Kerry Ellis
Encyclopedia
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English stage actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre
and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in the Suffolk village of Haughley
, Ellis began singing at an early age and developed a great interest in musicals.
After graduating from performing arts college Laine Theatre Arts
, she made her West End
debut in the 2001 revival of My Fair Lady
as Martine McCutcheon
's understudy in the role of Eliza Doolittle. Later originating the role of Meat in We Will Rock You
and playing lead roles in Les Misérables
, Wicked
, Chess
and Oliver!, Ellis has since become a well-recognised stage actress in the West End and on Broadway
. In addition to receiving several awards and nominations for her performances, she has been hailed the new First Lady of the West End.
Expanding her repertoire as a solo artist in collaboration with rock musician and Queen
guitarist Brian May
, Ellis has released an extended play Wicked in Rock
(2008) which was followed by her debut studio album Anthems
(2010). Peaking at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart
, her debut album was supported by her first headlining concert tour Anthems: The Tour
. In addition to singing in concerts across the world, Ellis appears as a featured artist on several albums and is featured on three cast albums.
, a small village near Stowmarket
, Suffolk to her mother Sandra Ann Reed and father Terry John Ellis. Describing herself as a hyperactive young girl, she attended dance classes and enjoyed performing in local shows and pantomimes as well as swimming and horse-riding. Aged 9, her first role on the stage was in an amateur production of The Wizard of Oz
at the Wolsey Theatre
where she played a Munchkin
. She cites her early influences as Liza Minnelli
and Barbra Streisand
; their music she would sing much to the disturbance of her older brother, Andrew. However, she stated that she had not discovered her vocal ability until she was at college and had started working. While attending Stowmarket High School
, she completed work experience with Starmakers, a company of holiday entertainers at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea
, Norfolk. Shortly after, she spent the summers of 1995 and 1997 with the Starmakers to sing in cabaret
-style performances and appear in many of their shows. Having left school at 16, Ellis turned to Laine Theatre Arts
, an independent performing arts college, where she would stay for the next three years receiving formal stage training.
in a UK concert tour of The Magic of the Musicals, where she was required on several occasions in Webb's absence. However, Ellis spent a nine month hiatus from the tour to work on the cruise ship MS Voyager of the Seas in 1999. Deciding to gain an experience different to that she had in theatre, Ellis was employed as a lead vocalist as part of the liner's entertainment schedule. After this engagement, her professional theatrical credits had included Mary in Merrily We Roll Along
at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
and lead female roles in pantomimes Dick Whittington, Aladdin and Cinderella across theatres in the UK. Additionally, she had appeared as the title role in a Gary Griffin
-directed workshop production titled Helen of Troy and made her first television appearance on Children in Need
in 1999, where she was involved in Pudsey the Musical while the same year, she was featured in a jingle for Capital FM.
Ellis marked her West End debut by joining the original cast of Cameron Mackintosh
's London revival of My Fair Lady
in late 2000. She was appointed swing
and became the second understudy to Martine McCutcheon
in the role of Eliza Doolittle. The musical initially played at the Lyttelton Theatre from 6 March 2001 to 20 June 2001 but later transferred to Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
with shows beginning 21 July 2001. Due to McCutcheon's illness during the production's run at both theatres, Ellis played Eliza Doolittle on five occasions opposite Jonathan Pryce
and Dennis Waterman
. Upon reflection, she stated that it was "fantastic" to gain experience from the cast and creative team of My Fair Lady. Ellis departed from the company in early 2002.
(who attended with Ben Elton
) encouraged her to audition for the debut of their jukebox musical
We Will Rock You
. After one audition, she was cast in the role of Meat, her only original role to date. She began performances on 14 May 2002, and was also involved in television appearances with the cast on Parkinson
, Party in the Park and the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations
. She stated that working with May, Elton and Roger Taylor
was "a great step forward" in her professional career; calling her journey "breath-taking." Ellis, who ended her run as Meat on 17 April 2004, is also featured on the original London cast recording of We Will Rock You
. While in the musical, Ellis started to create the foundations of her musical career after Brian May became interested in working with her musically. Her time in We Will Rock You allowed the pair to collaborate and in 2002 the pair recorded an orchestral version of the song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". This version was digitally released three years later but failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart
.
After leaving We Will Rock You, Ellis played Eva Cassidy
in a 2004 workshop production of Way Beyond Blue, a Trevor Nunn
-directed and Imogen Stubbs
-written piece in addition to being cast as Ellen in a UK tour of Miss Saigon
– again pairing up with producer Cameron Mackintosh. She went into rehearsals for Miss Saigon at Sadler's Wells Theatre
in Islington
before performances commenced on 14 June 2004 at the Theatre Royal
in Plymouth
. The company toured theatres across the UK, however, Ellis had to prematurely disembark from the production on 9 June 2005, shortly prior to the end of the tour's run, due to the rehearsal requirement in her next musical role. While still in the touring production of Miss Saigon, Ellis rehearsed for four weeks in order to play her next lead role in London's West End – Fantine
in Les Misérables
. She began performing the role of Fantine on 27 June 2005 at the Queen's Theatre
alongside John Owen-Jones
, Shonagh Daly
, Shaun Escoffery
and Hayden Tee
. Playing Fantine for almost a year, Ellis ended her time with the company on 24 June 2006.
to play Elphaba
. Serving as a temporary standby to Idina Menzel
– who originated the lead role on Broadway – from the show's opening in London on 7 September 2006 to 30 December 2006, Ellis played Elphaba on nine occasions at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
in Menzel's absence. After Menzel's pre-planned departure, Ellis took over the full-time position in the role three months after the show had opened on 1 January 2007. Ellis, who played the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West, played alongside Dianne Pilkington
as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The pair remain the show's longest serving leads. For the role of Elphaba, Ellis won the award for Best Takeover in a Role at the 2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards
and was nominated for the Favourite Theatre Actress award at the 2007 Lastminute.com
People's Choice Theatre Awards; losing to Connie Fisher
for her role as Maria von Trapp
in The Sound of Music
. Her time in Wicked enabled her to make numerous appearances at concerts where she sang songs from the musical. Her debut at various London events came in 2007 including West End Live in Leicester Square
; Walk for Life in Hyde Park
; Kids Week in Covent Garden
; and the annual Gay Pride Festival
in Trafalgar Square
as well as on lunchtime chat-show Loose Women
where she performed, as Elphaba, the Wicked song "The Wizard and I
".
