KERRY ELLIS - REVIEW - ADELPHI THEATRE

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about Kerry Ellis? Queen of the musical theatre, Ellis has seen huge success in both the West End and Broadway, having starred in iconic roles including Meat in Queen’s We Will Rock You, as well as being the first British Elphaba in Wicked. Ellis’ concert at the Adelphi Theatre on Tuesday evening was absolutely phenomenal! As usual, her vocal range was nothing short of flawless. The concert was in promotion of Ellis’ 4th studio album, Kings and Queens, which blends her infamous musical theatre style with contemporary country rock. The album is composed of 12 tracks, mainly original songs, alongside a couple of carefully selected covers.

What struck me most about this album was the range of styles Ellis was able to cover, yet the entire collection still felt completely cohesive. The opening number, the title track Kings and Queens left you with a certain feeling of empowerment that only music can evoke. Another personal favourite from the album was Lemonade, which feels like such a perfect, uplifting song for summer, as well as Big Wide World which carries the same optimistic air.

A particular mention has to go to special guest Tom Ball, whose vocal range absolutely blew me away! Ellis and Ball’s duet Mean the World to Me was such a beautiful contrast to the more explicitly powerhouse tracks on the album, in an incredibly refreshing way. Ellis explained how the track was written to replicate the same atmosphere as Shallow from the film A Star is Born, which it did so successfully. Ball returned to duet the original song Shallow before giving us an unforgettable rendition of Falling Slowly from the musical Once, which will undoubtedly stick with me for a while. The concert also featured the amazing talent of the London Show Choir, who brought great energy to many iconic musical theatre songs.

I know I keep picking ‘favourite’ songs from the evening, but it is really difficult to place any of them in order since every track was amazing – so I’ll do it again! The song My All was absolutely beautiful, carrying so much emotional weight behind it. The track Love Wins was also a highlight, showcasing Ellis’ seemingly effortless belt.

To put it short, not many people have what it takes to captivate a theatre as grand as the Adelphi all by themself, but Kerry Ellis held the entire audience in a state of awe until the very end. Her rendition of Defying Gravity near the very end, with a much more muted down, intentional tone, felt like a moment for everyone to take a breath and truly appreciate what we’d just witnessed. The entire evening was sensational, and I can’t wait to listen to Ellis’ new album Kings and Queens on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Find more info about the album here!

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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