Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to London she goes.
Embattled “Snow White” star Rachel Zegler landed the leading role in “Evita” in the West End.
“‘Evita’ has been such an important musical to me since I was a little girl, when my dad and I would sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ together on my back patio,” she said in a statement to Deadline on Friday.
“The opportunity to bring Jamie Lloyd’s singular, visionary ideas to life onstage is an honor unlike any other. The stage has always felt like home to me, and I can’t wait to make my West End debut in such great company.”
Lloyd will direct the latest revival of the award-winning 1978 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which is scheduled to open at the London Palladium on June 14 for a limited 12-week run.
He described Zegler, 23, as a “phenomenal talent” who will “blow the roof off” the theater.
She will follow in the footsteps of Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone, who played Eva Perón in the original West End and Broadway productions in 1978 and 1979, respectively.
Madonna also portrayed the former first lady of Argentina in the 1996 film adaptation, which LuPone famously hated.
“I thought it was a piece of s–t,” the three-time Tony winner said on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” in 2017.
“Madonna is a movie killer,” LuPone added. “She’s dead behind the eyes. She cannot act her way out of a paper bag. She should not be in film or on stage.”
The news of Zegler’s casting comes as she faces scrutiny ahead of the March 21 theatrical release of Disney’s live-action “Snow White” film, in which she plays the title character.
The movie is scheduled to premiere Saturday at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., but Variety reported earlier this week that the red carpet has been scaled back due to backlash.
While media outlets are typically invited to premieres to interview the cast, only photographers and a house crew will be on site, according to the report.
Critics have called the upcoming adaptation of the 1937 animated classic “woke” for casting a Latina as Snow White and for replacing her Seven Dwarfs with “magical creatures” of all sizes and genders.
Additionally, Zegler sparked controversy by wishing President Trump and his supporters “never know peace” after he won the 2024 election last November, for which she was forced to apologize.
“Disney’s lead actress is out of control,” a movie insider told Page Six exclusively Thursday. “They don’t know what to do. … She’s an outspoken 20-something, and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.”
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