While still performing the role of Elphaba, Ellis appeared alongside Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal
and Josh Groban
, Clarke Peters
, Marti Pellow
and David Bedella
in a two-day limited engagement of Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
on 12 and 13 May 2008. She played the role of Svetlana and upon reflection, stated that to star at the Royal Albert Hall, work with an "amazing" company and sing alongside those particular cast members "was a dream come true." Although a relative unknown and in a small part, Ellis was met with positive reviews for her performance. A critic labelled her stronger than Menzel – who attained the female lead – and argued that Ellis should have received it instead.
She continued the role of Elphaba in London until 7 June 2008 when she temporarily departed from the Apollo Victoria Theatre, to be succeeded by Alexia Khadime
, and transferred to the Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre with performances starting on 17 June of the same year. She replaced stage actress Stephanie J. Block
on Broadway; making her not only the first British actress to play the role of Elphaba on Broadway, but also the first to transfer from the West End to Broadway – mirroring original Broadway cast member Idina Menzel who transferred from Broadway to London to open the production. She played alongside Kendra Kassebaum
as Glinda and Aaron Tveit
as Fiyero. For her five month run in the Broadway production, she won the 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance. Ellis left the Broadway company on 9 November 2008 and was replaced by Marcie Dodd
. During her time in New York, Ellis recorded "Behind these Walls", a song for Scott Alan's album Keys, and also performed at Broadway on Broadway, an annual musical theatre event, in Times Square
. She refers to the transfer from West End to Broadway theatre as "a real honour [and] a joy"; adding that performing on Broadway was "a dream come true." During her time in the United States, her first extended play Wicked in Rock
was released in July 2008. Produced by Brian May and Steve Sidwell
, the album comprises three tracks: two are new orchestrations of songs from Wicked; the other is Queen song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)".
Returning to the West End production of Wicked on 1 December 2008, Ellis spent a further five months in the role of Elphaba where ultimately, she would end her time with the musical. She played her last performance as Elphaba on 9 May 2009 and was once again succeeded by Alexia Khadime two days later. Upon departure, Ellis had been billed as lead for a total of 116 weeks (omitting absence) in both the London and Broadway companies and therefore currently assumes the position of the longest-serving British actress in the role of Elphaba. Her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked has garnered her not only two awards, but critical acclaim and worldwide praise. Ellis also represented Wicked at the annual Royal Variety Performance
in 2008 where she performed her rock version of the Wicked song "Defying Gravity
" alongside Brian May. She cited the role of Elphaba as the "most challenging [that she had] ever undertaken" stating that it was "a massive journey" to go on at every performance and admits that Wicked "changed [her] life" in terms of boosting her recognition within the entertainment industry. After her departure from Wicked, it was almost a year until Ellis returned to the West End stage – choosing to pursue a career in music in the gap; recording material for her debut album and performing at various concerts.
Soon after leaving Wicked, Ellis performed her first set of solo musical showcase concerts entitled Kerry Ellis Sings the Great British Songbook
at the Shaw Theatre
, Euston Road
, London. She performed on four dates in the latter part of June 2009 with the inclusion of Brian May in each night's encore. Upon the subject of the concerts, she commented, "It's finally something that I can do as me, as opposed to being in a show as a character. It's lovely to be able to sing songs that I really want to sing or which I wouldn't normally get to sing." The showcase paid tribute to some of Ellis' favourite British composers and lyricists – including Take That
, Duffy
, Andrew Lloyd Webber
and Paul McCartney
. Lending her vocal ability on tours elsewhere, she performed on five occasions in 2009 at the Symphonic Queen Spectacular – a concert tour that commemorated the music of Queen
– in Bournemouth
, Weybridge
, Romsey
, Birmingham
and Nottingham
with fellow stage performers Mazz Murray
, Mig Ayesa
and Ricardo Afonso. Furthermore, she performed with John Barrowman
at the 2009 Henley Festival
(which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 2
's Friday Night is Music Night
); at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at Thank You for the Music – a special concert in Hyde Park that celebrated the music of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA
) – in September 2009. She also joined Peter Johansson
in his Swedish concert tour, Champions of Rock, which went to Gothenburg
, Helsingborg
, Vänersborg
, Stockholm
, Örebro
, Uppsala
and Norrköping
in October 2009. Additionally, she performed at the Royal Albert Hall in November of that year – alongside many other musicians – at Women of Rock, a performance dedicated to breast cancer research. Ellis also appeared as a featured artist on a version of "Somebody to Love
" on Only Men Aloud!
's second studio album Band of Brothers
, which was released in October 2009. She later performed this song live with the choir at one of their concerts in December of that year at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
in the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh's London revival of Oliver!
at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane – Ellis' return to the stage for the first time in almost a year. Opening on 29 March 2010 to positive reviews and starring alongside both Griff Rhys Jones
and Russ Abbot
as Fagin
and Steven Hartley
as Bill Sikes
, she was the second actress to play Nancy in the London revival, but also the final, and continued the role until the end of the show's run on 8 January 2011. Ellis was nominated for the 2010 BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical but lost to Sheridan Smith
for her role as Elle Woods
in Legally Blonde
and was also nominated for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role; losing to Rachel Tucker
who coincidentally won for her role as Elphaba in Wicked (the same role that Ellis won the award for in 2008).
