with Page and was not enjoying this version stating (slightly paraphrasing now) "This is not in my top 10. Not even top 50, Probably not top 100".  We, however, thoroughly enjoyed it and raved about it to many many many people.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 4:58pm

I have trouble believing if "plenty" of people didn't care for Evita, a number of them wouldn't have spoken up. 

Believe it. Just because the people who didn't care for it didn't come to this website to share that doesn't mean they don't exist, or didn't share their experience elsewhere. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/13/25 at 5:06pm

Sutton Ross said: "I have trouble believing if "plenty" of people didn't care for Evita, a number of them wouldn't have spoken up.

Believe it. Just because the people who didn't care for it didn't come to this website to share that doesn't mean they don't exist,or didn't share their experience elsewhere."

[binau]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 1:40am

ggersten said: "binau said: "With over 2,200 seats every night of course not everyone is likely to love Evita."

At the performance we attended (Sat evening 28 June) six seats in front of us that had been full were empty for Act II. When I mentioned this to the person seated to my left, she explained that she had seen the original with Page and was not enjoying this version stating (slightly paraphrasing now) "This is not in my top 10. Not even top 50, Probably not top 100". We, however, thoroughly enjoyed it and raved about it to many many many people.

"

That's quite funny - I had an older man (who was a little obnoxiously loud annoyingly) behind me declare that Rachel "Blows Elaine Paige out of the water". 

I went many times and someone I went with once thought it was good but not THAT GOOD referring to the long extended audience reaction. 

Another data point if at all useful - the audience reaction was certainly not the way it was at the Palladium than when Jamie Lloyd mounted Evita the first time at Regents Park (including my own). 
 

Updated On: 11/14/25 at 01:40 AM

[bway1430]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 2:58am

binau said: "ggersten said: "binau said: "With over 2,200 seats every night of course not everyone is likely to love Evita."

At the performance we attended (Sat evening 28 June) six seats in front of us that had been full were empty for Act II. When I mentioned this to the person seated to my left, she explained that she had seen the original with Page and was not enjoying this version stating (slightly paraphrasing now) "This is not in my top 10. Not even top 50, Probably not top 100". We, however, thoroughly enjoyed it and raved about it to many many many people.

"

That's quite funny - I had an older man (who was a little obnoxiously loud annoyingly) behind me declare that Rachel "Blows Elaine Paige out of the water".

I went many times and someone I went with once thought it was good but not THAT GOOD referring to the long extended audience reaction.

Another data point if at all useful - the audience reaction was certainly not the way it was at the Palladium than when Jamie Lloyd mounted Evita the first time at Regents Park (including my own).
"

I agree with you 100%. I went to en early preview and again near the end of the run. The West End was knocked off it's axis by this production. In my decades of living in London I have rarely experienced a show that gathered this amount of buzz and excitement almost overnight. I would be hard-pressed to think of anything that even came close. 

I also saw this production in Regent's Park but the addition of Rachel's performance, the enhanced staging and lighting (and luckily a massive revision of how DCFMA was staged) took this already inventive interpretation to a much higher level. I was an absolute purist with EVITA and had no time for anything other than the original Hal Prince staging. I have since eaten my words.

Of course this show will have its detractors. What show doesn't? But I think it will hit Broadway like a bolt of lightening when and if they are lucky enough to have it....and with the St James likely being available rather soon....well...you do the math.....