Who is in the West End's famous Strallen family?

Zizi, Summer, Scarlett, and Saskia Strallen, and Bonnie Langford, are lighting up in the West End in shows such as Wicked, Beetlejuice, and Paddington The Musical.

Summary

• The Strallens are a well-known family working in the West End
• Zizi Strallen is currently starring as Glinda in Wicked while Summer Strallen has started a limited run in Beetlejuice
• Bonnie Langford is currently in Paddington The Musical at the Savoy Theatre

Theatre really is a family business for the super-talented Strallens. Siblings Zizi, Scarlett, Summer, and Saskia are all stage regulars, starring in everything from Wicked (Zizi is currently playing Glinda) to Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Top Hat, and Beetlejuice, with Summer recently joining the cast of the latter hit musical comedy.

Not only that, but their aunt Bonnie Langford is an industry legend, having appeared in the original London production of Cats, and numerous shows since – including her current wonderful turn as Mrs Bird in Paddington The Musical. And yes, she can still do the splits! Get to know this incredible theatre family ahead of your trip to one of their various brilliant shows, whether you’re a fan of brave witches, zany demons, or marmalade sandwiches.

Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford

It’s no wonder the Strallen girls all became thespians. Their parents Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford also trod the boards: like Bonnie, they were original Cats cast members. Sandy appeared in other West End shows like Song and Dance, Chess, Aspects of Love, and Sunset Boulevard, and later became a director, choreographer and producer, while Cherida’s work has ranged from stage shows like Doctor Doolittle to TV work such as The Morecambe & Wise Show.

The couple have four daughters: first Scarlett, then Summer, Zizi, and Saskia, all actresses. They were brought up in west London, immersed in the world of theatre (their grandmother also ran a dance youth group), and soon followed in their parents’ footsteps by becoming stage regulars.

Scarlett Strallen

Scarlett burst onto the scene in the original London cast of The Witches of Eastwick. She had a spotlight role as Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, and a truly star-making turn as the titular magical nanny in Mary Poppins, which she did in the West End, on Broadway, and in Australia.

Her numerous other shows include Mamma Mia!, The Music Man, Passion, Singin’ in the Rain (for which she received an Olivier nomination), A Chorus Line, and She Loves Me. She is also a regular presence on Broadway, with work ranging from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder to Travesties, Nell Gwynn, and Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends.

Zizi Strallen

Like her older sibling, Zizi is an Olivier-nominated force with an impressive list of credits to her name. She actually appeared with Scarlett in The Music Man in Chichester, then in Maria Friedman’s acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along. She followed both her parents and sister by doing Cats and playing Mary Poppins, then took a surprising turn – and hugely impressed – by starring in Matthew Bourne’s steamy dance show The Car Man.

Zizi also appeared in the beautiful revival of Follies at the National Theatre, and in shows such as Strictly Ballroom, Rock Follies, Cake, and Oklahoma!, as well as screen projects like Victoria & Albert. She’s now inhabiting an iconic musical theatre role, at a very exciting time: she’s playing Glinda in the West End production of Wicked as the show celebrates its 20th anniversary in London.

Book Wicked tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Summer Strallen

It’s too purr-fect: the four-time Olivier-nominated Summer also did a stint in Cats early in her career. She next appeared in Guys and Dolls, The Boy Friend, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Drowsy Chaperone, before playing Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium. She then had the exciting opportunity of originating the role of Meg Giry in the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies, in the West End.

Summer continued to impress in shows such as Top Hat, 42nd Street, Young Frankenstein, Hysteria, and The Magician’s Elephant, and well as taking on screen projects including Hollyoaks, Land Girls, Hotel Babylon, Doctors, and movie Wicked: For Good. She is now playing the delightfully deluded life coach Delia Deetz in hit West End musical Beetlejuice.

Book Beetlejuice tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Saskia Strallen

Saskia has so far taken a slightly different, though no less interesting, path to her older sisters, studying at RADA and doing a range of work – including Shakespeare (like playing Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream), musicals, and iconic shows such as a touring production of The Mousetrap.

She has also made some West End appearances, most recently in the transfer of the Ralph Fiennes-led Grace Pervades, which began at Theatre Royal Bath and then played at Theatre Royal Haymarket. Saskia was in the show's ensemble and also played the role of legendary dancer Isadora Duncan.

Bonnie Langford

The indefatigable Langford is giving those Strallen girls a run for their money! Her extraordinary career began with TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and child roles in the likes of Gypsy, on Broadway, movie Bugsy Malone, and TV series Just William, before graduating to playing a companion on Doctor Who. She has returned to the screen since, in Dancing on Ice, EastEnders, The Masked Dancer, and reprising her Doctor Who role.

But she is also a stalwart of the stage, with countless shows including Cats, The Pirates of Penzance, 42nd Street, Me and My Girl, Oklahoma!, Chicago, Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 9 to 5, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, and Anything Goes. She’s currently a beloved part of Paddington The Musical, with an unforgettable showstopper in Act II that brings the house down.

Book Paddington The Musical tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Main photo credit: Zizi Strallen in Mary Poppins and Bonnie Langford in Paddington The Musical (Photos by Johan Persson). Inset: Scarlett Strallen in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Zizi Strallen in Wicked, Summer Strallen, Saskia Strallen in Grace Pervades, Bonnie Langford in Paddington (Photos by Joan Marcus, Matt Crockett, Danny Kaan, Marc Brenner, Johan Persson)