Appearing on Over The Rainbow
, a televised BBC talent show competition, that searched for a Dorothy Gale
for the 2011 musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
, Ellis served as a mentor towards potential candidates in late March 2010. The previous year, Ellis had appeared as a mentor in another of BBC's talent shows I'd Do Anything
where she mentored potential Nancys (including Jodie Prenger) – a role she would eventually take – in the fore-running to the opening of the 2009 London revival of the musical Oliver!. Performing at the Royal Albert Hall once again in May 2010, she lent her vocal ability to a performance titled The Night of 1000 Voices, dedicated to the eightieth birthday of American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim
. In July, she performed "Somebody to Love" with Only Men Aloud! at the Wales Millennium Centre
in Cardiff
at an event called A Weekend with the Stars while October saw an appearance at the Hackney Empire
where she sang the Oliver! song "As Long as He Needs Me
" at an event celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the birth of composer Lionel Bart
. The last two performances were later broadcast in December on British television channel S4C
and on BBC Radio 2 respectively.
Ellis' debut studio album Anthems
was released in mid September 2010. The album, a follow-up to her extended play Wicked in Rock (2008), peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart
. Fabricated within the space of nine months and produced by Brian May, Ellis and he recorded the album at Abbey Road Studios
with a 70-piece orchestra. She described the album as one that "tap[s] into all the different areas that [she has] been part of" in her career between the years 2000 and 2010 – an album that includes both original songs, songs from musicals and concerts she has been in as well as new arrangements of personal favourites. Whilst promoting the album, Ellis appeared on many television shows including Tonight's the Night
; The Michael Ball Show
; This Morning
and The Alan Titchmarsh Show
, as well as performing live at the BBC Radio Theatre
and later, London nightclub, G-A-Y
. On all occasions she performed songs from the album with Brian May; with the exception of the latter, where May was not present. The weekend prior to the album's release, Ellis was accompanied by May on guitar at BBC's Proms in the Park where she performed songs from Anthems as well as a medley of Queen songs. Joined by May once again, Ellis has most recently performed at The Royal British Legion
's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the British Royal Family
– including Queen Elizabeth II. In support her debut studio album, Ellis embarked on her first headlining concert tour of Great Britain, titled Anthems: The Tour
, which saw Ellis accompanied by Brian May and the Anthems Ensemble at venues in England, Wales and Scotland from May to July 2011. The tour commenced at the Royal Albert Hall on 1 May 2011 for two special charity performances (benefiting Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research), titled Anthems: The Concert, where Ellis was supported by the City of London Philharmonic, The West End Chorus, American performer Adam Pascal
and electronic string quartet Escala
. The tour finished at RAF Cranwell
where the pair headlined at a special concert titled Anthems in the Park.
As well as recording her own material, Ellis has lent her voice to a version of the song "Wind Beneath My Wings
" that features the Central Band of the Royal Air Force on their album Reach for the Skies and appears on a version of the song "Come What May
" with Alfie Boe
on his album Bring Him Home
. In December 2011, she will join Boe at his concert at the Royal Festival Hall
to sing the song and "perhaps do a song of her own as well." Among other participants from the London theatre community, Ellis also lent her voice to "inspirational" videos that were released upon to video-sharing website YouTube
for the "It Gets Better" campaign – a project created by columnist Dan Savage in response to school bullying and a rash of suicides among young LGBT people
aiming to "provide hope to youth struggling with their identity."
Returning to the leisure resort where she first started working, Ellis appeared at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk in February 2011. The show, titled One Night Musicals Spectacular, saw Ellis in combination with "musical variety from Potters Theatre Company and other leading West End singers." At the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards
, she duetted with American performer Barry Manilow
on the Finian's Rainbow
song "Look to the Rainbow". In April, Ellis became a patron, alongside Bonnie Langford
, to Guildford's Performance Preparation Academy while May saw her as a judge at the 2011 Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition. On 16 June, she accepted an invitation, with Brian May, to fly a training sortie
with the Red Arrows
. May flew on Red 7 with Flight Lieutenant
Ben Plank while Ellis was on Red 1 with Squadron Leader
Ben Murphy (the leader of the Red Arrows). In August, she kicked off the twentieth English football season
for the FA Community Shield
by performing the National Anthem
at Wembley Stadium
. She returned to the Shaw Theatre in London on 30 September and 1 October, accompanied by musician Craig Adams
, to perform in a pair of solo concerts titled An Audience with Kerry Ellis in addition to appearing at the fortieth anniversary celebratory concert of the Broadway musical Godspell
at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
in late October.
Ellis is currently working on new songs, another album and a European tour for 2012.
, Hertfordshire
with her husband, James Townsend, a football coach, and two pet dogs called Jack and Ocho. After their engagement in November 2010, the pair married on 8 September 2011.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in the Suffolk village of Haughley
Haughley
Haughley is a village in the English county of Suffolk.-External links:*...
, Ellis began singing at an early age and developed a great interest in musicals.
After graduating from performing arts college Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts is an independent performing arts college, based in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. The college was founded in 1974, and developed from an earlier school, the Frecker-Laine School of Dancing...
, she made her West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
debut in the 2001 revival of My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
as Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
's understudy in the role of Eliza Doolittle. Later originating the role of Meat in We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (musical)
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...
and playing lead roles in Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
and Oliver!, Ellis has since become a well-recognised stage actress in the West End and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. In addition to receiving several awards and nominations for her performances, she has been hailed the new First Lady of the West End.
Expanding her repertoire as a solo artist in collaboration with rock musician and Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
guitarist Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, Ellis has released an extended play Wicked in Rock
Wicked in Rock
- Credits and personnel :*Kerry Ellis - lead vocals, backing vocals*Brian May - arrangement, bass, guitars, keys, production, programming*Steve Sidwell - orchestral arranger, conductor*Taylor Hawkins - drums...
