Spotlight on: Zizi Strallen
Published on 18 November 2025
An award-winning dancer, singer and actor, Zizi Strallen is a true triple threat! Born into one of theatre’s most famously “stagey” families, she grew up surrounded by performers, dancers and storytellers. With an aunt like Bonnie Langford and three sisters - Scarlett, Summer and Saskia - all working actresses, it’s no surprise that Zizi’s rise feels inevitable. Her parents, Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford, were also professional performers, making the Strallen household a true theatrical dynasty.
Who is Zizi Strallen?
Zizi Strallen is a British actress, singer and dancer known for her standout work in musical theatre and dance-led productions. Trained from childhood and steeped in a family of performers, she seamlessly blends classical dance training with modern musical-theatre technique. She has earned industry acclaim, including the National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performance (Modern) in 2015. Her family connections run deep in the arts: her sisters Scarlett, Summer and Saskia Strallen are all professional actresses, and her aunt is beloved stage icon Bonnie Langford. Her sister Scarlett Strallen notably played Mary Poppins in the Broadway, West End and Sydney productions, a role Zizi herself would later make her own.
Where have I seen her before?
Strallen’s career includes standout turns across dance, musical theatre and acclaimed revivals. She first caught major attention Off West End as Meg Kincaid in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s 2013 production of Merrily We Roll Along, before landing the role of Lana in Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man, where she won the National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performance. She then went on to star in the National Theatre’s celebrated 2017 revival of Follies, playing Young Phyllis.
Wasn’t she in Mary Poppins?
Yes, and she was practically perfect in every way! Zizi Strallen starred in the titular role in the West End revival of Mary Poppins, which played at the Prince Edward Theatre in 2019. Audiences and critics praised her comic timing, soaring vocals and impeccable dance work. She had already stepped into the nanny’s iconic boots during the UK and Ireland tour of the show beginning in 2015, proving she, and the rest of her family, were born to fly over rooftops.
What else have I seen her in?
In recent years, Strallen has continued to take on widely varied roles. She appeared in concert performances of Sunset Boulevard and Oklahoma! Playing Betty and Larey respectively. Fittingly for the queen of the West End, she also brought a fresh, pop-infused edge to Marie Antoinette in Cake: The Marie Antoinette Playlist, performing on a UK tour followed by a London run at the Other Palace in 2024.
What’s next for Zizi Strallen?
Zizi is currently delighting audiences as Glinda in the ever-popular West End production of Wicked at Apollo Victoria Theatre, opposite Emma Kingston’s Elphaba.
