BWW Interviews: Kerry Ellis - WICKED, SINGULAR SENSATIONS, RENT!

Hi Kerry! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today!

That's OK! No problem!

You recently took part in the Singular Sensations series at Charing Cross Theatre - how did that go?

I did, and it was lovely! Really nice. I've known Ed [Seckerson] for a few years now and he's fantastic. He really knows his stuff and he's a great interviewer because he's really interested in what you're doing and he asks some great questions. It was a really nice afternoon; it was really smooth and intimate and I think the crowd get a really different kind of show because they see you perform but they also get an insight that perhaps they haven't had before. What was nice afterwards was that people were saying that it was nice to not just see a performance, but they actually got to see a bit of you as well.

Definitely. Do you find you get a bit more nervous if you know there's something like that coming up? If, rather than just performing, you know people are going to ask you questions, do you get a little more nervous?

Not so much now. I think I used to, because you know I've done a lot of shows now and you've kind of had that fourth wall and you've not had to interact so much, but over the last four years or so I've done a lot of one-woman shows and masterclasses and various other things where I've actually been interacting, so in fact it's really enjoyable for me to kind of sit there, and it just felt like we were all talking together. It was really nice.

I wish I could've been there, it sounds great!

Aw, yeah! You'll have to go to some other ones because he's got some great guests coming up - Jenna Russell, for instance, and I think it's going to be a really great series of events.

I'll try! Will you be going to see any of the other ones?

I hope so, yeah, if I can get down to some. You know, if I'm not working or I'm not busy, hopefully I can get in to see some others.

You mentioned it was a more intimate venue - do you prefer those to big arena-style gigs, or are they just different?

They're very different. I enjoy both and I think the beauty of what we do as performers is that we get to do such different performances. We get to do those intimate things and then get to do the big arenas, so it's nice to have variety. And it's also nice to be able to hear the audience and really be close to them, because obviously in some of the big events you hear them en masse which is great, but there is a time to be intimate and hear their reaction.

Speaking of bigger crowds, you also recently did the special Gershwin event as part of Live by the Lake at Kenwood House the other week with Michael Ball and Gina Beck - how was that?

Yeah, lovely! I mean, it's always nice to be with Michael - I've actually never sung with Michael! We've met several times and I've been on his shows and we've been at the same events, but we've never actually sung together, so it was really nice to be able to perform together. And with the orchestra as well it was great and it was a beautiful day - the concert was outside. Yeah, it was lovely, was really nice!

I heard you guys lucked out with the weather!

We did! When we were sound-checking in the afternoon it was so hot we caught a bit of the sun, it was lovely! It was kind of one of those days when you go, 'This isn't working, this is just having a lovely time'!

It sounds wonderful - it would have been great to hear you and Gina and everyone, but sadly I couldn't make it!

Aw, no, it was lovely and Gina was fantastic. She has such a beautiful soprano voice - she did a lovely version of I Loves You Porgy, and it was just serene and beautiful.

Lovely! What was your favourite thing about the evening?

There were so many elements that came together. It was interesting to do a concert slightly earlier - I think it started at five o'clock, so it was really light, but that was kind of nice because you got to see it go to dusk as the show went on, and it's always nice to be able to see the crowd and watch them enjoy themselves with their picnics and glasses of wine and stuff! Yeah, it was lovely, it was a really social event.

I was checking out your calendar of events, and as a conservationist, something that grabbed my attention was the Hope4Apes charity event at the Savoy - how did you get into the world of conservation? What inspired you to use your talents to try and help on the conservation front?

Well, Brian [May] and I have been doing a lot of work for Born Free over the past couple of years, especially. We met Virginia McKenna, who is the founder of Born Free Foundation, and we've been working with her on and off for years. It comes about because I have a massive love of animals - especially dogs, I do a lot of work for dog charities, and I obviously work a lot for the wildlife here in this country. We've supported Virginia for the African species, such as saving the lions, and so it's always been part of our lives, especially in the last few years and we basically just got approached. Brian arranged an afternoon event called Wildlife Rocks - basically animal charities from the UK and some of the African charities as well - and they were all mixed and they were all in this one event together and Brian and I performed a few numbers at the end of the event and it was lovely. It was kind of all these people fighting for the same cause but obviously for their individual animals, and the ape people were there and I think we spoke about doing something in the future. We got a call saying would we come along and support the charity and perform and it was perfect. You know, we've done it for Born Free before so we thought, 'yeah, we can do this'. And it's nice to be able to use your talents for something else, you know, it's nice to be able to give back, to be able to do what you can. We're fortunate to be in a position where people do perhaps listen to us, but they perhaps wouldn't listen to somebody else, so I think it's important to use that platform.

[After a quick chat about our mutual love and respect for Sir David Attenborough...]

Sorry, I've gone completely off on a tangent with my conservation love!

No, that's alright, it's good!

So, are you back in the studio these days?

We are! Not this week, but we have been back in - Brian's in Vegas this week performing with Queen. We have been back. We obviously toured June and July in the UK and in Europe so that took out a couple of months and we were doing our acoustic Born Free tour. So yeah, we're back in the studio now and we're kind of...we've done the big rock album, and we've done the acoustic album, so now we're looking to kind of put it all together really and work on something new.

I was listening to your Acoustic By Candlelight album earlier, and I really love it, it has a really chilled out vibe.

Aw, you know, I love that album, it's one of those ones you can have on in the car or at home. It's really relaxed and easy and yeah, I really like it and I don't often like listening to myself, it's kind of a bit strange, but that album I can kind of put on and enjoy.

Does Jack [Kerry's dog] like it?!

[Laughs] He doesn't mind it, actually, it's when I sing at home he goes a bit funny! I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's because he's been around me singing, you know, from literally day dot, I don't know. I've got two now, I've got Ocho as well, and he's not so bothered. But Jack just doesn't like me singing, which really makes me laugh!

Bless him! Am I right in thinking you'll be going back on tour with Rent at some point?

I am - I'm not doing the November stint - I'm due to have a baby in about four and a half weeks. I was really trying to make the November one work, but it was just that little bit too soon, so I'm doing the February stint - I'll be back with the show in February.

Congratulations! You must be so excited!

Thank you! Yes, I mean it's been crazy, I haven't really stopped working and I was on tour with Brian, pregnant, obviously, for the first couple of months and I felt really great so it's been a joy to keep working. And yeah, I haven't really had time to think about it too much, really! It will be exciting, I'm sure!

So apart from coming back for Rent will you be taking some time off?

Not really, the beauty of my work at the moment is that, especially in the last couple of years, I have been touring with Brian and doing various concerts and bits and pieces. So it's been short contracts or one-off events, which has actually been perfect and will be perfect for when the baby's here, because I'll be able to do these one-off events or do short stints. Hopefully it'll work out really well - I love working, and I've got a couple of concerts at Christmas, so I'm going to go back in gradually, but I'm happy when I'm working and I think if you're happy, your baby will be happy. So yeah, I'm going to try and juggle it, but we'll see!

Are there any shows you're particularly looking forward to seeing this year or next?

There's Miss Saigon which I'm sure will be fantastic - there's a lot of new stuff, actually, around September time. I know From Here to Eternity is coming out and Andrew Lloyd Webber's got a new musical coming out, but there's still stuff I need to watch. I still haven't been to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I'd love to see. I saw The Bodyguard but I'd love to go to watch Beverley Knight do it now. There's so much to see! It's great that stuff is coming in and that there's still the revenue and the audiences are going to see stuff and Christmas is a good time - usually the West End thrives during Christmas, so long may it continue!

Indeed! I'm with you on that one! Thanks, Kerry!

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