(2008) which was followed by her debut studio album Anthems
Anthems (Kerry Ellis album)
-Notes:* Tracks that were specifically written for this album.* Tracks that were originally songs by Queen.* Tracks 4, 5 and 10 were originally featured on Ellis' teaser album, Wicked in Rock....
(2010). Peaking at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, her debut album was supported by her first headlining concert tour Anthems: The Tour
Anthems: The Tour
Anthems: The Tour was the debut headlining concert tour by English stage actress and singer Kerry Ellis with Brian May. The tour, comprising 16 dates in England, Scotland and Wales, supported her debut album Anthems...
. In addition to singing in concerts across the world, Ellis appears as a featured artist on several albums and is featured on three cast albums.
Early life and training
Kerry Jane Ellis was born on 6 May 1979 in HaughleyHaughley
Haughley is a village in the English county of Suffolk.-External links:*...
, a small village near Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
, Suffolk to her mother Sandra Ann Reed and father Terry John Ellis. Describing herself as a hyperactive young girl, she attended dance classes and enjoyed performing in local shows and pantomimes as well as swimming and horse-riding. Aged 9, her first role on the stage was in an amateur production of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1987 stage play)
The Wizard of Oz is a musical with a book by John Kane, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It has additional background music by Herbert Stothart. It is based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L...
at the Wolsey Theatre
New Wolsey Theatre
A 400-seat theatre in the heart of Ipswich, Suffolk's county town, The was established in 2000, building on the foundations of the regional repertory company that had opened the theatre in the late 1970s....
where she played a Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
. She cites her early influences as Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
; their music she would sing much to the disturbance of her older brother, Andrew. However, she stated that she had not discovered her vocal ability until she was at college and had started working. While attending Stowmarket High School
Stowmarket High School
Stowmarket High School is a Technology specialist High School in Stowmarket, Suffolk in England. 1,090 students from school years 9 to 13, and 70 teachers.- Notable alumni :*Becky Jago - ITV newsreader.*Sophie Stanton - actress...
, she completed work experience with Starmakers, a company of holiday entertainers at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea
Hopton-on-Sea
Hopton-on-Sea should not be confused with the village of Hopton which is still in Suffolk but near to the Norfolk town of Diss.There is also a British Holidays Caravan Park, named Hopton Holiday Village. There is also a Hopton near Wirksworth in Derbyshire...
, Norfolk. Shortly after, she spent the summers of 1995 and 1997 with the Starmakers to sing in cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
-style performances and appear in many of their shows. Having left school at 16, Ellis turned to Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts is an independent performing arts college, based in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. The college was founded in 1974, and developed from an earlier school, the Frecker-Laine School of Dancing...
, an independent performing arts college, where she would stay for the next three years receiving formal stage training.
Career beginnings and My Fair Lady
After graduating at Laine Theatre Arts in 1998, she was credited as the first understudy for Marti WebbMarti Webb
Marti Webb is a musical actress from England, who appeared on stage in Evita, before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980...
in a UK concert tour of The Magic of the Musicals, where she was required on several occasions in Webb's absence. However, Ellis spent a nine month hiatus from the tour to work on the cruise ship MS Voyager of the Seas in 1999. Deciding to gain an experience different to that she had in theatre, Ellis was employed as a lead vocalist as part of the liner's entertainment schedule. After this engagement, her professional theatrical credits had included Mary in Merrily We Roll Along
Merrily We Roll Along (musical)
Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....
at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey presents in-house productions which often tour and transfer to London's West End. Other performances include opera, ballet and pantomime. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, the company has two performance venues, a main theatre and the smaller Mill...
and lead female roles in pantomimes Dick Whittington, Aladdin and Cinderella across theatres in the UK. Additionally, she had appeared as the title role in a Gary Griffin
Gary Griffin
Gary Griffin, is an American theater director. Griffin grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where he graduated from East High School in 1978. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he performed in several musicals and directed "Hello Dolly" for their Summer Theatre program...
-directed workshop production titled Helen of Troy and made her first television appearance on Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
in 1999, where she was involved in Pudsey the Musical while the same year, she was featured in a jingle for Capital FM.
Ellis marked her West End debut by joining the original cast of Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
's London revival of My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
in late 2000. She was appointed swing
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
and became the second understudy to Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
in the role of Eliza Doolittle. The musical initially played at the Lyttelton Theatre from 6 March 2001 to 20 June 2001 but later transferred to Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
with shows beginning 21 July 2001. Due to McCutcheon's illness during the production's run at both theatres, Ellis played Eliza Doolittle on five occasions opposite Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
and Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
. Upon reflection, she stated that it was "fantastic" to gain experience from the cast and creative team of My Fair Lady. Ellis departed from the company in early 2002.
We Will Rock You, Miss Saigon and Les Misérables
After attending a performance of My Fair Lady where Ellis played Doolittle, Brian MayBrian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
(who attended with Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
) encouraged her to audition for the debut of their jukebox musical
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (musical)
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...
. After one audition, she was cast in the role of Meat, her only original role to date. She began performances on 14 May 2002, and was also involved in television appearances with the cast on Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
, Party in the Park and the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations
Party at the Palace
The Party at the Palace was a pop concert held in London in 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II held over the Golden Jubilee Weekend 1 -4 June 2002. The concert itself was held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 3 June 2002...
. She stated that working with May, Elton and Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...
was "a great step forward" in her professional career; calling her journey "breath-taking." Ellis, who ended her run as Meat on 17 April 2004, is also featured on the original London cast recording of We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (The Original London Cast Recording)
This recording was made over two nights to become the first audio release of the musical. A couple of tracks are actual Queen sound recordings, notably One Vision and Ogre Battle. This recording does not however include all songs performed in the musical...
