PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "Ensemble By Day, Eva By Night!" A Two-Show Day With Evita's Jessica Lea Patty | Playbill

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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "Ensemble By Day, Eva By Night!" A Two-Show Day With Evita's Jessica Lea Patty

Ready To Go! Don’t Cry For Me, Playbill!

PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "Ensemble By Day, Eva By Night!" A Two-Show Day With Evita's Jessica Lea Patty

Jessica Lea Patty shares a unique two-show day at Broadway's Evita. With leading lady Elena Roger on vacation, Patty had the opportunity to star as Eva Peron twice over the course of the week. She documents the rare experience of performing in the ensemble and starring as Evita on the very same day. Read the Playbill.com story.
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Ready To Go! Don’t Cry For Me, Playbill!
Good Morning Playbill! My two-show days usually start with hitting the snooze button. Several times.
This is Delilah. She's my other alarm clock. She usually wakes me up by lying on my stomach. Safe to assume she's probably hungry.
My 3rd alarm clock, Dixie. She was abandoned at a vet’s office with a terrible upper respiratory infection. I adopted her from Broadway Barks in 2004. I affectionately refer to her as "Dixie, the One Eyed Wonder" :-)
Time to feed the kitties.
Along with a typical morning routine, I take about 10 minutes to steam in the morning. Especially, when I have to go on for Eva.
Time for my morning meditation. Nothing like a great view to help clear your mind for a long, two-show day!
Breakfast usually consists of 2 poached eggs, oatmeal & a grapefruit. Yum!
This is my ride to work every day. No complaints here!
After the ferry, I hop on a shuttle that takes me to midtown.
Off to Physical Therapy. <i>Evita</i> is a very physically demanding show and Mark keeps us healthy and kicking. Laurel Harris looks on in amazement. Mark! You're Magic!
Then it's off to my favorite bagel place in midtown, Times Square Hot Bagels. They have the best Iced Hazelnut Coffee! Need some caffeine to kick start my day!
This is Ray, our awesome daytime doorman! I think he might be the Mayor of 45th St!
Colin Cunliffe takes the green and economical route to work!
Signing in for the first show of the day. I think Bradley might need a bit more coffee to get through this one.
This is our Broadway Green Alliance “Green Board”.  As the Green Captain for <i>Evita</i>, I try to keep everyone informed of upcoming BGA events and news. I also post helpful info on how to recycle and make our homes and community a greener place.
As some of you know, mustaches are very popular in our show. Peron & Eva have even been “Stached.”
I get to the theatre pretty early most days. The other ladies aren't even here yet.
It tends to get pretty cold in the theatre, so I sit on a heating pad while I do my pincurls & makeup.
Bahiyah Hibah and her son Soleil, also squeeze in some quality green room time
Around a half-hour before show time, the green room starts to fill up.
Everyone loves the green room! Even our handsome leads! Last chance to relax before the show.
Bridget keeps the kids entertained with a puzzle. If you notice, it’s actually a Broadway Playbill puzzle. How fitting :-)
You say you’re “taking pictures for Playbill.com” and strange things start to happen.  An impromptu group warm-up by Colin, Emily, Johnny & Rebecca.  
Michael Cerveris, looking very dapper today, comes to relax & finish his coffee with the gang before the show.
Speaking of warm-ups, it’s time to head to the stage for a warm-up myself, joined by some of the other cast.
After a good warm-up, it’s time to put on my wig for The Requiem.
Then off to grab my props from Jill!
Everyone collects on the stage for “Places”.
With fellow castmates Ashley Amber & Laurel Harris. Ready for Act 1!
The top of the show starts with the “Requiem for Evita” where we mourn Eva’s death. Everyone takes a moment to themselves as we prepare for a very emotional opening number.
After “Requiem”, Sam helps me into my “Buenos Aires” costume. One of the best dressers ever! Hands Down!
I even have a heating pad for the changing booth on stage. It gets cold in the Marquis!
