Kerry Ellis

Early life and training

Kerry Jane Ellis was born on 6 May 1979 in Haughley, near Stowmarket, in Suffolk, to Sandra Ann Reed and Terry John Ellis. Describing herself as a hyperactive young girl, she attended dance classes at the Ann Holland School of Theatre Dance and performed in local shows and pantomimes, also enjoying swimming and horse-riding. Her first stage role was as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz at the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich at age 9. After a successful audition, she spent the summer of 1990 with the National Youth Music Theatre.

Seeing the West End production of Les Misérables for her thirteenth birthday made her decide she wanted to be on the stage. She cites early influences Liza Minnelli, Elaine Paige and Barbra Streisand, and was inspired by fellow Suffolk native Ruthie Henshall: 'I think I identified with her because it was an actual story that I saw happen and was achievable.' While attending Stowmarket High School, she completed work experience with Starmakers at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea and spent summers in 1995 and 1997 singing cabaret shows with the company.

At 16, she left school to train at Laine Theatre Arts for three years, earning a national diploma in musical theatre alongside fellow student Louise Dearman. By graduation in 1998, she had appeared in professional pantomimes including Dick Whittington (1995) and Aladdin (1996), and performed the title role in Cinderella (1997) at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea.

Career

After graduating in 1998, Ellis became first understudy to Marti Webb on a UK concert tour of The Magic of the Musicals, performing several times in Webb's absence. In 1999 she took a hiatus to work as lead vocalist on the cruise ship MS Voyager of the Seas, travelling the Caribbean for nine months before leaving in Los Angeles and spending three months travelling the US. Returning to the UK, she resumed understudying on the concert tour. In November 1999 she made her first television appearance on Children in Need for Pudsey the Musical and was featured in a jingle for Capital FM.

She then appeared as the title role in a workshop production of Helen of Troy and played Mary in Merrily We Roll Along at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. By late 2000 she had settled in a two-bedroom Brockley maisonette and joined the original cast of Cameron Mackintosh's London revival of My Fair Lady as swing and second understudy to Martine McCutcheon for the role of Eliza Doolittle. The production played at the Lyttelton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre from 6 March 2001 to 20 June 2001, then transferred to Theatre Royal, Drury Lane from 21 July 2001.

Due to illnesses of McCutcheon and first understudy Alexandra Jay, Ellis made her West End debut as Eliza Doolittle with only three hours' preparation, opposite Jonathan Pryce and Dennis Waterman. 'I was nervous but once I was on stage the nerves disappeared and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,' she said. She played the role on five occasions and left the company in July 2002. During her run, Queen guitarist Brian May and music director Mike Dixon saw her perform; after seven auditions, she landed the role of Meat in We Will Rock You, beginning performances on 14 May 2002.

We Will Rock You, Miss Saigon and Les Misérables (2002–2006)

She sang the solo 'No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)' and ended her run on 17 April 2004. In 2002, May and Ellis recorded an orchestral version of that song, digitally released three years later. After leaving the show, she performed as Mary Magdalene in a concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar at Porchester Castle in June 2004, and played Eva Cassidy in a 2004 workshop production of Way Beyond Blue. She was also cast as Ellen in a UK tour of Miss Saigon.