. While in the musical, Ellis started to create the foundations of her musical career after Brian May became interested in working with her musically. Her time in We Will Rock You allowed the pair to collaborate and in 2002 the pair recorded an orchestral version of the song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". This version was digitally released three years later but failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
After leaving We Will Rock You, Ellis played Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
in a 2004 workshop production of Way Beyond Blue, a Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
-directed and Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and playwright.-Early life:Imogen Stubbs was born in Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on an elderly river barge on the Thames...
-written piece in addition to being cast as Ellen in a UK tour of Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
– again pairing up with producer Cameron Mackintosh. She went into rehearsals for Miss Saigon at Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
in Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
before performances commenced on 14 June 2004 at the Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth, Devon, England is "the largest and best attended regional producing theatre in the UK and the leading promoter of theatre in the south west", according to Arts Council England...
in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. The company toured theatres across the UK, however, Ellis had to prematurely disembark from the production on 9 June 2005, shortly prior to the end of the tour's run, due to the rehearsal requirement in her next musical role. While still in the touring production of Miss Saigon, Ellis rehearsed for four weeks in order to play her next lead role in London's West End – Fantine
Fantine
Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,...
in Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. She began performing the role of Fantine on 27 June 2005 at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
alongside John Owen-Jones
John Owen-Jones
John Owen-Jones is a British musical theatre actor, best known for his portrayals of Jean Valjean in Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg's Les Misérables and of The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd-Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. He most recently appeared as Valjean on the 25th Anniversary Tour of...
, Shonagh Daly
Shonagh Daly
Shonagh Daly is an Irish singer and musical performer-Performances:'Discovered' by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Shonagh sang at the inaugural gala for George W...
, Shaun Escoffery
Shaun Escoffery
Shaun Escoffery is a British soul and R&B singer and actor, who was born in London. He first major release was the single "Space Rider", released by Oyster Music in March 2001. It was played regularly by the BBC Radio 1 DJ Trevor Nelson and The Dreem Team. It peaked at #52 in the UK Singles Chart,...
and Hayden Tee
Hayden Tee
Hayden Tee is a New Zealand actor and singer. He has played varied roles in musical theatre as well as performing in a cabaret act. He is based in Australia, but has performed in New Zealand, the UK and United States.-Early life:...
. Playing Fantine for almost a year, Ellis ended her time with the company on 24 June 2006.
Wicked, Chess, Broadway, extended play and other ventures
In mid 2006, Ellis joined the original London cast of the musical WickedWicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
to play Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
. Serving as a temporary standby to Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
– who originated the lead role on Broadway – from the show's opening in London on 7 September 2006 to 30 December 2006, Ellis played Elphaba on nine occasions at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Apollo Victoria Theatre
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running...
in Menzel's absence. After Menzel's pre-planned departure, Ellis took over the full-time position in the role three months after the show had opened on 1 January 2007. Ellis, who played the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West, played alongside Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The pair remain the show's longest serving leads. For the role of Elphaba, Ellis won the award for Best Takeover in a Role at the 2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards
Theatregoers' Choice Award
The Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards are organised by the theatre website Whatsonstage.com and recognise the performers and productions of British theatre with emphasis on London's West End. Nominations and eventual winners are selected by the theatre-going public....
and was nominated for the Favourite Theatre Actress award at the 2007 Lastminute.com
Lastminute.com
lastminute.com is an online travel and leisure retailer. The company was founded by Martha Lane Fox and Brent Hoberman in 1998 and became an icon of the UK internet boom of the late 1990s, floating at the peak of the dot com bubble and trading on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol...
People's Choice Theatre Awards; losing to Connie Fisher
Connie Fisher
Connie Fisher is a Welsh actress and singer, who won the BBC One talent contest, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?...
for her role as Maria von Trapp
Maria von Trapp
Maria Augusta von Trapp , also known as Baroness Maria von Trapp, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers...
in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. Her time in Wicked enabled her to make numerous appearances at concerts where she sang songs from the musical. Her debut at various London events came in 2007 including West End Live in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
; Walk for Life in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
; Kids Week in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
; and the annual Gay Pride Festival
Pride London
Pride London is the name of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender registered charity which arranges LGBT events in London, most notably the annual gay pride parade which is held in June/July. The most recent Pride London was on 2 July 2011. The 2010 event was attended by 1 million people,...
in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
as well as on lunchtime chat-show Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
where she performed, as Elphaba, the Wicked song "The Wizard and I
The Wizard and I
"The Wizard and I" is a musical number from the hit musical Wicked. It is primarily a solo number for the character of Elphaba, though the character Madame Morrible also sings in the introduction to the song.-Context:...
".
While still performing the role of Elphaba, Ellis appeared alongside Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal is an American actor and singer known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway 1996, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
and Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
, Marti Pellow
Marti Pellow
Marti Pellow has been the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet since their formation in 1982. He has also recorded solo material.-Early life:...
and David Bedella
David Bedella
David Bedella is an American TV and musical stage actor, perhaps best known for his Olivier award winning role in the controversial Jerry Springer - The Opera...
in a two-day limited engagement of Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on 12 and 13 May 2008. She played the role of Svetlana and upon reflection, stated that to star at the Royal Albert Hall, work with an "amazing" company and sing alongside those particular cast members "was a dream come true." Although a relative unknown and in a small part, Ellis was met with positive reviews for her performance. A critic labelled her stronger than Menzel – who attained the female lead – and argued that Ellis should have received it instead.
She continued the role of Elphaba in London until 7 June 2008 when she temporarily departed from the Apollo Victoria Theatre, to be succeeded by Alexia Khadime
Alexia Khadime
Alexia Khadime is an English actress and mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in British musical theatre and television. Alexia's break came in 2004 when she was cast as Nala in the British rendition of the musical The Lion King at Lyceum Theatre, London...
