Full Cast Set For The New Vic Theatre Circus Theatre Production of Hans Christian Andersen's THE LITTLE MERMAID

Full casting has been confirmed for the New Vic Theatre's adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. The new adaptation of the story for Christmas 2026 will build on the success of the New Vic's work for children and families, integrating traditional story-telling with contemporary circus and is part of the development of the theatre's circus theatre partnership programme. Featuring a dynamic cast of actor-musicians and circus-performers, the show opens on Friday 14 November and runs until Saturday 24 January 2026.

UK Theatre Award Best Director nominees New Vic's Artistic Director Theresa Heskins and Associate Director Vicki Dela Amedume (Artistic Director Upswing) will reunite to direct, following on from their critically-acclaimed collaborations on The Company of Wolves (New Vic), Olivier award-winning The Worst Witch (West End) and The Princess and The Pea, a co-production between the New Vic, Upswing and the Unicorn Theatre which transferred to Broadway, New York, last year.

The dynamic company includes: Alexander Bean (A Matter of Life and Death, New Vic Theatre; Shhh…, Brixton House; The Artist, Theatre Royal Plymouth), who will play Poseidon and Snakelocks, the drummer in the musically enchanting undersea band, The Sea Urchins; Darcy Braimoh (Astley's Astounding Adventures, New Vic; Saudade, Re Nua Productions) as Prince Caspian; Ruby Buchanan (Scratch That Circus Cabaret, Pivot Point Circus, Brighton Fringe; The Embarking, National Centre for Circus Arts) as Halcyon and Holly Downey (Creation, Circus Prod I Limited; Little Mermaid, Bristol Old Vic) who joins the company as part of the ensemble of merfolk. Show Musical Director Arun Ghosh (Twice Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year 2014 & 2018, King Lear, RSC, Expendable, Royal Court) will perform in The Sea Urchins band as Pacific Purple; Elliot Goodhill (Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt, New Vic; Alice and the White Rabbit, New Forest Open Air Theatre) will play Xav; Maisie Mo Harrison (Deep End, Company Tykhe, Brighton Fringe and Berline Circus Festival; Metamorphosis, Pinocchio and La'amore al tempo dei Bugiardi, Elan Frantoio, Firenza Guidi) will play Luna and Niamh Hine (Hare and Tortoise, Buxton Opera House; Macbeth, Castle Park Theatre) will play Honey Jewel. Hazel Monaghan (Jesus Christ Superstar and Piaf; Fisherman's Friends the Musical, ROYO; Moby Dick, Simple 8 and Royal & Derngate) will play Rosy Feather Star; Melaina Pecorini (Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Palace Theatre; Sleep Beauty, Lighthouse) will play Aura; Ines Sampaio (Cinderella, Little Wolf Productions; Extra Time, Wind in the Willows and Mr Burns, Derby Theatre) plays Red Whip Coral and provides the voice for The Sea Witch; Rhiannon Skerritt (The Princess and The Pea, New Vic and Broadway transfer to The New Victory, NY; Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre) will play Coralie; Harrison Sweeney (Cabaret Carnival, Wonderville; Absurd Tea Circus, Absurd Circus) will play Vega and The Sea Witch, and completing the company, Caoife Turner (Everywhere's a Beach, UK Tour; Space Junk, Jacksons' Lane Theatre; Curious Investigators, UK Tour) will play Delphine.

New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins said: “This will be the first Christmas production that Vicki and I have directed together, and the first as part of the New Vic and Upswing's Circus Theatre Partnership. It's an intriguing tale and adapting Hans Christian Andersen's story for the stage has presented us with lots of artistic challenges, including how to create a mermaid's tale that still allows circus performers to have freedom of movement whilst in the air.

Thankfully, we have some amazing talent on our side, including five exceptional circus artists who will create our under-sea characters. Our audience members have been captivated by the way we combined contemporary circus and storytelling in previous productions such as The Princess and The Pea, which we made specifically for young audiences last year and which transferred to the New Victory Theater in New York. I'm now looking forward to starting rehearsals with this brilliant company and sharing our version of Hans Christian Andersen's much-loved fairytale with families this Christmas.”