Interview: 'It's Certainly Not Your Mom's EVITA!' James Olivas on Jamie Lloyd's EVITA

Sing it from the balconies - EVITA has arrived on the West End! This new production, directed by Jamie Lloyd, stars Rachel Zegler as the Argentinian political leader Eva Perón, who rose to power with her husband, Juan Perón, played by James Olivas. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics and a book by Tim Rice, the show includes iconic hits like “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” and “Another Suitcase In Another Hall.”

Recently, we had the chance to speak with James Olivas about taking on the role of Juan Perón in EVITA. We discussed what it is like to take on a role that has been changed for modern times, the research he has done to prepare for the show and even how he believes that Rachel Zegler is the perfect choice to play Eva Perón.

So starting with a bit of a general question, how did you first get started in the world of theatre?

I grew up not performing theatre - I grew up playing sports! I grew up taking AP classes, pursuing the mechanical engineering route. I was playing varsity football, but I had so many injuries that it was recommended that - unless we wanted to move to surgery at a very young age - I would have to find something else. Contact sports had been my life, that and Boy Scouts. I had some interaction with theatre prior to that, but my mother had suggested, “Why don't you go do the show Ragtime at this community theatre near our house?” It's something I wasn't really jumping at the bit to do, but she knew that I liked to sing casually. So I went over, got into the show and fell in love with performing. That's when the bug really got me. And I was like, “Oh my god, this is awesome!” I wanted to do more and more and more! It was still a couple years after that before I actually decided to do theatre, but that's definitely what had become a passion of mine. 

What made you want to be a part of this production of EVITA?

I had seen Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset [Boulevard] on Broadway not too long prior, and from the second I watched the show. I was like, “Oh, I want to do that!” I knew that I really wanted to work with him. And so when this version of EVITA came around with him attached, I was clamouring to get it. This is a very specific track. It's not the one that I imagined I'd go for. Because of traditional casting, I thought that an initial audition would be for Ché. But because of how this show is changing things, Juan Perón came into my inbox, a character that was originally listed as 40s to 50s. It’s a way in that I did not expect, but one that I'm certainly not mad about, because here I am! [Laughs]

For those who might be unfamiliar with the work, can you tell us a bit about it and the role that you play of Juan Perón?

Yeah! So the story of EVITA chronicles the life of Eva Perón coming from her humble beginnings in Junín, Argentina, to her move to Buenos Aires and then attaching to the political figure, Juan Perón, who I play. And then following their rise to the presidency, their rule, and all the things that they're able to do for the people. How she became the most famous woman in the world, and how polarising she became - people loved her or hated her. People wanted to sanctify her and people wanted to rip her head off! So we tell that story through the book by Tim Rice and the music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. But also, our specific version is a pop music superstar metaphor, rising from fame. So the show is very concert staged. We have a big old staircase as our stage, and all the numbers are very Ariana Grande inspired, Beyoncé’s Coachella set inspired. So very different from any other version! If people have seen that version before, it's certainly not your mom's EVITA.

What has it been like preparing for the role of Juan Perón?

It's been wild! For me, it was a bit of an adjustment to figure out, “How do I do this character that I shouldn't traditionally be playing?” I mean, I am certainly not in my 40s and 50s! For me, it was a lot of, “Do I make myself older? Do I add age to my voice to achieve that same authority?” But then, through conversation with Jamie, I was leaning into my individuality, leaning into what makes me unique and what I bring to the project. And also, casting off the necessity for, “Well, he has to be this age.” What if we told a different version of a politician, where they're not some big, scary, unrelatable person? What if they're like a lot of politicians that we see today, where they are engaging, they are charming, they are populist, they get broad support? We're really trying to tell the story through that lens where it's more relatable in 2025.

And what is it like to be playing a historical figure, even though it has been changed for the show?

The show itself, when it was originally written, was already written with such a colour to it, if you will. It's certainly not the historian version of the show! I've done much research, and we have learned a lot since the show was originally written. You can find parts in the show that do not adhere specifically to the historical truth of the thing. Instead, we are telling a dramatisation of the story. It is high stakes, it is drama, it is love, it is sex, it is all these themes that will always remain very universal. And so as far as responsibility to, “This is exactly what happened,” I think we alleviate ourselves of that, and more trying to tell the actual truths, emotionally, of this story that we're trying to tell that the audience can relate to. In that aspect, playing this character has me focusing more on themes and emotions, rather than specifics of a historical character. So there's a lot of responsibility to it. The character becomes more a metaphor that I'm trying to play than, “This is the brass tacks of who this guy was, back in the day.”

You said you were doing a lot of research for the role. Were there any particular facts that stood out to you?

