JADAR

★★★★★

Whilst there are several huge names in theatre, many of them have made names for themselves thanks to television and/or social media work. Kerry Ellis, however, has done something that Ruthie Henshall called very difficult: she became famous from theatre. Indeed, very few stage stars could play at theatres in dozens of small towns all around the country, including Burnley, where I saw her on Friday. How poetic seeing the first British Elphaba live in concert on the day of the release of the Wicked movie!

After the show, I thanked Kerry for coming to Burnley. She told me that, for this tour – unlike her cancelled 3-city tour last year – she wanted to visit towns and meet people. Kerry has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, from theatres in the West End and Broadway to arenas all around the UK, including the O2. She could easily sell out huge theatres in cities but been there, done that! This time, she has done something very different.

The production was refreshingly low budget, with a comfy chair and a few other household items turning the theatre into a living room, as if Kerry was welcoming us into her home. Indeed, this show was, very much, the story of her life.

A simple projection screen was on the wall at the back, Music Director Craig Adams played stunning rearrangements on the piano, and one of Kerry’s dresses was placed on a mannequin, which was stood at the edge of the stage right (with a microphone placed in front of it!).

Whilst this was a concert, not a musical, Kerry made it theatrical by giving it a story, of sorts, in that she took us on a (semi-linear) journey, telling stories to accompany each song.

She opened the show with ‘Kings & Queens’, the title track from her latest studio album – and a fitting opening song, given the tour’s title (Queen of the West End).

She then took us back in time and sung ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie – a song that she had “not sang in 35 years… excluding the past eight weeks!”

A musical theatre concert can be quite heavy, especially when the songs have all been rearranged as piano ballads, but Kerry is naturally funny and loveable, and her stories and insights were a nice contrast to the demanding songs.

Kerry then treated us to a couple of medleys. First, My Fair Lady, beginning with ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, which is a popular choice for musical theatre concerts; both Audra McDonald and Sierra Boggess took on the song when I reviewed their recent London concerts. It’s a big song, most famously performed by Julie Andrews in the original production and Marni Nixon (dubbing for Audrey Hepburn) in the film adaptation, but an established performer knows how to make the song her own, and all three of these divas did just that.

Kerry then did a full 180 with a Queen medley – made up of ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, and ‘We Are the Champions’ – to accompany her story about starring in the original cast of We Will Rock You, a production which changed her life forever. Kerry asked us to sing along, and to turn our torches on for the final song. We were a small crowd but we gave it our all.

She closed the short first act with one of the most iconic musical theatre songs of all time: ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Mis – with Fantine being one of her best-known roles.

It’s important to end a first act with something memorable, to ensure that the audience leave fulfilled and excited for the second act. It’s equally as important to open the second act with something big – to immediately pull the audience back into the action.

Kerry did just that, performing a beautifully rearranged rendition of ‘Defying Gravity’ from Wicked – the show that made a star out of her. She starred in the original production as Idina Menzel’s standby before taking over the role full-time, becoming the first British Elphaba. She then transferred to the Broadway production and later twice returned to the West End production.

Whilst I would have loved to have heard Kerry perform a more traditional version of the song, the rearranged version better suited the purpose and vibe of this tour, though replacing the iconic battle cry with an “mmmm” – as heavenly as it sounded – might disappoint some Wicked fans.

The top of the second

act was all about Wicked, which was especially special given the day. She ended the segment by inviting somebody from the audience – who had performed in a production of Annie, at this very venue, which closed the previous Saturday – to sing ‘For Good’ with her. The young performer amazingly knew all the lyrics, though Kerry ended the song after the second chorus, not expecting her young performer to attempt the tricky final chorus, in which Glina and Elphaba’s final lines are layered on top of each other.

After this, there was another duet. “Sadly, [Sir Brian May] cannot be here tonight, but he sent us this,” she told us, before the legendary rocker popped up onscreen. Hilariously, Kerry had a brief chat with the prerecorded Brian, before singing ‘Love of My Life’, which he played on his guitar.

Kerry then got more personal, acknowledging the difficulty of being on the road, away from family. She dedicated her song ‘I Will Find You’ to her husband and two sons, with adorable photos appearing of them onscreen as she sang.

Kerry could not sing all her hits but she did try to address as many of her iconic roles as possible – even more random ones, such as Beth in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds.

She told a hilarious story about Anything Goes (which I saw in London before reviewing the touring production, which starred Kerry).

Previous productions of Anything Goes have Reno Sweeney sing ‘Anything Goes’ but let the ensemble do the dancing, but the Broadway production a decade ago – which transferred to the Barbican a few years back – had Reno (Sutton Foster, who was cast in the London production after Megan Mullally pulled out) lead the dancing.

Kerry admitted that she had not been expecting to tap so much but when she went to watch the show, she realised that that was not the case. She had not tapped in years. Close to the tour’s premiere, she had a class with some choreographer, so she bought a pair of tap shoes off eBay – the most worn-looking pair she could find!

However, having reviewed the show in Manchester, I know that Kerry managed to master the art of tapping. Is there anything she can’t do?!

I believe that the penultimate performance was a song called ‘Memories’. It was accompanied by varied footage of her career so far.

Kerry then closed the show with a stunning rendition of ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman – fitting, given the topic of the show!

I need not even comment on Kerry’s singing. It was obviously divine. But I must congratulate her on successfully creating a relatable, relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, as well as her ability to break up the epic songs with entertaining stories. I was particularly impressed by her very vivid memories. I guess that big moments stay with you forever, but the imagery she created was so crystal. By the end of the show, I felt like I knew her – because she truly gave it her all.

Kerry Ellis ends her 2024 tour tonight (November 24) at Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The tour runs again from September 17 to November 23, with a show at Blackburn Empire Theatre on September 24.

Photo: Jay Darcy @ JaDar