Is Diego Andres Rodriguez the Break-Out Star of London's 'Evita?'
With Rachel Zegler serenading the London public at "Evita" performances from a Palladium Theatre balcony above Argyle Street in London's West End getting enormous attention, the under-the-radar story is that of its break-out star Diego Andres Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who is said to be 21-23 years old, has already made history-of-sorts as being the only actor to take a shirtless curtain call on both sides of the Atlantic in two Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. The first came earlier this year when Rodriguez subbed for Tom Francis in the New York City transfer of Jamie Lloyd's "Sunset Blvd.;" and the second is occurring nightly at the Palladium where he plays Che Guevera, the foil to Zegler's Eva Peron in Webber and librettist Tim Rice's reimagining of her life.
Watch the curtain call at the first performance on June 16 of "Evita" in London.
There was some confusion when pics of the shirtless Rodriguez first appeared with some confusing his blood-soaked torso from "Sunset" with his paint-soaked torso from "Evita." This came with the not fully grasping the unorthodox nature of the shirtless curtain call and the sources of the pics — grainy TikTok videos. Once clarified, they point to how Lloyd cheekily both makes a reference to Eva Peron's followers (called the "descamisados" or "shirtless ones") and exploits the hot physicality of Rodrigues to a thirst-trappy advantage, as well as his star quality that led to his quick rise to the co-starring role in the West End's hottest production. (Also note how his tight boxer shorts show off his bulge in the clip above — at one point it nearly upstages Zegler's bow.)
Watch this clip of the announcement of Diego Andres Rodriguez's casting in "Evita" at the curtain call of a recent "Sunset Blvd." performance on Broadway.
Rodriguez's fast-track to stardom began when he was cast as Tom Francis's understudy in "Sunset Boulevard" before he graduated from college. When the "Evita casting was announced, Lloyd said: "Before he even graduated, Diego made his professional debut as Artie in our production of 'Sunset Blvd.' on Broadway, in which he also understudied and played the leading role, Joe Gillis. He is an incredible young actor and a fantastic vocalist. We're so thrilled he will be making his West End debut in Tim and Andrew's iconic musical."
Rodriguez said when casting was announced: "I'm beyond thrilled to be making my West End debut in Evita this summer at the historic London Palladium! Being directed by Jamie Lloyd again, working with The Jamie Lloyd Company's incredible team, and playing Che opposite Rachel is an opportunity of a lifetime. This is a dream come true!"
From the start of the musical, Che acts as the correction to the revered image of Eva Peron that her adoring fans have for her (some to this day). He scolds the audience that they've "got it wrong," and not to listen to her "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" bullshit because she is a climber, an opportunist, and, once in power, a hypocrite who appropriates money from her own charities to fund her own lavish lifestyle.
Watch these brief clips of Jamie Lloyd's production of "Evita" in London.
Early reports of the production that broke the review embargo (the show doesn't officially open July 1) are unanimous that Lloyd's casting choice is a wise one. "Diego Andres Rodriguez is a brilliantly intense Che, chiding and criticising Eva with all the bitter familiarity of an estranged brother," reads Caitlin Devlin's review on Ticketmaster Discover. "We couldn't take our eyes off her despite the strong performance by Diego Andres Rodriguez as narrator Che who ends the show in only his boxer shorts and covered in paint representing the colours of the Argentinian flag as doubts are raised over the actions of our heroine," writes Neil Durham for the website Monstagigz.com.
In reporting about the production's immediate and overwhelming success, especially from the press given Zegler's public performance of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," Deadline reporter Baz Bamigboye writes that while much of the credit should go to the star's "phenomenal" performance, in all fairness, it should also go to "Diego Andres Rodriguez's breathtaking Che, James Olivas' energetic portrait of Juan Perón and the super cast and creative team."
And YouTuber reviewer Kristina Emily broke the critics embargo by posting a 16-minute clip on YouTube on her thoughts on the production. She calls the dynamic between Zegler and Rodriguez "amazing," Adding, "Technically, Che is the narrator of the musical, and he offers a very critical opinion or perspective on Eva's life. But the way Eva and Che interact in Jamie Lloyd's version is that they are constantly fighting for the mic. They are standing in each other's way, or Che is standing in Eva's way and reminding her where she came from and what are the ways that she got to the position that she is at. And sometimes it feels that he is Eva's version of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' like he gets more sinister and meaner to her as the show progresses, as she rises to power, all the way until she dies... (A)nd the chemistry and the energy that both of them bring to the show.. really complement each other. So I think that Diego Andres Rodriguez has done an amazing job. The way that he looks on stage and sounds is a bit more of a rocker. He is a punk and a little bit of a rebel, and he is the character that kind of grounds the audience, rather than letting us be in love with Eva Peron. He's more like 'No, no, no, listen to me.'"
No doubt there will be more to say about Rodriguez when the official reviews come out the first week in July.