Kerry Ellis

Palladium - 02/2015 - Grizabella



Biography
Kerry Ellis has fast become recognized as the First Lady of West End musicals from her starring roles in London and on Broadway, she has also achieved chart-topping success as a recording artist signed to Universal Decca with her debut album Anthems.

Kerry originated the role of Meat, in Queen's We Will Rock You and was the first British Elphaba in the West End smash, Wicked, for which Kerry won the 2008 Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best Takeover in a Role'. She then immediately transferred to Broadway and played Elphaba at the Gershwin Theater for 6 months, where she won the Broadway.com Audience Award for Favourite Female Breakthrough Performance, before returning to London for 6 months in 2009. Her many other leading role credits include Nancy in Oliver! at the London Palladium, Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady, Ellen in Miss Saigon and Fantine in Les Miserables.

Kerry's first major CD release was the amazing Wicked in Rock, which is still flying high in the Dress Circle's bestseller list. Wicked in Rock was collaboration with long time friend and Queen guitarist, Brian May. This led to her being signed to Universal as a solo recording artist and her debut album Anthems was released in 2010 on Decca Records. The success of the album, which reached No.15 in the UK album chart, and No.10 in the UK pop club charts (for Defying Gravity), led to a major tour Anthems: The Concert throughout 2011, which kicked off at the Royal Albert Hall. She has performed internationally promoting the album, including performances at the Royal Variety Performance, at the Laurence Olivier Awards, duetting with Barry Manilow on BBC Television and Radio, at G.A.Y., on Loose Women, Alan Titchmarsh Show, BBC Breakfast, at the Henley Festival alongside John Barrowman, the Queen's Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace and most recently a run of An Audience With Kerry Ellis at the Shaw Theatre.

Other performances include singing the National Anthem for the FA Cup match at Wembley Stadium/live on Sky Sports, a sold out tour of Champions of Rock in Sweden, and playing Svetlana to critical acclaim in Chess at the Royal Albert Hall opposite Idina Menzel and Josh Groban, which was released on DVD and CD and screened on US network television, Thank You For The Music the BBC Radio 2 ABBA concert in Hyde Park, Night of 1000 Voices, The Festival of Remembrance (both Royal Albert Hall) and she headlined the BBC Proms in the Park 2010.

She has recorded Somebody to Love which features on the new best selling Only Men Aloud album Band of Brothers, Come What May with Alfie Boe on his first album Bring Him Home and Wind Beneath My Wings with the Central Band of the RAF on their top ten album Reach For The Skies.

Workshops include Way Beyond Blue, written by Imogen Stubbs and directed by Trevor Nunn, was special guest star at the recent charity gala performance of Children of Eden at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Earlier this year Kerry joined forces with Brian May again and performed a new arrangement of ‘I Who Have Nothing’ at the Sanremo Festival in Italy, which was screened, live across Europe, The pair recently recorded a new version of the well known song ‘Born Free’ and shot a documentary in South Africa to accompany the track highlighting the charity work of the Born Free foundation.

Kerry headlined at this years 2012 'Night of a 1000 voices' and performed and recorded her own Friday Night is Music special for BBC Radio 2, she has also performed a one woman show for a weeks residency at the new Hippodrome venue in Leicester Square.

Also this year she has been involved in the Les Miserables feature film alongside headlining various festivals across the country. At the end of 2012 she will be  starring in the Arena tour of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds alongside Jason Donavan and Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs.

Kerry is delighted to be touring again with Brian and hope to follow up with another album soon.

Kerry performed her own one woman show at the London Palladium, where she brought together the four British Elphaba's to sing Defying Gravity.