Ellis was born in 1979 in Haughley, a small village near Stowmarket, Suffolk, where she grew up with her older brother Andrew. Ellis attended Stowmarket High School and in 1995, she joined the team of Starmakers at the age of 16, with which she was involved until 1997. In 1996 and 1997, as a member of Starmakers, Ellis performed musical numbers such as "Memory" from Cats and "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon.Following this, Ellis returned to formal stage training at Laine Theatre Arts.
In 1999 Ellis sang on a recording for Children in Need and did a jingle for Capital Radio. In 2004 she worked with Queen lead guitarist Brian May to record an orchestral version of the song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", originally a Queen song and featured in the musical We Will Rock You.[7]
In 2000, Kerry became a member of the My Fair Lady cast and became second understudy to Martine McCutcheon for the lead role of Eliza Dolittle, which she got to play on five occasions. During 2000 Ellis also understudied Marti Webb in Magic Of The Musicals.
In 2002, Ellis originated the role of Meat in We Will Rock You, and played this role for two years, making appearances for performances such as "Party in the Park", "Party in the Palace" and Parkinson. Ellis left the cast of We Will Rock You on 17 April 2004 and went on to play Ellen in Cameron Mackintosh's UK tour of Miss Saigon. On 7 June 2005 she joined the cast of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre, portraying the character Fantine.
In 2006, Ellis joined the cast of West End's new production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, as the temporary standby for Idina Menzel, who originated the lead role. She took the role of Elphaba over full-time after Menzel's pre-planned departure on 30 December 2006. Effectively, Ellis is the first British actress to play the role of Elphaba. For this role, Ellis won "Best Takeover in a Role" at the 2008 Theatregoer's Choice Awards.
On 7 June 2008 Ellis temporarily departed the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where she was succeeded by Alexia Khadime. She transferred to the Broadway production of Wicked with performances starting from 17 June 2008. Ellis replaced actress Stephanie J. Block on Broadway, making her the first Elphaba to transfer from the West End to Broadway. For her run in the Broadway production Ellis won the Broadway.com Audience Award for "Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Female)". Ellis left the Broadway Company on 9 November 2008 and she was replaced by Marcie Dodd.
Ellis returned to the West End production on 1 December 2008 and completed her time with Wicked on 9 May 2009, when Alexia Khadime returned.
On 12 May and 13 2008, Ellis performed alongside Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban in a special performance of Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ellis performed her rock version of "Defying Gravity" at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 on 11 December at the London Palladium in the presence of senior members of the Royal family.
Ellis recently worked with Steve Sidwell to produce new recordings of the Wicked songs "I'm Not That Girl" and "No Good Deed". It was expected that a teaser CD of her forthcoming debut album, produced by Brian May in the time since Ellis left We Will Rock You and featuring drum tracks by Taylor Hawkins, would become available in June before she left for Broadway.
The teaser CD was released on 7 July 2008 as Wicked In Rock and features rock versions of Wicked songs "I'm Not That Girl", "Defying Gravity" and a remastered version of her We Will Rock You song, "No One But You". The CD is on sale in London musical shop, Dress Circle, at the Gershwin Theatre and is available on the British iTunes. A limited edition 12" vinyl has also been released to purchase from Dress Circle.
During her time performing as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, Ellis recorded a song for Scott Alan entitled "Behind these Walls". This song is featured on his album Keys.
In January 2009, Ellis sang with Mazz Murray and Peter Johansson in the Champions of Rock concert at De Geerhallen in Norrköping, Sweden.
In March 2009, Ellis and other West End actors recorded songs for a musical treatment of Terry Pratchett's Only You Can Save Mankind.
On 15th and 16th May 2009, Ellis performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra alongside Mazz Murray, MiG Ayesa and Ricardo Afonso at the Symphonic Queen Spectacular at the Bournemouth International Centre's Windsor Hall. She is set to perform similar concerts in Weybridge on 1st August and Romsey on 15th August 2009 plus possibly others around the country from July through to September.
During June 2009 Ellis performed 4 shows called "The Great British Songbook" at the Shaw Theatre.
Ellis performed with John Barrowman at the Henley Festival on 10 July 2009.
Kerry appeared in OK! magazine on 23rd June alongside Patina Miller talking about "The Great British Songbook" and her time in Wicked.
On June 20, 21, 25 and 26 June 2009, Kerry performed her first solo concerts at The Shaw Theatre, Euston Road, London. The Great British Songbook celebrated the work of many of our leading contemporary composers and lyricists, including Queen, Coldplay, The Feeling and Goldfrapp. The series was devised by Neil Marcus and the Arranger and Musical Director was Steve Sidwell.
Ellis has also done the workshops for Way Beyond Blue, written by Imogen Stubbs and directed by Trevor Nunn and the title role in Helen of Troy, directed by Gary Griffin.
Time Of My Life
Kerry Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've broken my heart and now you leave me
Love of my life can't you see
Bring it back, bring it back
Don't take it away from me, because you don't know
What it means to me
Love of my life don't leave me
Love of my life can't you see
(Please bring it back) bring it back, bring it back (back)
Don't take it away from me (take it away from me)
Because you don't know (ooh ooh ooh know means to me)
What it means to me
Who will remember
When this is blown over
And everything's all by the way - (ooh yeah)
When I grow older
I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you - (i still love you)
Ooh, back - hurry back
Please bring it back home to me
Because you don't know what it means to me
Love of my life
Love of my life
Ooh, ooh
The lyrics of Kerry Ellis's song "Time of My Life" portray the heartache of a person who has been left by the love of their life. The song reflects the pain and misery of being abandoned and left alone, with the singer pleading for their love to return to them. The words capture the emotions that come with losing someone you love deeply and are symbolic of how one can feel incomplete without the companionship of their loved ones.
The lyrics also suggest that love is an essential part of one's life and how it defines and shapes one's existence. The singer emphasizes this by stating that the love of their life doesn't know what it means to them and how they feel incomplete without it. The song's tone is mournful and melancholic, with the singer's voice and the soft music adding to the poignancy of the words.
In conclusion, Kerry Ellis's "Time of My Life" is a powerful and moving ballad that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak and emotional abandonment. The lyrics are poignant, emotional and relatable, making it a song that will remain timeless for years to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Love of my life - you've hurt me
Addressing a lover who has caused emotional pain
You've broken my heart and now you leave me
Expressing the pain caused by the lover leaving
Love of my life can't you see
Asking the lover to understand your perspective
Bring it back, bring it back
Asking for a reconciliation with the lover
Don't take it away from me, because you don't know
Explaining that the lover doesn't realize how important it is to you
What it means to me
Reaffirming the importance of the relationship
Love of my life don't leave me
Pleading for the lover not to leave
You've taken my love, (all of my love) and now desert me
Expressing that the lover has abandoned the relationship
Please bring it back
Continuing the plea for reconciliation
Because you don't know (ooh ooh ooh know means to me)
Reiterating that the lover doesn't understand the importance of the relationship
Who will remember
Questioning who will care about the relationship in the future
When this is blown over
Referring to a time when the current situation is resolved
And everything's all by the way - (ooh yeah)
Implying that everything will be resolved eventually
When I grow older
Looking to the future and reflecting on the relationship
I will be there at your side to remind you
Affirming that you will always care about the lover
How I still love you - (i still love you)
Reaffirming your feelings for the lover
Ooh, back - hurry back
Expressing urgency for the lover to return
Please bring it back home to me
Continuing the plea for reconciliation
Love of my life
Addressing the lover again
Ooh, ooh
Unspecified emotional response
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind