Rachel Zeglerhas spent the last few years being the subject of continued online trolling for some ridiculous reasons, but now she has been slammed for performing for an audience in London’s West End.
In the last several years, Zegler has seen her career soar, with lead roles in Steven Spielberg’s remake ofWest Side Story, Hunger GamesprequelThe Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, andDisney’s remake ofSnow White. However, as her popularity has grown, so has the number of derogatory comments about the actress. After being heavily criticized for beinga Latin actress taking on the role of Disney’s original princess, it seems that now she is taking on the role of an iconic figure from Latin America, people have found new ways to lay into the young star.
Let’s Call the Controversy Around Rachel Zegler’s ‘Snow White’ What It Really Is
Rachel Zegler not being white is not controversial, and it’s time to stop treating it as an actual critique of ‘Snow White’ and call it out.
Currently, Zegler is playing Eva Peron in the current production ofEvitaat the London Palladium in the U.K., a role that she seems perfectly matched for in every way. However, the performance includes a controversial moment when Zegler leaves the stage to head out onto the Palladium’s external balcony and perform the musical’s showstopping “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” to the crowds outside the theater, while those who have paid for tickets watch this part of the performance on a video feed.
Her recent performances have been slammed for resulting in several people watching “becoming ill” due to standing out in the sun for hours to see the moment, right in the middle of a U.K. heatwave. On Thursday, paramedics were called in to assist those suffering sunstroke and dehydration, and several people blamed it on Zegler’s appearance in “dangerous” heat. Obviously, this is no different to music-lovers attending summer concerts, and seems like it is just something that people should have been better prepared for if they were planning on waiting for her balcony appearance.
Zegler’s “Free” ‘Evita’ Performance Was Slammed By Paying Ticketholders
For between 200-600 people standing outside the London Palladium for each performance, the chance to see a Hollywood star singing one of the most iconic show tunes of all time is something that seems like a fantastic gesture by the production company, even though it is also a very big gimmick.
But not everyone is happy with the generous free performance considering it takes place in the middle of the actual performance of the show, with several who have paid to see the show unimpressed that people are seeing the show’s biggest song for free while they are inside watching on a screen. As one person fumed, “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?” Others added that the free performance was taking something away from the “special” feeling of being able to “share an intimate space” with a performance with the confines of a theater.
However, others have praised the gimmicky move as one that both enhances the performance – with Zegler’s Eva Peron literally performing from the balcony to a large crowd – and could encourage more people to theaters. They said:
“I think it’s making theatre more accessible. 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.'
Zegler is performing inEvitathroughout its 12-week run until August, except for four Monday performances in July and August when the role is played by understudy Bella Brown.
Source:The Daily Mail
