LONDON  –   Rachel Zegler has been nominated for an Olivier Award, for her leading role in a production of Evita that saw her sing from the London Palladium’s outdoor balcony. The US actress appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical last year, and made headlines for leaving the stage during each performance to perform Don’t Cry For Me Argentina to the general public. Other actors nominees at this year’s Oliviers include Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hiddleston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Rosamund Pike and Paapa Essiedu. Paddington the Musical and a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods have the most nominations overall, with 11 each. Zegler’s triumphant appearance in Jamie Lloyd’s adaptation of Evita came after a shaky start to the year, when she starred in a troubled live-action remake of Snow White. A headline-grabbing stunt for Evita, which saw her perform on the outdoor balcony every night, drew huge crowds to the concourse outside the Palladium, sparking a debate about whether it was fair to the ticket buyers sitting inside the theatre. Cranston, Jean-Baptiste and Essiedu are all nominated for a new production of Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons.

Blanchett is recognised for her role in Chekhov’s The Seagull, Tom Hiddleston for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and Pike for Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia.