Evita At The London Palladium: What Was The First Performance Like?

The West End revival of Evita is getting rave reviews, starring Rachel Zegler as Eva Perón, Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che and James Olivas as Juan Perón. We sat down with James just after the first preview night to hear all about the inner workings of a sensational performance.

James Olivas On Starring In Evita, London Palladium

Hi James, how’s life going at the moment?

I’m feeling good, if a little bit tired! We had our one day off yesterday, and Diego [Andres Rodriguez] and I had to run over to Paris and back for the day for our visas. We tried to make a bit of a day of it. We cycled around trying to see everything along the River Seine, and ate as much food as we could in the four and a half hours that we had there.

You can currently be seen starring as Juan Perón in Evita, which opened on Saturday night. What was opening night like?

I have never in my life, both on stage or off, experienced an audience like that. That was something else. After ‘Buenos Aires’ I was in my dressing room and I heard this monumental noise. There are more than 2,000 seats in the London Palladium, and it was completely sold out. At the end of Act One, and then at the end of the show, oh my God… I think we hit a point in our regularly scheduled bows, which I already thought were plenty long, where we didn’t really know what to do. We started looking around like, ‘Should we bow some more?’ 

The energy and the response from people after just the first preview was so unreal; I can’t believe we have a whole summer of this to look forward to! I expected a positive response, but that was beyond my expectations.

Did any other songs get a standout reaction?

Because of the way Evita is structured, the end of every song leads into the next one without any breaks, which makes you hold your applause until way into the show. Really, ‘Buenos Aires’ is the first time there is a significant break, so it’s almost as if there’s been all this tension in the room, waiting to give some feedback until that point. And then it’s like a dam can break. 

‘Buenos Aires’ is my favorite dance number in the show, too. It’s so much fun, and everyone is so talented, so the applause is so well deserved. That was such a magic moment on Saturday night, and I believe it’s just going to get better and better.

Can you give us an elevator pitch for Evita for anyone who might be unfamiliar with it?

Jamie Lloyd’s production of Evita is a contemporary modern day retelling of the musical, with a pop icon going from very humble beginnings to massive success. Everything is done in concert form: the structure of the stage, how the numbers are designed, and there’s far more choreography and energy than there has been in any productions of Evita prior to this. Everything is big. It’s very Beyonce Coachella set-inspired. And then there’s a full, beautiful 17 piece orchestra that will make you cry and cheer. 

It’s a big, dazzling story, and now I think we have such a knowledge and understanding of artists and pop stars, that this very complex, nuanced, political story can be very engaging and exciting, too.

James Olivas (Juan Perón). (© Marc Brenner)

Do you remember how it felt when you got the role?

I had just gotten brunch with my friend. He was in conversations for another Andrew Lloyd Webber project in LA, and was explaining that Lloyd Webber always gives his stamp of approval on the cast of his big productions. I had had my final call back for Evita, so I was in the waiting period. It had been about a week, and I thought maybe I wasn’t going to hear anything. Then right as I stepped out of brunch, I got a call from my team, who told me the reason we had waited so long was because Lloyd Webber had to actually see my auditions – they filmed everything – and give his stamp of approval! 

It was so surreal. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t really believe I was going to London in three weeks. How do I shift my life? I had all these other plans and ideas of what the next few months would look like, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was just so excited for it.

Was it a tough audition process?

To some it might be easier, but I get in my head so much, and really overthink a lot of things. I hit a point where I was really struggling. Traditionally, auditioning for Evita, I’d be auditioning for Che; that’s more my traditional type – the young revolutionary, high energy. But in this version, we have a very different Juan Perón. So when it came into my inbox, I had to learn a new role and try to figure out how I wanted to portray this character. I remember walking out my first callback thinking, ‘No way did I book that. I think I messed it up. I think it was terrible’.

But once we got into work sessions and started digging into the material with Jamie Lloyd, things started to make sense – like, at the very end of the casting process. Jamie is so welcoming to ideas. That’s when I allowed myself to relax a little bit and think, ‘OK, maybe do have a shot at this’.

Tell us about this version of Juan.

The traditional Juan Perón is usually an older, more established actor, who contrasts all the show’s big exciting numbers with a grounded, more serious aspect. I think he was in his 50s at the time of the events of the show. He’s the backdrop of a lot of the story: the back and forth between Che and Eva, always referenced, and everything is done around his political regime, even if he’s not the main person in the story.

It will always be a role with like gravitas and authority, and that comes through with this production as well. A lot of what I do on stage comes between the lines: standing there, being present and trying to exude this aura – I am finding this really fun as an actor. An imposing figure can carry so much weight while not having all the songs and lines or being the lead person of the show. It’s been a growing experience for me as a performer.