, and transferred to the Broadway production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre with performances starting on 17 June of the same year. She replaced stage actress Stephanie J. Block
Stephanie J. Block
Stephanie J. Block is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has additionally been nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award. She released her debut solo album through PS Classics in June 2009...
on Broadway; making her not only the first British actress to play the role of Elphaba on Broadway, but also the first to transfer from the West End to Broadway – mirroring original Broadway cast member Idina Menzel who transferred from Broadway to London to open the production. She played alongside Kendra Kassebaum
Kendra Kassebaum
Kendra Kassebaum is an American theatre actress who has performed in many different musicals , and is most noted for her role as Glinda in the first national tour, Broadway, and San Francisco casts of Wicked.- Biography :Kendra Kassebaum was born May 12, 1973, in St Louis, Missouri...
as Glinda and Aaron Tveit
Aaron Tveit
Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr...
as Fiyero. For her five month run in the Broadway production, she won the 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance. Ellis left the Broadway company on 9 November 2008 and was replaced by Marcie Dodd
Marcie Dodd
Marcie Dodd is an American stage performer, best known for playing Elphaba and Nessarose in various US companies of the hit musical Wicked.- Early life and career :...
. During her time in New York, Ellis recorded "Behind these Walls", a song for Scott Alan's album Keys, and also performed at Broadway on Broadway, an annual musical theatre event, in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. She refers to the transfer from West End to Broadway theatre as "a real honour [and] a joy"; adding that performing on Broadway was "a dream come true." During her time in the United States, her first extended play Wicked in Rock
Wicked in Rock
- Credits and personnel :*Kerry Ellis - lead vocals, backing vocals*Brian May - arrangement, bass, guitars, keys, production, programming*Steve Sidwell - orchestral arranger, conductor*Taylor Hawkins - drums...
was released in July 2008. Produced by Brian May and Steve Sidwell
Steve Sidwell (musician)
Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
, the album comprises three tracks: two are new orchestrations of songs from Wicked; the other is Queen song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)".
Returning to the West End production of Wicked on 1 December 2008, Ellis spent a further five months in the role of Elphaba where ultimately, she would end her time with the musical. She played her last performance as Elphaba on 9 May 2009 and was once again succeeded by Alexia Khadime two days later. Upon departure, Ellis had been billed as lead for a total of 116 weeks (omitting absence) in both the London and Broadway companies and therefore currently assumes the position of the longest-serving British actress in the role of Elphaba. Her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked has garnered her not only two awards, but critical acclaim and worldwide praise. Ellis also represented Wicked at the annual Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
in 2008 where she performed her rock version of the Wicked song "Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity (song)
"Defying Gravity" is the signature song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003...
" alongside Brian May. She cited the role of Elphaba as the "most challenging [that she had] ever undertaken" stating that it was "a massive journey" to go on at every performance and admits that Wicked "changed [her] life" in terms of boosting her recognition within the entertainment industry. After her departure from Wicked, it was almost a year until Ellis returned to the West End stage – choosing to pursue a career in music in the gap; recording material for her debut album and performing at various concerts.
Soon after leaving Wicked, Ellis performed her first set of solo musical showcase concerts entitled Kerry Ellis Sings the Great British Songbook
Kerry Ellis Sings the Great British Songbook
- Tour dates :- External links :* * * * * *...
at the Shaw Theatre
Shaw Theatre
The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is located near the Euston Road, beside the British Library and St Pancras Chambers , equidistant from King's Cross station and Euston station....
, Euston Road
Euston Road
Euston Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, England, and forms part of the A501. It is part of the New Road from Paddington to Islington, and was opened as part of the New Road in 1756...
, London. She performed on four dates in the latter part of June 2009 with the inclusion of Brian May in each night's encore. Upon the subject of the concerts, she commented, "It's finally something that I can do as me, as opposed to being in a show as a character. It's lovely to be able to sing songs that I really want to sing or which I wouldn't normally get to sing." The showcase paid tribute to some of Ellis' favourite British composers and lyricists – including Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. Lending her vocal ability on tours elsewhere, she performed on five occasions in 2009 at the Symphonic Queen Spectacular – a concert tour that commemorated the music of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
– in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
with fellow stage performers Mazz Murray
Mazz Murray
Mazz Murray is a stage actress who is currently portraying the role of Killer Queen in the West End production of the musical We Will Rock You. She is the longest cast member to be involved in the show, having been in the original ensemble when the musical opened in May 2002. She took over the...
, Mig Ayesa
Mig Ayesa
Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda "MiG" Ayesa is an Australian rock vocalist.-Biography:Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Sydney, Australia, and has three-fourths-Spanish maternal ancestry and fourth-Ilonggo paternal and maternal ancestries. His Spanish ancestry came from Preysler lineage...
and Ricardo Afonso. Furthermore, she performed with John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
at the 2009 Henley Festival
Henley Festival
The Henley Festival of Music and the Arts is held each July in England on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames, at the same spot and using adapted facilities from the Henley Royal Regatta, which is held the week before....
(which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night is a long running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast most Fridays on BBC Radio 2 at 8.00pm. It is the world's longest-running live music radio programme....
); at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at Thank You for the Music – a special concert in Hyde Park that celebrated the music of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
) – in September 2009. She also joined Peter Johansson
Peter Johansson (musician)
Peter Johansson is a Swedish singer, guitarist, dancer and musical artist. He was educated at School of musical theatre, Bjärnum and Ballet Academy, conservatory of musical theatre, Gothenburg, Sweden....
in his Swedish concert tour, Champions of Rock, which went to Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, Vänersborg
Vänersborg
Vänersborg is a locality and the seat of Vänersborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 21,672 inhabitants in 2005. Until 1997 it was the capital of Älvsborg County, which was dissolved in 1998. Since 1999 Vänersborg is the seat of the regional parliament of Västra Götaland County...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
and Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
in October 2009. Additionally, she performed at the Royal Albert Hall in November of that year – alongside many other musicians – at Women of Rock, a performance dedicated to breast cancer research. Ellis also appeared as a featured artist on a version of "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Queen song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
" on Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing competition run by BBC television during 2008.-Overview:...
