Full Cast Announced Today For 'Waldo's Circus Of Magic And Terror' As Rehearsals Begin

The full cast was announced today for Waldo’s Circus of Magic and Terror, the brand-new musical from Extraordinary Bodies who are co-producing with Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Plymouth to create their most ambitious production to date. 

Set in 1933 Brandenburg, the Nazis are burning books and suspending civil rights. Many are desperate to escape, but for Waldo and his travelling circus of outcasts, acrobats and aerialists, ‘the show must go on’. The cast includes a bold and diverse company of actors, musicians and aerialists to bring this daring tale of humanity, courage and defiance to the stage in Extraordinary Bodies inimitable style.
 
The role of ‘Waldo the Ringmaster’ is played by award-winning Disabled writer, actor and director Garry Robson whose previous acting work includes Graeae’s Two, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Threepenny Opera and Pericles (all National Theatre), Our Town (Regents Park), and the role of Arvide Abernethy in Sheffield Crucible’s Guys and Dolls. He has just completed the National Theatre tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical playing Donnie Kirshner. He is also a familiar face on television for lead roles in CBBC’s gameshow Crisis Control, BBC Wales Pitching In and BBC’s Silent Witness. 

Abbie Purvis joins Extraordinary Bodies for the first time in the role of ‘Krista’, the star of the circus. An actor and musical theatre performer, her credits include Willow (filmed, 2022), Peter Pan (Eastwood Park Theatre) and Snow White (Motherwell Theatre). Abbie has acting in her DNA as the granddaughter of Jack Purvis (Time Bandits, Monty Python and Star Wars) and daughter of Katie Purvis, who played the iconic role of Maternal Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  She is joined by Dominic Owen, an actor and musical theatre performer playing ‘Gerhard’ a Nazi Party member drawn towards the magic of Waldo’s Circus. His acting credits include: Man Of La Mancha (ENO/West End), Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory), Wonderland (UK Tour), Hello Dolly (ADC Theatre, Cambridge), Grand Hotel, Anything Goes and recently completed filming for Disney’s Snow White.

Mirabelle Gremaud plays ‘Dr Margot Hoche’ and ‘Queenie’. An actress, musician, dancer and acrobat, Mirabelle’s recent credits include Emma Rice's acclaimed productions of Wise Children, Malory Towers and Wuthering Heights and Liam Steel's Peter Pan (Birmingham Rep) as Tinkerbell. 

Raphaella Julien and Brooklyn Melvin play the clowns ‘Mish’ and ‘Mosh’ respectively. Raphaella is fluent in BSL and SSE and a skilled mime and physical theatre performer. She won the Best Actress Award for her role in Lost, Taken, Murdered at #Deaffest 2022. Her theatre credits include: Follow the Signs, Stig of the Dump, Emperor’s New Clothes and The Survivors Guide to Living. Brooklyn is a Deaf, BSL and English language user whose credits include Oliver Twist (Leeds Playhouse/ Ramps on the Moon), Last Women Left and Love and Information (RCS). Their short films include Y, XYZ (RCS). 

Jack Reitman plays ‘Joseph Benowitz’, the owner of a rival circus. Jack received the 2020 Off-WestEnd Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story (Hope Theatre). Other credits include Amour (Charing Cross Theatre), Assassins (Pleasance Theatre), Brass (Union Theatre), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Hackney Empire).

JoAnne Haines plays ‘Dora’. She is a Learning-Disabled artist and performer whose recent work includes A Little Space (national tour and film – Gecko), ZARA (Walk the Plank) and 3 national tours and a run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017 of Mia. Her personal projects include Colour Full (co-creation workshops for people with LD/complex needs) and adapted as a digital version for Southbank Centre’s Unlimited Festival.
Tilly Lee-Kronick plays the ring Boy ‘Peter Günter’. Tilly performed her solo show Ripe across the UK with Crying Out Loud in 2021, was a resident circus artist at the Roundhouse 2018-2019, and an Associate Artist at Deda 2019-2020. Tilly has also performed nationally and internationally for companies including Extraordinary Bodies, Cirque Bijou, Rosemary Lee Dance, Full Tilt Aerial Dance, and played the principal role in Metta Theatre’s Little Mermaid.