Casting announced for Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in London including Simon Bailey & Aaliya Mai

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular has revealed casting for the show, which opens in London next month.

The show is set to play a 700-seater Big Top located at the Empress Museum in London’s Earls Court, and starts it run from 23 September 2024.

The cast of the show will blend West End actors with circus performers, singers and dancers.

Come Alive! was first announced back in June, and is inspired by the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture The Greatest Showman. Come Alive! will feature all of the hit songs by Pasek and Paul from The Greatest Showman movie, but a completely new, contemporary-set story and characters.

Who’s in the cast of Come Alive!?

Come Alive! will be led by the West End’s Simon Bailey (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Heathers, Jersey Boys), playing a modern-day ‘Showman’, alongside recent acting graduate Aaliya Mai, who makes her professional debut in the lead role of ‘Max’.

Singers in the show include Jaz Ellington (The Voice & Eurovision Song Contest), Charlotte-Hannah Jones (Hairspray), Whitney Martins (Starlight Express) and Fallon Mondlane (What’s New Pussycat?, The Lion King).

The Showman’s troupe of dancers includes Maisie Axton, Genie Gledhill (Yung Filly), Mia Jayne (Byron Messia, The Voice), Konnie Karachaliou (The Voice), Ebby Sama (Moulin Rouge!, The Lion King UK tour), Emma-Louise Stansall (Kylie Minogue, Jingle Bell Ball, Hugh Jackman), and Ross Wilkins (Justin Bieber, Chase & Status).

Circus performers starring in the show include Juan Anyosa (La Tarumba, El Circo de la Chola Chabuca), Korri Aulakh (Disneyland Hong Kong, Cirque du Soleil), Klodi Dabkiewicz (The House of Dancing Water, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, La Clique), Bella Diosa (The Box, Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett), Yann LeBlanc (Cirque Éloize, The 7 Fingers, Cirque du Soleil), Dave Locke (Cirque du Soleil – Viva Elvis, KÀ and Kurios), Rachel Locks (Highwire Entertainment, One Fell Swoop, Copenhagen Collective), Manases Palacios Molano (Viva el Circo, El Circo de la Chola Chabuca, Circo Sobre Hielo), Olympian gymnastShona Morgan (Cirque du Soleil Amaluna, One Fell Swoop, Highwire Entertainment), Dean Murrell (Brit Awards, Cirque du Soleil), Theddy Nardin (Machine de Cirque, FLIP Fabrique, Cirque du Soleil), Antino Pansa (Cirque du Soleil ECHO), Daniel Luengo Quintero (UpArte, Copenhagen Collective), Joel Roxendal (Cirque du Soleil, Feuerwerk der Turnkunst, Cirkus Cirkör ), Itzel Salvatierra (Cirque du Soleil) and FIG gymnast Josephine Urry (Cirque du Soleil).

The Come Alive! story

The story told in Come Alive! is a completely new plot, and not the story of the Greatest Showman movie.

In the contemporary-set show, Max (Aaliya Mai) is a shy, young roustabout who has grown up with the circus, has a loyal gang of misfits behind her, and is yet to discover her true potential.

This show is not to be confused with The Greatest Showman The New Musical, which is a direct stage adaptation of the hit movie. Disney announced The Greatest Showman last weekend at their D23 event, with rumours that it may premiere in London in 2026.

Come Alive! creators

Come Alive! is directed by Drama Desk Award-winner, Creative Director Simon Hammerstein. Hammerstein, the grandson of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II of Rodgers & Hammerstein fame, is co-founder of ‘theatre of varieties’ The Box nightclub, and creator of behind Usher’s ‘My Way’ Las Vegas Residency.

Hammerstein is joined in the creative team by Music Producer and Olivier Award-nominated Matthew Brind (Paddington 2, Just For One Day, Legally Blonde); choreographers Jerry Reeve (Taylor Swift, The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Party At The Palace) and Lukas McFarlane (Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance?, The X Factor); Emmy Award-nominated Lighting Designer Adam Bassett for Woodroffe Basset Design (The Rolling Stones – ‘SIXTY’ Tour 2022, London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Adele – Live); Set Designer Ruby Law (Billie Eilish, Jorja Smith); Costume Designer Susan Kulkarni (The Peripheral, Silence, Dirty Dancing – Secret Cinema); Art Director Mika Handley (Aladdin, Guardians of the Galaxy – Secret Cinema); and Casting by Pearson Casting (Starlight Express, Six).

The show is produced by Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment.

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is playing at the Empress Museum from 23 September 2024.

More about tickets to Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in London

Also see: Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular – Everything You Need To Know

Also see: The Greatest Showman The New Musical

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

Empress Museum, London

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