Cirque Alice reveals full cast for festive European premiere at the Royal Festival Hall

The full cast has been revealed for the European premiere of Cirque Alice, the circus take on Lewis Carroll's Wonderland that plays the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre from 12 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Layla Schillert leads the company as Alice, with Darren "Dizzy" Partridge as the Mad Hatter, violinist Raphael Papo as the Cheshire Cat and Billy Ellitts as the White Rabbit.

Created by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson, the team behind Circus 1903, the show runs right through Christmas and New Year, which makes it one of the capital's big festive family outings this winter.

Who else is in the cast?

Alongside the four leads, the line up is built around specialist circus acts, each tied to a character from the story. Dario Togni and Michael Togni play the Tweedles, performing Icarian games, while Enkhzaya Battogoo, Dolgorsuren Ganbold, Doljinsuren Ganbold and Shinechimeg Otgonbayar form the contortion quartet that plays the Caterpillar.

Vladyslav Tsarov is Snap Dragonfly on the flying pole, and Viktor Hladchenko is the March Hare on the cyr wheel. Ibrahim Jobu Ramadhani and Fadhili Ramadhani, known as the Ramadhani Brothers, play the Knights with a head balancing act. Daniel Onofre is the Dormouse on the rolla bolla, and Veronika Ivanova plays the Queen of Hearts in a hand balancing routine.

Anna Stelmakh and Evgeni Slepukhin, the duo known as Duo Daylight, play the Flamingos. The roller skating pair Duo Transcend, Mary Ellen Nielsen Wolfe and Spencer Tyce Nielsen, appear as the White Queen and the White King.

The dancers are Lillianna Clifton, Kenya McKay-Goodridge, Mark Samaras, Ricardo Walker and Sasha Woodward, and Molly Hord is the organist.

Speaking about her casting, Schillert said: "Taking in the role of Alice in this unique adaption of Alice in Wonderland through the lens of cirque is truly a dream come true!"

What kind of show is it?

Carroll's story is the frame for a run of circus acts rather than a straight retelling. Aerial acts, acrobatics, contortion, puppetry and live music bring the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and the rest of Wonderland to life, set to newly arranged remixes of classical favourites. The show runs for roughly 2 hours, and on stage seating puts some guests right beside the performers.

The creative directors are Ash Jacks McCready and Kirsty Painter, with choreography by Dane Bates, costumes by Angela Aaron, lighting by Hugo Mercier and musical arrangements by Martin Raabe-Olsen and Marius Christiansen. The London season is presented by Roast Productions and Senbla in association with Tim Lawson and Simon Painter.

Is it suitable for a family trip this Christmas?

The Southbank Centre recommends the show for ages 5 and over, and children under 12 must be with an adult. Haze is used during the performance. A British Sign Language interpreted performance is planned for Thursday 17 December at 3pm, a captioned performance for Monday 28 December at 3pm and an audio described performance for Tuesday 29 December at 7.30pm.

The show has already played seasons in Australia and Singapore, followed by Auckland in August and September, so the London run is its first in Europe.

What else should readers catch up on?

• Our first report on the circus show heading to the Royal Festival Hall
• The best Christmas shows in the West End for 2026
• Our review of Circus 1903 at the Royal Festival Hall

Photos: courtesy of the production