Brian May to tour UK with We Will Rock You star Kerry Ellis
04 October 2012
VVN Music
Queen guitarist Brian May will once again tour with West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis in the UK. The Born Free tour will include eleven intimate acoustic shows performed under candlelight with each artist doing some of their favorite songs.
Ellis' credits include the original company of the Queen musical We Will Rock You along with playing the part of Elphaba in both the West End and Broadway productions of Wicked. She has also been on the road with May previously in the Anthems tour.
Both artists are involved with the Born Free Foundation which is located at the Swamwari game preserve in South Africa. They have recorded both a large scale and acoustic version of the theme from the movie Born Free which will be released as a single with proceeds, like the tour, going to the foundation.
May said in a press statement, "Over the last year, Kerry and I have been recording new material when our schedules have allowed it. As on the Anthems album, some of the tracks have very big and splendid arrangements, but we have become more and more fascinated with the magic of great songs stripped down to their core and re-interpreted in an 'acoustic' way. We find there is a purity which makes the songs speak very clearly. Kerry's instincts as an interpreter of songs are always inspiring, and the art of arranging has always been one of my obsessions. We have found that the two of us just working live off each other can distill the very essence of a song - and that's what we hope to bring you in these dates. After all, if you have great songs and a great singer, what more do you need? Well, maybe just a little bit of guitar!"
The tour dates:
11/05 - Bury St Edmunds, UK - The Apex 11/06 - Leamington Spa, UK - The Assembly 11/07 - Corby, UK - The Core at Corby Cube 11/09 - Tunbridge Wells, UK - Assembly Hall Theatre 11/10 - Brighton, UK - St. Georges Church 11/11 - London, UK - Union Chapel 11/12 - St. Albans, UK - Alban Arena 11/15 - Crawley, UK - The Hawth 11/16 - Portsmouth, UK - New Theatre Royal 11/17 - Salisbury, UK - City Hall 11/19 - High Wycombe, UK - Swan Theatre
Here are the two performing the song Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked; however, expect it to sound much different when it gets stripped down to a quiet, acoustic arrangement.
A fan shot video of May and Ellis performing Born Free:
