Rachel Zegler, New Jersey’s Snow White, just booked her dream role in a musical

RZ

Rachel Zegler promoting Disney’s "Snow White" in Spain this week. New Jersey's Snow White has been cast in her next musical. Pablo Cuadra | Getty Images

West Side Story.

The Hunger Games.”

Romeo + Juliet.”

Snow White.”

And now ... “Evita.”

New Jersey’s Rachel Zegler has been on a nonstop upward trajectory since making her film debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” in 2021.

The actor and singer known for her “songbird” voice stars as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action musical adaptation of the 1937 animated film, due in theaters March 21.

But before then comes news that she has been cast in the title role of the musical “Evita.”

READ MORE: ‘Romeo + Juliet’ review: N.J.’s Rachel Zegler makes Broadway debut with shining co-star

Zegler, 23, who grew up in Clifton, will take on the role of Eva Perón, former first lady of Argentina, in a reimagining of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, Deadline reports.

Zegler, who is of Colombian American heritage, made her Broadway debut last year as Juliet in “Romeo + Juliet."

She is set to star in a revival of the Tony-winning “Evita“ in what will be her London/West End theater debut in a limited 12-week run at the London Palladium from June 14 to Sept. 6.

Per Deadline, Zegler will “be among the highest-paid stars on the London stage this season.”

READ MORE: Rachel Zegler almost didn’t audition for ‘West Side Story.’ The new Maria on the role that changed her life.

The musical’s director, Jamie Lloyd, said he met with Zegler in New York to talk about the show.

“She told me it was her dream role,” he told the outlet.

"‘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," Zegler said in a statement.

“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.”

READ MORE: How ‘Hunger Games’ star Rachel Zegler, N.J.’s ‘Songbird,’ became a leading voice in film

Evita” started as a concept album and debuted as a musical on the West End in 1978 with Elaine Paige in the lead role.

American audiences first saw Patti LuPone star in the musical in 1979 — she won her first Tony for her performance.

Madonna played Perón in the 1996 film adaptation of “Evita.”

Stories by Amy Kuperinsky

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.

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