London Wicked Star Kerry Ellis Will Sing "Great British Songbook"
By Mark Shenton
05 Jan 2009
Wicked's Kerry Ellis is the latest artist announced to appear in The Great British Songbook season at the Shaw Theatre.
The season kicks off Feb. 5-7 with appearances by Maria Friedman; Ellis will appear June 20-21.
The series features new arrangements of well known and some more novel works by many of Britain's leading composers and lyricists, including Noel Coward, Lionel Bart, Anthony Newley, John Barry, Don Black, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Kate Bush and Queen.
More concerts with major singers will be announced throughout 2009 in this ongoing season, devised by Neil Marcus.
Ellis, currently starring as Elphaba in Wicked until May 9, began her West End career understudying Martine McCutcheon in My Fair Lady in 2000. When McCutcheon fell ill, Ellis got her break. She subsequently created the role of Meat in the original London cast of the Queen/Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre and took part in the Queen's Golden Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. She has also played Fantine in Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre and Ellen in the national tour of Miss Saigon. She was a member of the original London cast of Wicked, covering Broadway's Idina Menzel. While stand-by Elphaba, Ellis performed nine times in the lead role. When Menzel left the show at the end of 2006, Ellis took over permanently as Elphaba, with her first official "full-time" performance on Jan. 1, 2007. She subsequently took over the role in the Broadway production for six months from June 2007, before returning to the London production.
In 2008, she also played Svetlana in Chess In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in a cast that also included Josh Groban, Adam Pascal and Marti Pellow, and she also released her debut CD recording "Wicked In Rock," produced by Brian May. Most recently, Ellis sang "Defying Gravity" from Wicked on the 2008 Royal Variety Performance with Brian May and Rufus Taylor.
To book tickets, contact the box office on 0871 594 3123, or visit www.theshawtheatre.com
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