's second studio album Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers (album)
Band of Brothers is the second studio album by the choir Only Men Aloud!. Unlike their self-titled debut, it featured several traditional Welsh songs, the album closing with a version of "Land Of My Fathers"...
, which was released in October 2009. She later performed this song live with the choir at one of their concerts in December of that year at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Oliver!, Anthems, tour and further ventures
In December 2009, it was announced that Ellis would replace Jodie PrengerJodie Prenger
Jodie Prenger is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything on 31 May 2008. She was also the winner of the second series of The Biggest Loser on Living in 2006...
in the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh's London revival of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane – Ellis' return to the stage for the first time in almost a year. Opening on 29 March 2010 to positive reviews and starring alongside both Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
and Russ Abbot
Russ Abbot
Russ Abbot is an English musician, comedian and actor who first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, later forging a prominent solo career as a television comedian with his own weekly show on British television.Continuing...
as Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
and Steven Hartley
Steven Hartley
Steven Hartley is a British actor known for his television, film and theatre roles. He has appeared in leading roles on British television since 1985, including the series EastEnders from 1987-1989 and The Bill 2000-2002...
as Bill Sikes
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career...
, she was the second actress to play Nancy in the London revival, but also the final, and continued the role until the end of the show's run on 8 January 2011. Ellis was nominated for the 2010 BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical but lost to Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
for her role as Elle Woods
Elle Woods
Elle Woods is a fictional character who is the lead protagonist of most media revolving around the Legally Blonde universe. The character originated in the 2001 novel, Legally Blonde, by Amanda Brown. Woods was portrayed in both films by actress Reese Witherspoon...
in Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
and was also nominated for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role; losing to Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker is a Northern Irish singer and actress who competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008...
who coincidentally won for her role as Elphaba in Wicked (the same role that Ellis won the award for in 2008).
Appearing on Over The Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
, a televised BBC talent show competition, that searched for a Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
for the 2011 musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (2011 musical)
The Wizard of Oz is a musical based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The adaptation is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses all of the Harold Arlen and E. Y...
, Ellis served as a mentor towards potential candidates in late March 2010. The previous year, Ellis had appeared as a mentor in another of BBC's talent shows I'd Do Anything
I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series)
I'd Do Anything is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast on BBC One. It premièred on 15 March 2008...
where she mentored potential Nancys (including Jodie Prenger) – a role she would eventually take – in the fore-running to the opening of the 2009 London revival of the musical Oliver!. Performing at the Royal Albert Hall once again in May 2010, she lent her vocal ability to a performance titled The Night of 1000 Voices, dedicated to the eightieth birthday of American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
. In July, she performed "Somebody to Love" with Only Men Aloud! at the Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
at an event called A Weekend with the Stars while October saw an appearance at the Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
where she sang the Oliver! song "As Long as He Needs Me
As Long as He Needs Me
As Long as He Needs Me is a torch song sung by the character of Nancy in the musical film Oliver!, introduced in the 1960 musical. It is a love ballad about her criminal boyfriend Bill Sikes...
" at an event celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the birth of composer Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
. The last two performances were later broadcast in December on British television channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
and on BBC Radio 2 respectively.
Ellis' debut studio album Anthems
Anthems (Kerry Ellis album)
-Notes:* Tracks that were specifically written for this album.* Tracks that were originally songs by Queen.* Tracks 4, 5 and 10 were originally featured on Ellis' teaser album, Wicked in Rock....
was released in mid September 2010. The album, a follow-up to her extended play Wicked in Rock (2008), peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Fabricated within the space of nine months and produced by Brian May, Ellis and he recorded the album at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
with a 70-piece orchestra. She described the album as one that "tap[s] into all the different areas that [she has] been part of" in her career between the years 2000 and 2010 – an album that includes both original songs, songs from musicals and concerts she has been in as well as new arrangements of personal favourites. Whilst promoting the album, Ellis appeared on many television shows including Tonight's the Night
Tonight's the Night (TV series)
Tonight's the Night is a BBC Saturday night entertainment television programme which stars on BBC One since 18 April 2009. It is presented by actor and singer John Barrowman.-Format:...
; The Michael Ball Show
The Michael Ball Show
The Michael Ball Show was a British topical entertainment show broadcast on ITV and ITV1 HD/STV HD in 2010. It featured entertainment, discussion and showbiz glamour with the occasional musical performance from Michael himself, often on the Friday edition of the show...
; This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
and The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
, as well as performing live at the BBC Radio Theatre
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
and later, London nightclub, G-A-Y
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a gay nightclub in London. It operated from the London Astoria music venue for 15 years until July 2008. The Boston Globe described it as "London's largest gay-themed club night", NME reported that it "attracts 6,000 clubbers each week", and The Independent described it as "the one London...
. On all occasions she performed songs from the album with Brian May; with the exception of the latter, where May was not present. The weekend prior to the album's release, Ellis was accompanied by May on guitar at BBC's Proms in the Park where she performed songs from Anthems as well as a medley of Queen songs. Joined by May once again, Ellis has most recently performed at The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion , sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.-History:The British Legion was...
's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
– including Queen Elizabeth II. In support her debut studio album, Ellis embarked on her first headlining concert tour of Great Britain, titled Anthems: The Tour
Anthems: The Tour
Anthems: The Tour was the debut headlining concert tour by English stage actress and singer Kerry Ellis with Brian May. The tour, comprising 16 dates in England, Scotland and Wales, supported her debut album Anthems...
