Entertainment
Rachel Zegler Exits ‘Evita’ Performance Mid-Show Due to Illness
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NEED TO KNOW
- Rachel Zegler exited Evita mid-show on Thursday, July 24 due to illness
- Understudy Bella Brown stepped in for Act 2 and earned a five-minute standing ovation
- The revival features a standout staging of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” filmed live on Argyll Street in London
Rachel Zegler did, in fact, give Evita theatergoers something to cry about on Thursday, July 24.
The Golden Globe-winning actress — who is currently making her London stage debut as Eva Perón in director Jamie Lloyd’s stripped-back revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic rock opera — made a sudden exit from the stage during the show’s evening performance, due to illness.
PEOPLE happened to be among the crowd of the famed London Palladium theatre at the time, alongside a sea of stars in attendance. Her departure was announced at intermission.
After a brief hold, understudy Bella Brown, seen earlier as Perón’s Mistress in the musical, stepped in for Zegler for Act 2. The act nearly kicks off with the song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” easily the most famous tune from composer Lloyd Webber and lyricist/book writer Tim Rice’s score.
Marc Brenner
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It’s also the scene making the most headlines from Lloyd’s production. Like he did in last season’s Tony Award-winning revival of Sunset Blvd. (which recently wrapped its run on Broadway after transferring from the West End), Lloyd utilizes cutting-edge video technology to capture an outdoor, live performance of a song and project it to those inside.
In this case, that’s the iconic scene in which Eva sings from the balcony of the Presidential Palace to her adoring Argentinean supporters. Lloyd stages the performance on the balcony of the London Palladium, with the public gathered below on Argyll Street in London mimicking the historic moment.
Marc Brenner
Brown completely nailed the number, and her performance as Eva throughout the rest of the show carried over the electricity, intensity and vulnerability Zegler had established in Act 1.
Audiences responded by giving Brown a standing ovation that lasted nearly five minutes. Brown and the company bowed a whopping 10 times.
“Today really showed just how important swings and covers are within this industry,” the actress later wrote in an Instagram Story. “They are pillars of a show!! A proud day to be at Evita.”
“What a lucky audience getting to see both myself and MY ANGEL REG ZEG!!” she penned, in another post.
Dave Benett/Getty
It’s unclear whether Zegler, 24, will be back on stage for the evening performance on Friday, July 25. Thursday was a two-show day for the actress, and she previously made it through both acts of the matinee.
Evita — which follows the controversial second wife of Argentine military leader-turned-president Juan Perón — is currently scheduled to run until Sept. 6 in London. The production began performances on June 14, and opened on July 1 to rave reviews.
“I couldn’t be luckier,” Zegler wrote at the time of opening, in a lengthy Instagram post. “I never thought I would get to live my dream this way. Surrounded by the most amazing people. I feel so held.”
The musical also stars Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che, James Olivas as Juan Perón and Aaron Lee Lambert as Agustín Magaldi. Carl Au, Gabriela Benedetti, Shakara Brown, Damian Buhagiar, Kyeirah D’Marni, Sally Frith, DeAngelo Jones, Lucas Koch, Natasha Leaver, Michael Lin, Dianté Lodge, Louis Mackrodt, Mireia Mambo, Mia Mullarkey, Perry O’Dea, Alysha Sontae, Monica Swayne, Jon Tsouras and Harrison Wilde make up the show’s ensemble, with Myla Carmen, Barney Hudson, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Ricardo Spriggs and Regan Bailey Walker as Swings.
Auora Breslin, Lois Haidar, Siena Merilind-Wu and Ffion Rosalie Williams share the role of The Child.
All, Zegler said, make “a cast of the most incredible individuals I have ever come across.”
“[They are] triple threats in every sense of the word,” she wrote. “Our company keeps its arms open and ready to accept whatever the day brings. Our swings keep the show running with an ease that only they can pull off. It’s wildly inspiring to witness on a day-to-day basis.”
Tickets for Evita are now on sale.
Entertainment
William Shatner to undergo surgery following terrifying horse accident

He’s about to go where many men have gone before – the operating room.
William Shatner revealed that he shattered his right shoulder after falling off one of his horses late last year and must undergo surgery to repair the debilitating injury.
