Kerry Ellis Performs In 'The Great British Songbook Series'

Kerry Ellis is to hang up her broomstick and swap her career-changing, award-winning role as green witch Elphaba in the hit musical "Wicked" for a series of intimate shows celebrating the very best British music from the worlds of theatre, film and pop.

The Great British Songbook Series at the 400-seat Shaw Theatre, will feature stunning new arrangements of well known and some more novel works by many of our 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.

Booking opens today for "Kerry Ellis Celebrates The Great British Song Book" on Saturday and Sunday June 20 & 21.

The season opens on Thursday February 5 - Saturday February 7 with "Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Song Book", featuring the West End star who who recently wowed audiences with 32 performances of "Maria Friedman Re-Arranged" at the Trafalgar Studios.

More concerts with major singers will be announced throughout 2009 in this special Great British Songbook season, devised by Neil Marcus.

Kerry Ellis was a member of the original London cast of "Wicked", covering Broadway's Idina Menzel during any absences for illnes or holidays. While stand-by Elphaba, Kerry had the chance to perform nine times in the lead role. When Idina left the show at the end of 2006, Kerry took over permanently as Elphaba, with her first official 'full-time' performance on 1st January 2007. She made the role so much her own that just 10 days after her final performance in London on June 7, she crossed the Atlantic to star as Elphaba in the Broadway production at the Gershwin Theatre for six months. She was named Best Takeover in a Role in the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Awards, voted for my members of the public.

Kerry began her West End career understudying Martine McCutcheon in "My Fair Lady" in 2000. When McCutcheon fell ill, Ellis got her break. And "My Fair Lady" producer Cameron Mackintosh is one of her biggest fans "Kerry Ellis has the extraordinary ability to take on a part and make you think no-one else could ever have played it as well. It is only a matter of time until she gets to create a role and makes it her own forever," he said.
While Baz Bamigboye, Showbusiness Editor of The Daily Mail, said: "Kerry Ellis makes me excited about the future of musical theatre."

Kerry 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 played Svetlana in "Chess In Concert" at the Royal Albert Hall opposite Josh Groban, Adam Pascal and Marti Pellow; Fantine in "Les Misérables" at the Queen's Theatre; Ellen in the national tour of "Miss Saigon" and appeared in Trevor Nunn's production of "My Fair Lady" at The National Theatre and Drury Lane, playing Eliza Dolittle opposite Jonathan Pryce on many occasions. Earlier this year she released her debut CD recording "Wicked In Rock", produced by Brian May. Most recently, Kerry sang "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked" on the 2008 Royal Variety Performance with Brian May and Rufus Taylor.
Maria Friedman is the three time Olivier award winning and seven time nominated star of "The Woman In White", "Chicago", "Passion", "The Witches Of Eastwick", "Merrily We Roll Along", "Ragtime", "Lady In The Dark", "Sunday In The Park With George" and "Blues In The Night". Her gift for interpretation has been demonstrated in the celebrated "Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement" (Donmar), "Maria Friedman By Extra Special Arrangement" (Whitehall) and her residency at New York's Cafe Carlyle.

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