, which saw Ellis accompanied by Brian May and the Anthems Ensemble at venues in England, Wales and Scotland from May to July 2011. The tour commenced at the Royal Albert Hall on 1 May 2011 for two special charity performances (benefiting Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research), titled Anthems: The Concert, where Ellis was supported by the City of London Philharmonic, The West End Chorus, American performer Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal is an American actor and singer known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway 1996, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
and electronic string quartet Escala
Escala (group)
Escala is an electronic string quartet, from London, England who rose to fame when they performed on and reached the final of the second series of Britain's Got Talent on ITV1 in May 2008.- Background :...
. The tour finished at RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
where the pair headlined at a special concert titled Anthems in the Park.
As well as recording her own material, Ellis has lent her voice to a version of the song "Wind Beneath My Wings
Wind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...
" that features the Central Band of the Royal Air Force on their album Reach for the Skies and appears on a version of the song "Come What May
Come What May (2001 song)
"Come What May" phrase originates from Shakespeare's Macbeth and is along the meaning of let whatever events crop up come to pass. It is the love theme from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film...
" with Alfie Boe
Alfie Boe
Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe, known professionally initially as Alf or Alfred Boe and now as Alfie Boe, , is an English tenor.-Background:...
on his album Bring Him Home
Bring Him Home (Alfie Boe album)
Bring Him Home is a studio album by Alfie Boe released on 27 December 2010 by Decca Records.- Track listing :-Chart Performance:The album peaked at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. This is Boe's most successful album so far, and is his first top ten hit....
. In December 2011, she will join Boe at his concert at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
to sing the song and "perhaps do a song of her own as well." Among other participants from the London theatre community, Ellis also lent her voice to "inspirational" videos that were released upon to video-sharing website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for the "It Gets Better" campaign – a project created by columnist Dan Savage in response to school bullying and a rash of suicides among young LGBT people
Suicide among LGBT youth
Researchers have found that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth is comparatively higher than among the general population...
aiming to "provide hope to youth struggling with their identity."
Returning to the leisure resort where she first started working, Ellis appeared at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk in February 2011. The show, titled One Night Musicals Spectacular, saw Ellis in combination with "musical variety from Potters Theatre Company and other leading West End singers." At the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards
2011 Laurence Olivier Awards
The 2011 Olivier Awards was held on 13 March 2011 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. The 2011 awards were intended to re-launch the Oliviers as a major awards event, and so they were sponsored by Mastercard, with live coverage by the BBC....
, she duetted with American performer Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
on the Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
song "Look to the Rainbow". In April, Ellis became a patron, alongside Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
, to Guildford's Performance Preparation Academy while May saw her as a judge at the 2011 Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition. On 16 June, she accepted an invitation, with Brian May, to fly a training sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
with the Red Arrows
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
. May flew on Red 7 with Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Ben Plank while Ellis was on Red 1 with Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Ben Murphy (the leader of the Red Arrows). In August, she kicked off the twentieth English football season
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
for the FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
by performing the National Anthem
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. She returned to the Shaw Theatre in London on 30 September and 1 October, accompanied by musician Craig Adams
Craig Adams (musician)
Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
, to perform in a pair of solo concerts titled An Audience with Kerry Ellis in addition to appearing at the fortieth anniversary celebratory concert of the Broadway musical Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
in late October.
Ellis is currently working on new songs, another album and a European tour for 2012.
Credits
| Title | Duration | Role(s) | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Fair Lady My Fair Lady My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe... |
2001–02 | Swing Eliza Doolittle (understudy) |
|
| We Will Rock You We Will Rock You (musical) We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor... |
2002–04 | Meat |
Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:... , London |
| Miss Saigon Miss Saigon Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover... |
2004–05 | Ellen |
|
| Les Misérables Les Misérables (musical) Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... |
2005–06 | Fantine Fantine Fantine is a character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.- Backstory :"Fantine was one of those beings which are brought forth from the heart of the people... She was called Fantine because she had never been known by any other name...""All four were ravishingly beautiful. As to Fantine,... |
Queen's Theatre The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R... , London |
| Wicked Wicked (musical) Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard... |
2006–09 | Elphaba Elphaba Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little... (standby, 2006 only) |
Apollo Victoria Theatre The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running... , London (from September 2006 to June 2008; from December 2008 to May 2009) |
| Chess in Concert | 2008 | Svetlana |
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941.... , London |
| Oliver Oliver The surname Oliver is of several different origins.-Etymology:The surname Oliver is derived from the Old French personal name Olivier. The Oliver surname seems to be French Norman in origin. The Olivers were probably part of William the Conqueror's Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066... |
2010–11 | Nancy |
|
Personal life
Ellis resides in HitchinHitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
with her husband, James Townsend, a football coach, and two pet dogs called Jack and Ocho. After their engagement in November 2010, the pair married on 8 September 2011.
Discography
- AnthemsAnthems (Kerry Ellis album)-Notes:* Tracks that were specifically written for this album.* Tracks that were originally songs by Queen.* Tracks 4, 5 and 10 were originally featured on Ellis' teaser album, Wicked in Rock....
(2010)
Awards and nominations
Throughout her career, Ellis has accrued a total of two wins from six nominations in various audience choice awards for her theatrical and musical work.| Nominated work | Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elphaba in Wicked | 2007 | Lastminute.com People's Choice Theatre Award for Favourite Theatre Actress | |
| Elphaba in Wicked | 2008 | Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role | |
| Elphaba in Wicked | 2009 | Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance | |
| Nancy in Oliver | 2010 | BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical | |
| Nancy in Oliver | 2011 | Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role | |
| Anthems: The Concert | 2011 | BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for Theatrical Event of the Year |
External links
- Kerry Ellis Web - fan website
- Kerry Ellis' CV on Spotlight