The “Star Trek” alum, who turns 95 later this month, opened up about the scary incident during the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films’ 53rd annual Saturn Awards in Burbank, Calif., on Sunday.
The original James T. Kirk explained his hospital drama and how he was scheduled to undergo surgery on March 11 after he accepted the Hall of Fame award on behalf of the “Star Trek” franchise.
After asking for a chair to speak with select media, Shatner shared that he was feeling “old, tired and kind of hurt.”
“I ride the horses that can compete in equine skills, which is fast down and ends on a sliding stop,” he explained. “And the horse that I owned, I came off.”
Shatner continued, “And she had a habit of going too far, like six inches to the side. And I’m riding it. And I’m ready. And she goes [too fast and sent him flying].”
Although the “Boston Legal” alum utilized his experience as a stuntman to lessen the impact, he still got seriously injured during the incident.
“I’m not a young stuntman anymore. I started to roll, but hit the dirt with my shoulder. So I wrecked my shoulder.”
Shatner said he was scheduled to undergo a “new type of shoulder operation called a reverse something or other” on Wednesday.
“You put the ball in the socket and the socket in the thing, and you come out 10 hours later, and you’re pain-free,” he said in an attempt to describe the surgery. “So that’s what I am meandering towards.”
This wouldn’t be the first time the Hollywood legend has suffered a health scare in recent months.
Back in September, it was reported that Shatner suffered a mysterious medical emergency at his Los Angeles home.
Although the “Practice” star didn’t explain what happened, TMZ reported that it was an issue regarding his blood sugar.
“I over indulged. I thank you all for caring but I’m perfectly fine,” Shatner tweeted alongside a meme about his “greatly exaggerated … demise” at the time.
Meanwhile, Shatner received a standing ovation from the star-studded audience at the Saturn Awards Sunday.
In his speech, Shatner detailed how the original “Star Trek” series succeeded because “good or great science fiction is about human beings.”
The “T.J. Hooker” actor also explained why making non-human characters display key human traits appeals to audiences.
“You know what everyone tried to do, including myself, was to make the character human with all frailties and ambitions and fears,” he told the audience.
“At the same time, in a leadership role, you can’t show that, or if you show it, it has to be done in a particular way,” Shatner continued. “So that you’re a leader trying to lead people into battle or into danger, and you have to motivate people in some way.”
Meanwhile, Shatner also shared that he still hasn’t watched all of the original “Star Trek” episodes he appeared in.
“I haven’t seen all my 79 episodes. I just don’t have the time,” he said. “I’d like to see it, but I don’t have the time.”
Elsewhere during the Saturn Awards, “Avatar” creator James Cameron noted how genres like sci-fi, fantasy and horror are often overlooked by awards ceremonies – including the Oscars.
“They dismiss us, and yet consistently, over time, of the top 20 movies in history, or the top 20 films of the past 10 years, they are our films,” the “Titanic” filmmaker charged. “Sci-fi, fantasy, horror. We make the films that put people in the theaters and keep the theaters open.”
Cameron, 71, won this year’s Saturn Awards for best science fiction film, best film direction and best film screenwriting for “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Tom Cruise, who was also at the ceremony, won the Saturn Award for best actor in a film for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Cruise, 63, celebrated Shatner’s contribution to the sci-fi genre in his acceptance speech.
Entertainment
‘Lost’ star Matthew Fox reveals why he walked away from Hollywood at height of his stardom

Matthew Fox was at the top of Hollywood — and then he walked away.
The “Lost” star, now 59, stepped back from acting for more than a decade despite starring in one of TV’s biggest hits, as Dr. Jack Shepard.
Fox, who is returning to the spotlight with a role in “Yellowstone” spinoff “The Madison”, opened up about his decision to take an acting hiatus while attending the New York premiere of his new show on Monday.
“I felt like it was time to engage really intensely with my family,” he told Variety.
Fox admitted his demanding schedule during the height of “Lost” meant he missed parts of his children’s younger years.
“I had missed some of their childhood because I was on set all the time with “Lost” and doing films and promoting everything,” he said. “It was the right moment for me to step back and take a moment and engage with the people that I love and care about the most in the world.”
