Zizi Strallen

Last updated

Zizi Strallen
Born
Sylphide Charity Vaigncourt-Strallen

(1990-11-01) 1 November 1990 (age 33) [1]
London, England
Education The Arts Educational Schools London [2]
Alma mater London Studio Centre
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, dancer
Years active1995–present
Relatives

Sylphide Charity Vaigncourt-Strallen (born 1 November 1990), known professionally as Zizi Strallen, is a British actress, singer and dancer best known for playing Mary Poppins in the Cameron Mackintosh theatrical production of Mary Poppins . [3]

Contents

Personal life

She has three sisters, Scarlett Strallen, Summer Strallen and Saskia Strallen, all of whom are actresses. Her sister Scarlett also previously played Mary Poppins during the Broadway, West End and Sydney production of Mary Poppins . [4] She is the daughter of Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford. [5] She is also the niece of Broadway and television actress Bonnie Langford. [6]

Career

Strallen appeared Off West End in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Merrily We Roll Along as Meg Kincaid in 2013. [7]

In 2015, Strallen performed the role of Lana in Matthew Bourne's The Car Man , for which she won Outstanding Female Performance (Modern) at the National Dance Awards. [8]

Strallen played the role of Young Phyllis in Follies in the West End at the National Theatre from September 2017 to November 2017. [9] [10]

She appeared as Fran in the musical Strictly Ballroom in the West End in March 2018 at the Piccadilly Theatre. The Standard reviewer wrote: "The best news, by far, is Strallen, who exudes a lightness and brightness even when a mere face in the dance studio crowd early on. Her acting and dancing is impeccable..." [11] [12]

Strallen starred in the title role in the West End revival of Mary Poppins, which premiered in autumn of 2019 at the Prince Edward Theatre. [13] She had previously played the role of Mary Poppins in the UK and Ireland tour of the musical starting in October 2015. [14]

Strallen appeared in the 2019 fantasy film Cats as Tantomile. [15]

Strallen also played the role of "Q" in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Rock Follies in August 2023.

Most recently she’s appeared in concert productions of Sunset Boulevard as Betty (2021) and is set to appear in a concert of Oklahoma! as Laurey (2024). [16]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995 The Snow Queen PollyVoice
1997The Ugly DucklingLittle Rabbit
2013Merrily We Roll AlongMeg KincaidFilmed live performance
2015 Cinderella Ball GuestUncredited
2016 The Car Man LanaFilmed live performance
2017 National Theatre Live: Follies Young Phyllis
2019 Cats Tantomile

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996 Bramwell Molly MarshamEpisode #2.3
1996The Prince and the PauperMargeryEpisode #1.4
2001 Victoria & Albert Princess VickyMiniseries
2002 Dinotopia Little Girl
2015The Royal Variety Performance 2015 Mary Poppins Television special
2022 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Mary PoppinsEpisode #18.2

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015-17 Mary Poppins Mary Poppins UK Tour
2019-2023West End

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2020 WhatsOnStage Awards Mary Poppins Best Actress in a Musical Nominated [17]
Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Musical Nominated [18]

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References

  1. "Zizi Strallen". IMDb. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. "Mary Poppins star Zizi Strallen tells of family's showbiz roots" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. “How Mary Poppins has changed for the stage“. BBC News (15 November 2019). Retrieved 18 November 2019
  4. "Zizi Strallen to play Mary Poppins on tour". The Stage. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. "Zizi Strallen is following in footsteps of parents who both appeared in original Cats". Herald Express. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. Bonnie Langford to return to Broadway - Daily Telegraph
  7. Merrily We Roll Along menierchocolatefactory.com, retrieved 27 December 2018
  8. "National Dance Awards are announced". Sadler's Wells Blog. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  9. Follies broadwayworld.com, retrieved 26 December 2018
  10. Billington, Michael. " 'Follies' review – Sondheim's showbiz stunner returns in breathtaking style" The Guardian, 6 September 2017
  11. Mountford, Fiona. " 'Strictly Ballroom' Review" Standard, 25 April 2018
  12. Wolf, Matt. "London Star Zizi Strallen on Kicking Up Her Heels in 'Strictly Ballroom', Giving Away Her Eyelashes & More" broadway.com, 19 March 2018
  13. Hemley, Matthew. "Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp to star in 'Mary Poppins' revival" The Stage, 14 September 2018
  14. "Mary Poppins Cast Announced" curveonline.co.uk, retrieved 26 December 2018
  15. "Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift and James Corden to star in Cats musical film | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  16. Zizi Strallen AboutTheArtists
  17. "20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  18. "Olivier Awards 2020 with Mastercard - Theatre's Biggest Night". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 30 March 2021.