West End and Broadway leading lady KERRY ELLIS has joined forces with one thousand West End Stage students for a special charity recording of The Greatest Showman’s ‘A Million Dreams’.
With all proceeds going to the NSPCC’s Childline service (0800 1111 , the recording of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s inspirational song from the hit film features Kerry performing with all of this year’s West End Stage students. The young performers hail from 52 different countries, with the youngest aged eight and the oldest just 21 years old.
Now available to download on iTunes, the track is accompanied by a special music video just released this week (see below).
West End Stage launched in 2006 with ambitions to become the UK’s leading theatre summer school. A week-long course with input from West End stars, other leading industry professionals and experienced teaching staff offers students classes in drama, dance and singing and the chance to see a top West End show. The highlight of every student’s week is the chance to make their own West End debut at Her Majesty’s Theatre, the London home of The Phantom of the Opera, in front of an audience of family, friends and industry professionals.
A patron of West End Stage, Kerry has starred in a string of hit shows including We Will Rock You, Wicked (both West End and Broadway), Oliver!, My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Cats and Rent.
Here Kerry Ellis is in conversation with Musical Theatre Review’s Tal Fox.
How did the idea for the recording come about?
It was Mark Puddle [chief executive of West End Stage], it was all his idea really. I’ve been a patron of their summer school now for a little while. I have gone in there over the years and worked with the kids. We always talked about different ideas but he came up with this idea about incorporating Childline and all of his kids and asked if I would be involved in it. I thought it was great and I’m a mum now so it’s quite poignant to me.
Why this song?
Again it was a choice by Mark. The Greatest Showman has been so hugely successful this year and it’s also touching because the first section of the song is sung by a child. I’ve done workshops all over the country and the song has been so popular, it obviously hit home with a lot of people, so it was a perfect choice. Plus it’s also all about dreaming and the future and looking forward and I think that kind of works well with this charity.
Have you done something different with it than the arrangement we know from the film?
Yes, it’s quite different. The kids sing quite a lot of the song, it’s almost like a duet with all the children. It is different and I think it sounds great, the kids do an amazing job. There’s a lot of them so to record them all was quite challenging but it sounds awesome. To have all of them on a charity single is wonderful. It’s such a nice thing for them to do and for a really positive reason as well.
https://youtu.be/nt4_4UemFIQ
Did you manage to get in the room to sing with the kids or was it all done separately?
We did, we didn’t record it together but we did sing it all together a few times and we did the video, so we were all together for that.
What was it like working with them?
Amazing! I remember being that kind of child, just waiting for people to come in and inspire me in those situations. Hopefully, I’ve done that for them. They were so much fun, they were all really enthusiastic and brilliant, and they made such a great sound.
How long have you been a patron and what made you want to take on the role?
I’d been in a few workshops, talks and Q&As throughout the years with them and always had such a warm response. I always really enjoyed going in and talking to them and hearing how much they love musical theatre, how much they’re inspired by musicals, theatre, drama and acting and all of that stuff. I just loved it. I had a real rapport with them, got on really well with all the teachers and Mark, the founder of the company.
When he turned around one year and asked if I wanted to be a patron, I was honoured. I really have a soft spot for that company, they’re wonderful and they do a really good job of giving kids a real experience over the summer and an insight into the industry.
What’s the best piece of advice you have for someone trying to break into the industry?
It’s such a difficult industry, but I think I would say follow your passion. At the end of the day any job could be difficult but if you have a passion for it you will go the extra mile, you will train that extra hour, you will put your heart and soul into it. I think that’s why I have had the career that I’ve had, because I have a passion for this industry and I love it and you never stop trying, you never give up.
You’ve just been doing your 20th-anniversary tour, what has it been like celebrating the last two decades?
Amazing, it has been 20 years which is crazy! It’s nice to look back and remember it and celebrate all those things that I have done and all those achievements that I’ve had. You almost forget because you’re always working and looking at the next thing, so to have time to go back and remember and appreciate the past has been wonderful.
What do you remember about your first ever job in the theatre?
I did some theatre as a kid, I did The Wizard of Oz when I was a child and my first professional job was My Fair Lady. I was always around theatres so there was never an ‘Oh now it’s all changing’ because I was always in it. It was kind of a natural progression.
You’ve recently done some non-musical plays, how does it compare to being in a musical?
The Importance of Being Earnest was my first play which was fantastic. It is different, not just because of the obvious fact that there is no music to perform, but the companies are smaller. Hearing the sound of your footsteps as you’re walking out is very strange but I did love it.
I really enjoyed meeting the company and they were great. Gwen Taylor was just magical, I was totally inspired by her. My fellow cast members were amazing and I loved doing something completely different. I think they are different disciplines. For instance, you don’t have a microphone in a play so you have to throw your voice in a different way, but you’re not singing so it’s just very different.
You’ve had an incredibly varied career, was that a deliberate choice or did you always know you wanted to try a bit of everything?
I don’t think I particularly looked for it but I embraced it and I love that it’s different and I get to do all these different things. It keeps it really interesting because no day is the same and it keeps my brain really active. I enjoy the variety and I’m always looking to try different things and expand and progress. I really enjoy that part of it.
What has been your highlight of the last 20 years?
That’s hard, I don’t know because there have been so many things. The Festival of Remembrance, there’s Broadway, there are my albums, there’s my own show at the London Palladium, there are so many things that I don’t think I could pick just one. I’m just very fortunate to be doing what I do still and that people still enjoy coming to see me and support me and that’s one of the reasons I did the 20th-anniversary celebrations.
Is there still a dream role you’ve yet to play?
Yeah, there’s loads! New things that haven’t been written, stuff I’m not old enough to do yet. I’ve always wanted to play Norma Desmond, I’d like to do Gypsy, I’d like to do Follies, there’s so much. I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface.
How do you feel about the future of theatre in terms of new writing versus revivals?
I think it’s hard for producers to take a risk on new writing but if you do take a risk on something like Hamilton, look at how huge that has been. So I think there’s definitely a place for new writing and we have to keep moving forward and writing new things because you can’t revive things forever. There have been some really successful revivals recently as well though, like The King and I.
What’s next for you?
I’m about to start rehearsals for Christmas concerts. I go to Japan in the new year for a concert and I’m working on a new album. Doing concerts is lovely, especially with kids as it helps me stay at home a little bit, I’m enjoying it all.
Is it hard to balance the job with being a mother?
Yes, it’s the hardest bit of it because I obviously love my job and I obviously adore my children, so to get that balance right is very difficult. But then I think every working parent has to go through the same thing. It’s not just me in what I do.
Does being a mother affect the kinds of projects you take on?
Oh definitely. Before I had my kids I would take things that took me all over the world, whereas now I look at things differently because obviously I want to be close to home and I don’t want to be away for long periods of time.
My eldest has just started school, he’s about to turn five, and my baby is two, so they’re quite small. My eldest came to watch me in Wonderland. They don’t really sit still yet for that long. I’m trying to get them into soundchecks so that they can run around a bit and see me do my thing.
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