After more than a decade away from regular TV work, Fox said he eventually began to miss the craft.
Fox returned to television in 2022 with the series “Last Light,” marking his first TV role since “Lost” ended in 2010. He later appeared in the comedy series “C*A*U*G*H*T” before landing his latest role.
“I kind of missed storytelling,” he explained, adding that he quickly said yes when producer Taylor Sheridan approached him about joining “The Madison.”
In “The Madison,” Fox plays Paul, a rugged bachelor who thrives outdoors.
The series centers on a New York City family who relocates to Montana’s Madison River Valley after a devastating plane crash kills two relatives. Michelle Pfeiffer stars as wealthy matriarch Stacy Clyburn, who uproots her family from Manhattan following the tragedy.
Though his career has long been tied to Hollywood, Fox has previously spoken about his desire to live somewhere quieter.
In 2008, the actor said he and his family had considered moving to Oregon, where his relatives lived and outdoor life was plentiful.
“I enjoy fishing, hiking and skiing,” Fox told People. “The mountains and fresh air and all these things are available pretty easily in Oregon without having to drive a long distance.”
Fox first rose to fame playing Charlie Salinger on the hit drama “Party of Five,” which ran from 1994 to 2000.
He later became a household name as Jack Shephard on “Lost,” the ABC sci-fi phenomenon that aired for six seasons from 2004 to 2010.
Along the way, he also appeared in films including “Smokin’ Aces,” “We Are Marshall,” “Vantage Point,” “Speed Racer,” “World War Z” and the 2015 Western “Bone Tomahawk.”
Fox largely stepped away from acting between 2014 and 2021. In a 2022 interview, he said that after “Bone Tomahawk,” he felt he had checked off many of the career goals he had set for himself.
“’I kind of had a bucket list in my mind of things that I wanted to accomplish in the business,” he told Variety. “I wanted to do a Western. It’s a very odd Western, but it’s a Western. And so that sort of completed the bucket list.”
At the same time, his two sons — Kyle, now 28, and Byron, 25 — were growing up.
“I felt like it was time to be home,” Fox said, adding that his wife of more than 30 years, Margherita Ronchi, had been “beautifully” holding down the fort while he worked.
“I really felt like I was retiring from the business, and working on other creative elements that are really personal to me – some music and writing.”
For now, though, the actor appears ready to step back into the public eye.
Entertainment
Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright finally reach custody agreement 2 years post-split

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright have finally settled custody of their son, Cruz, nearly two years after separating.
The “Vanderpump Rules” stars reached an agreement Monday, according to documents obtained by Page Six.
Instead of paying each other child support, the Bravolebrities are responsible for the expenses accrued when the 4-year-old is in their individual care.
Taylor, 46, has custody of Cruz Wednesday nights and every other weekend. Cartwright, for her part, claims the rest of the time.
The agreement outlined an alternating holiday schedule for the pair, with Cartwright, 37, getting Christmas every year.
She previously told Page Six this holiday is a non-negotiable, explaining, “Cruz has got all of his cousins and family and so much love [in Kentucky]. … I don’t ever want him to miss that. And I don’t want to miss it either.”
While the former couple have agreed to share joint legal custody of their little one, Cartwright has tie-breaking authority over medical decisions.
The “Valley” stars, notably, have agreed to not be under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or any other form of illegal drug while caring for Cruz.
They may not introduce their child to new romantic partners for at least six months.
TMZ was first to report the news of the exes’ custody arrangement.
Taylor and Cartwright called it quits on their four-year marriage in January 2024 and have yet to finalize their divorce.
“Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health,” Cartwright told “When Reality Hits” podcast listeners at the time.
She filed for divorce in August 2024.
Although Taylor filed court documents the following month giving his ex full legal and physical custody of Cruz, his rep later told Page Six that the former Sur bartender had “made errors” that would be “amended without delay.”
The spokesperson added, “Jax and Brittany have already long resolved all matters related to custody of Cruz, and will continue to work together privately for the best interest of their son, which remains their overriding concern.”
Cartwright and Taylor’s love story began in 2015, with the latter popping the question three years later.
After the duo wed in Kentucky in June 2019, they welcomed Cruz in April 2021.
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