With songs such as Seasons of Love, Out Tonight, and Without You, Rent the musical is a tale of a group of friends living n the East Village of New York City, about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Rent is based loosely on La Boheme, and has won the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a pop cultural musical phenomenon.
For this hugely significant musical, there is an extremely significant musical theatre star set to join the show’s ranks. Kerry Ellis will be joining the Rent in Concert 2014 Tour, following the announcement of a third and final leg to the current UK tour of Rent in Concert. Ellis will be helping to celebrate 20 years since the first staged performance of Rent, with the West End leading lady and Broadway star returning to the role of Mimi in this iconic concert version.
The show toured the UK earlier this year in April starring Ellis, Rory Taylor and Nikki Davis-Jones. Last month it was announced that the show will return in November starring Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton and Taylor, before its final run in January and February 2014 with Ellis.
Ellis quickly built up a reputation of a leading lady, with starring roles in London and on Broadway. Beginning by originating the role of Meat in Queen’s We Will Rock You, Ellis became the first British Elphaba in the West End’s Wicked. Ellis then transferred Broadway and played Elphaba in the same musical for six months before returning to London. Ellis has turned her hand to many other West End roles since, with other leading role credits include Nancy in Oliver!, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Ellen in Miss Saigon and Fantine in Les Miserables. Add the 20th anniversary celebratory tour of Rent to that list and you have an incredibly versatile and entertaining performer.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.