Scarlett Aimee Vaigncourt-Strallen (born 3 July 1982) is an English stage actress, best known for her work in musical theatre productions in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

and on Broadway. She has received two

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

nominations, in 2006 for her portrayal of Josephine in '' HMS Pinafore'', performed at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and in 2012 for her role in ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd C ...

''. Strallen is also a former voice actress.

Early life

She is the eldest sister of Summer Strallen, Zizi Strallen and Saskia 'Sasi' Strallen, all of whom are also actresses. Zizi played Mary Poppins like her eldest sister, first in a new UK tour and subsequently in the West End. Her parents, performers Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford, both performed in the original London production of Cats (but had met prior to this show). She is the niece of stage and TV actress

Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...

(her mother's sister). Her godfather is

Christopher Biggins Christopher Kenneth Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television presenter. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St P ...

Biography

Strallen played the title role in the West End production of '' Mary Poppins'' opposite Gavin Lee as Bert, at the

Prince Edward Theatre The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. History The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone, with an interior designed by Marc ...

from 2005 (as a replacement to original cast member Laura Michelle Kelly) to 2006, when she left to join The Royal Shakespeare Company's musical production of ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' in Stratford. She returned to ''Poppins'' in 2007, replacing

Lisa O'Hare Lisa O'Hare is an English actress who has played Eliza Doolittle in ''My Fair Lady'' and the title character of ''Mary Poppins'' in the West End and UK stage. She more recently has appeared in several prime-time American television shows on TN ...

, and stayed with the production until it closed in January 2008. For her performance as Mary Poppins, Strallen was nominated for the Best Takeover Role Award at the 2006 Theatregoers' Choice Awards. Strallen was invited to play the role in the Broadway production of ''Mary Poppins'' in 2008, replacing Ashley Brown and stayed with the show until October 2009, when she was replaced by Laura Michelle Kelly. She then temporarily played the part again in the Sydney production from November to December 2011. Strallen reprised the role of Mary Poppins with two other actresses who had also performed the role,

and Caroline Sheen, for the special benefit concert of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe's songs, "A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe", at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

. She had expressed interest in the West End production of '' Wicked'', but could not audition due to her involvement with ''Mary Poppins''. In 2011, Strallen originated the role of Kathy Selden in the UK revival of ''

'', a production that opened at the 2011 Chichester Festival Theatre and then moved to the West End Palace Theatre. She was nominated for the 2012 Olivier Award, Best Actress in a Musical for this role. In 2013, Strallen originated the role of Cassie in the West End revival of ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dan ...

'', which opened at the London Palladium in February 2013 and closed on 31 August 2013, and was directed by the original choreographer Bob Avian. Later in 2013, Strallen appeared in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...

'', where she played the role of Cunegonde from 23 November 2013 to 22 February 2014. She has also performed in the ensembles of the West End productions of ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film sta ...

'', '' The Witches of Eastwick'' and ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

''. Strallen has appeared on a number of audio books down the years. One of her first, as a child, was as Matilda Wormwood in an audio dramatisation of

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has b ...

's '' Matilda'' in 1990, released on audio cassette as part of the Roald Dahl Theatre Collection, dramatising a selection of the author's most popular children's books. She also appears in plays for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

Voice work

Strallen provided the voice of The Princess in the 1995 animated film '' The Snow Queen''. She also lent her voice to the animated television series ''

The Dreamstone ''The Dreamstone'' is a British animated television series that ran for four series, with 13 episodes per series between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp, and the series was written by Sue Radley a ...

'', '' The Big Knights'' and also ''Molly's Gang''.

Theatre appearances

* ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...

'' - Marian Paroo at

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin ...

2008 Season * ''

'' - Anne Page * '' Mary Poppins'' - Mary Poppins ( Broadway,

, and Sydney) * ''

'' - Truly Scrumptious * ''

'' * '' The Witches of Eastwick'' (original cast) * ''

'' Kathy Selden at Chichester Festival Theatre 2011 Season and West End * ''

'' 2013 West End - Broadway Revival * ''

Candide (operetta) ''Candide'' is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the 1759 novella of the same name by Voltaire. The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally perfo ...

'' 2013 - 2014 Menier Chocolate Factory * ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' 2014 - Lady Macduff -

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The i ...

* ''

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder'' is a musical comedy, with the book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and the music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak. It is based on the 1907 novel '' Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal'' by Roy Hornima ...

'' 2015 - Sibella Walter Kerr Theatre Broadway *

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 ...

2016 - Amalia Balash Menier Chocolate Factory * ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells ...

'' 2017 - Laurey

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Ha ...

* '' Travesties'' 2018 - Gwendolen

American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling dif ...

Broadway * '' Nell Gwynn'' 2018 - Nell Gwynn

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is a non-profit, professional theater company located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. Its more than six hundred annual performances performed 48 weeks of the year include its critically acclaimed Shakespeare ...

Personal life

Strallen was married to musical director Nicholas Skilbeck from 2010 to 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strallen, Scarlett Living people People educated at the Arts Educational Schools English stage actresses 1982 births English musical theatre actresses 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London English women singers Singers from London English radio actresses English child actresses English film actresses English voice actresses