How do you get into character?
I’m far from a method actor. I can be pretty relaxed off stage, but if I’m nervous or anxious, I often overcome it by throwing energy and throwing excitement into my performance. But with this character, you can’t really do that. You can’t be excitable. You can’t seem young and light. Something I have found very helpful – especially at the top of Act Two when I have a moment alone before the curtain raises – is really sinking into the confidence of the character. Allowing all nerves and energeticness to wash away. I think of having a mental state like a low burning flame the entire time.

It’s a phenomenal cast. What has it been like working together, and any standout moments from rehearsals?

This cast is certainly one of the most talented groups of people I’ve ever worked with. Beyond that, they’re just such good people: everyone is so welcoming and easy to connect with. I dance the least by far; my character often watches from the side or isn’t on stage. So I’ve had the rare pleasure of watching everyone change, adjust, try a different formation… The show is so developmental, and we figured a lot of it out with what makes sense in the room, and based on the vision Jamie had. So I got to see everyone react to all these adjustments in real time, as they’re sweating and tired, keeping focused, staying on top of it and being so professional. I’ve been constantly blown away by the level of talent and tenacity from everybody in this cast.

Do you have a favourite scene or number?

My favourite scene or song that I am in would be the ending sequence of the show. It was found in a very special way in this big warehouse soundstage space we were rehearsing in. We cleared everybody out of the room; it was just me, Diego and Rachel. We turned off all the lights, and we started saying the music and moving around in this very low lit environment. It’s a very sombre, serious part of the show. We worked with Jamie finding what made sense. He would shout out adjustments as we were moving around, and eventually we found something very organic and real. As an actor, that is really special. Combined with this style of Jamie Lloyd’s, which is very out to the audience, you have access to the characters in ways that a lot of times scenes can’t achieve. 

‘Buenos Aires’ is my favorite one to watch. The way it introduces the different caste systems of Bucha, the different characters, how the musical shifts, the way it all flows around each other, the dance breaks, the energy, the shouting, the yelling, the singing. Rachel, of course, is phenomenal and sounds incredible in it. It’s just a combination of everything. I think it’ll be the audience’s favourite too.

Outside of Evita, what has been your favourite project to date?

I have several projects I look back on fondly, but the most recent one was a production of American Idiot in LA at the Mark Taper Forum with Center Theater Group and Deaf West, where half the cast was deaf. The lead characters were deaf actors, and I was cast as one of the voices for these actors. Being a part of that process and having my eyes opened to this community truly changed me as an artist. It changed me as a human. This world is not made for deaf people. It’s not catered towards them, and we don’t even realise how much it is that way until you’re actually exposed to it, you have deaf friends or you start hearing about these experiences. 

I want to keep doing work like that. The ability to connect with another actor like that on stage… When you’re seeing them emote and it is your responsibility to take their performance and interpret that for the audience, because they’re doing such an amazing job. You have the very humble job of seeing if I can get an ounce of the amazing thing that you’re doing, and interpret it for the audience to understand. It felt so good to be part of something bigger than myself.

Any roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)

A European vacation! Travelling around, taking some time off and enjoying some relaxation.

What’s your favourite way to wind down?

I love eating. Even after a show, I’ll be so hungry, and I’ll definitely have to have a full meal before I go to bed. Eating can be very soothing for me: relaxing, putting on some YouTube videos or an episode of something, being quiet, allowing myself to decompress from the day. 

Top of your Europe bucket list?

I’m half Mexican, but I would love to explore my other half, which contains a lot of Irish. I would love to go to Dublin, Ireland, Scotland, other parts of the UK. It’s always been on the bucket list. I have seen so many pictures and videos of cliffs overlooking the ocean, and huge rolling hills and pastures. I want to see that. I want to be there, and I want to see the Highland cows. I want to go to pubs, and experience what it’s like. I have such a romanticised version of it. I’ve just been so interested to actually see it in person.

Favourite places to eat in London so far?

People always like to give British food a bad rap, but there’s such good food in London. Now that I’m saying it, I realise it might not be British food necessarily, but London certainly contains such good cuisines and restaurants. I’m loving being here. I don’t know if I’ll get some flack for this, but London has the best Indian food I’ve ever had. Leon right outside the theatre has become a favourite. I love Wagamama. I’ve been to The Ivy a couple of times. And Dishoom, of course. I have a whole list of food recommendations, places to go and things to do that Diego and I are actively trying to work our way through. You’ll catch me on the Infatuation app looking for the nearest thing around to try. 

WATCH

James Olivas stars as Juan Perón in Evita, running until 6 September at the London Palladium (8 Argyll St, London W1F 7TF).

Tickets from £29.50 pp.

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