The Aristocrats of Booth 2. Erica Mansfield, Margot De La Barre & I met when we were 16-years-old at the Broadway Theatre Project. All these years later, now performing on Broadway together!
Intermission comes and it’s time for Emilia to re-pin my wig. Can’t have it flying off in the big dance number coming up in the 2nd Act!
Ava also gets her hair ready for Act 2
She even has time to put the last piece of the puzzle in place! 1000 piece Broadway Playbill puzzle finished!
We all gather onstage for the top of Act 2 for the iconic balcony scene. Hankies in hand & ready to go!
After “Money”, the big dance number in the 2nd Act, it’s snack time for Booth 2! One of the only breaks we get in the show. Time to relax with some goldfish and juice boxes before the “Montage.”
After the show comes down, I head to one of my favorite midtown restaurants, Kodama. A light lunch is on the menu, as I can’t overeat before show #2. Tonight is a big one! On for Eva Peron!
Cisco, our nighttime doorman. If Ray is the mayor of 45th St, then Cisco has to be the deputy! We’re lucky to have them!
I get back to the theatre early to get situated. The In/Out sheet brings a huge smile to my face! Yay Eva!
When on as Eva, I get to set up shop in the principle dressing room. Fancy!
Time for an afternoon meditation and another date w/ my personal steamer. If you were wondering, I have two. One at home & one at the theatre :-)
This is one of my favorite souvenirs from my trip to Argentina, a simple little trinket box that sits at my station. What I learned about Eva while down in Argentina was priceless – I’m so honored to have an opportunity to play this legendary woman w
As I put on my Eva makeup, I sit on yet another heating pad. Have I mentioned that it gets cold in the Marquis?
Then it’s time for another warm-up.
At 7:20, we are called down to the stage for lift rehearsal. The boys and I get a chance to practice the partnering & lifts in the show. Since I don’t go on for Eva every day, it’s good to touch base with each other so no one gets hurt.
After lift rehearsal, it’s time for my wig. These are my 6 Eva wigs. She starts as a brunette and gradually gets more blonde as she rises to power in Argentina.
Pincurl Time!
Jenny pins my microphone onto my head. Eva’s costume changes are so fast that it’s best to have the microphones under our wigs so we don’t get caught up in the cords during the changes.
Oh, and there’s actually two of them. Since Eva rarely leaves the stage, I wear two microphones under my wig – in the event that one dies, the sound department can just switch to the other one.
Another wig cap is placed over the microphones to keep them in place.
Wig goes on!
Time to get dressed. These are my “Buenos Aires” shoes.
And there you have it! Young Eva is ready for the top of the show!
Daniel Torres & I also met when we were 16 at the Broadway Theatre Project. Daniel understudies the role of Che. Hopefully, someday we’ll get to play Che & Eva together!
Act 1 is nonstop, so pics are impossible to come by. But at intermission, I snag a picture with Ricky Martin. He’s the sweetest!
Time to get dressed for Act 2 and the iconic balcony scene.
Into the stunning white ballgown. It takes two people to get you into this one. A double corset is no easy feat!
Ready To Go! Don’t Cry For Me, Playbill!
Act 2 is also nonstop, but I did manage to snag one as I changed for the final “Dice Are Rolling” scene. In this scene Eva is very sick, so the lipstick and blush come off to convey her frailty and gradual decline. Eva died from uterine cancer at age
The show is done and Ricky still has the energy to sweep me off my feet for one last picture. Did I mention how sweet he is!?
I had a bunch of family & friends come see the show that night. Forever grateful for their love and support.
Ricky draws quite a crowd at the stage door. Time to head out and sign some Playbills for the folks waiting outside.
After hanging out with my family & friends, it’s time to head home to Jersey. And there you have it Playbill!  It’s been an exhausting, but thrilling two-show day at <i>Evita</i> on Broadway.  Ensemble by day, Eva by night!  I couldn’t be happier

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