Oh, so much! I've read multiple books on Eva's life. A lot of people questioned Eva's politics and where they came from, what they were and what they were not. I think the Peronist regime has been criticised as very fascist and also very communist at the same time, because people can't make up their mind, and people aren't also aren't educated on how to accurately view a political regime. For the most part, it's neither of those things. Eva, through her life, became more and more educated in politics, so by the very end of her life, in her writings, you see that she actually becomes far more radical than ever before. And as she continues to die, she realises that there's not so much to lose, so she is leaning more into the radical nature of caring about people and advocating for people. And that stuff isn’t really talked about enough. I think they have her broader scope of, “We should take care of people. We should be charitable. We should be this, we should be that.” And by the end, she's like, “We should dismantle the oligarchy, and we should do it by violent means, we should arm like the working class so that they can protect themselves” . . .  Things have become a little more revolutionary! I don't think people really know that, because it's a little last note of her story.

So you just started previews recently. What has that been like?

It's so exhausting! [Laughs] The preview process is always the most tiring. Even through long rehearsal days, you still get to go home and have your evening. But previews . . . Every night you're performing the show, and then the next day you are going in and changing things and making adjustments. So you have the show set in your brain, and then now you're making these adjustments. Now I have to remember that exact same thing that I had, but make these tiny adjustments! And everyone has to do it collectively, so you have to be living and breathing together. It's a little emotionally exhausting, and it's so rewarding. We're so lucky to be here and be doing what we're doing, but it definitely is a time where you have to push away social things - I gotta focus, I gotta take care of myself. It’s so tiring on your immune system, but it's so rewarding because it's so collaborative. It's like, “Wow, we're part of something that is not set. We're part of something that gets to change and and gets to adapt.” How exciting is that, to be part of the creative process?

What has it been like to put on EVITA in front of London audiences? 

I had heard a lot about UK audiences being quiet and being very polite, appreciating the performance in ways that very much contrast the audiences that we have over in the States. But that first night, I have never in my life experienced audience response like we experienced in that show. It was unreal! Whether I've been on stage or in the house itself, truly! At a certain point, they just kept roaring and screaming and clapping, and we didn’t really know what to do with ourselves - we just used up all of our bows, we don't have any more bows to offer you! I think we knew that people would like the show. I don't think any of us knew the actual effect that it was going to have on people, because it's so exciting! It's so unreal to have this response.

What is it like to be a part of a Jamie Lloyd production of a classic work with such radical changes?

It's the best, honestly! I am such a proponent of, if you're going to do old work, what is the take on it? Why are we performing this? In the year 2025, if you're not going to change anything, if you're just going to do the production that people have already seen and people have already cared about, that's not exciting. Have something to say with the show that you're doing. Don't just do it because, “Oh, I like this show.” We have enough of that theatre around. You can always find those shows that you love to see - there'll be a place doing it. But especially the West Ends and the Broadways, you should be pushing the envelope. We have so much straight entertainment and sometimes a bit of commercialization of theatre, that having someone like Jamie Lloyd at the helm to deconstruct a lot of elements of older shows and find new things and explore new narratives and kind of make it relevant again for 2025 is so rewarding. Even just to watch, like being in the rehearsal room and to watch how things develop, but also the finished product. I love hearing how impacted people are by just how different the show is.

What do you hope audiences take away from this production of EVITA?

I hope they take away a lot! We have a stunning team. Obviously, Jamie Lloyd's direction is incredible. Fabian Aloise, our choreographer, does masterful work in this show. The choreo and the dance ensemble is the heart of this show, and really is what makes it so very special. And it sounds phenomenal! Alan Williams, our Music Director, is doing incredible, incredible work. Rachel sounds amazing, Diego [Andres Rodriguez, playing Ché] sounds amazing, everybody sounds so good on everything. And we're presenting such a cool product that I hope people are able to walk away and have been so entertained. We want people to have a good time! But also having Rachel specifically, playing this role is so real-life parallel, in a lot of ways, to a very historically controversial figure. Rachel has had her own history with being in the public, and I think it's so poignant. It's so special and it's also so unique - not many people actually get to walk the path that she has walked. Every word, every note, everything that comes out of her mouth is coming from such a truthful place, and is one of the best castings for Eva Perón that there could be, because it's so uniquely brought forth and genuine to her.

Do you have a favourite line from the show?

Purely for funsies reasons! Aaron [Lee Lambert], who plays Magaldi, is so sweet and such a dear, dear man. Me, him and Diego share a dressing room, and we always will quote this line that he has, because [of] how he delivers it. He's with Eva, they've met and he's trying to  make his way out, and she's really trying to attach to him. She sings something about “the girl you love.” And then his line is just, “The girl I love, what are you talking about?” [Laughs] And it's just so “bro-ey” and it contrasts the rest of the show in such a funny way. He delivers it expertly and it always gets us!

And finally, how would you describe EVITA in one word?

Sensational!

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