Little Lark of London

“We both love to entertain people and that’s what we will be doing when we perform together in One Night / 2 Voices.”

Kerry Ellis and John Owen-ones will be bringing their concert, One Night / 2 Voices, to the King’s Head Theatre on 10 June. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Kerry and John about their upcoming performance at the King’s Head Theatre. We discussed how they first formed a partnership and even what they hope audiences take away from the show!

How did you each get started in the world of theatre?

Kerry: I grew up locally, just a local church hall dance school. I’m not sure whether it was it was on purpose, or whether it was just what I did! I put my kids into football and sports, to just try everything out, but I think I found my community and my love very quickly. It never went away! I then continued to carry on through school and drama college and never stopped. There’s always been a passion for me there, I’ve always loved it. I’ve always really enjoyed the performance side, but also the people! Working with other people and being in that team. Making something creative, but doing it as part of part of a group. I found that very early on, so that’s how I got into it!

John: What she said!

Kerry: [Laughs]

John: I’m kind of the same! I did school plays, and then I joined a youth theatre [Llanelli Youth Theatre]. And actually, it’s the 40th anniversary of my youth theatre! I’m a lifelong president of them now, which means I turn up every now and then and sing “Bring Him Home.” [Laughs] So youth theatre was definitely a gateway into the arts for me. It was one of those things where I then auditioned for drama school [and] got in. I went the old traditional route, but there were not many options open to music kid coming from a small town in Wales, not in the late 80s, 90s. And now there’s so many ways in – I’m jealous of kids nowadays! They’ve got so many ways into this industry. It’s a lot easier, but the industry is, as a result, a lot harder. So that’s why I think it’s very necessary to make friends and team up with people whenever you can.

And what inspired you to create One Night / 2 Voices?

John: So I spent the last year doing lots of shows – I did three musicals in a row with hardly any time off in between. And I found my love for it again! I’ve done big shows like Les Mis and Phantom and stuff like that, but I found my love of working with an ensemble, working with people and having a common cause. When you’re a solo artist, when you’re out on tour on your own, it’s very lonely! It’s very tricky to find joy in it some days because it’s all on your shoulders. I’m sure Kerry would agree with me there. So I decided after a year of working in theatre, I would like to work with more people and celebrate companionship and ensemble and family on stage. Kerry and I have accidentally worked together a lot recently and so we thought, “Well, let’s just put a show together – two heads are better than one!” And so that’s what we’re doing. We’ve got a few shows lined up this year together. But we’re starting off with this one in the King’s Head, which is just a bit of fun, really!

Kerry: John and I’ve worked together over the years, and it’s funny, you do find friends – lots of us know each other! And when you find yourself working with the same people, you always go, “Oh, we should do a show together! We end up on these concerts and it’s always fun and we’ve been saying this for quite a while. Then we got booked to do a nice big show in Wales that’s been in the diary for a long time and we were like, “Well, this is the perfect opportunity for us to actually put some other shows around this and do what we’ve been saying we’re gonna do for a very long time!” One night things are great, but they happen and they disappear. When you’ve got a few in a row, a nice mini tour, you get to put a proper show together, which is what this will be about. 

John: So basically what we’re doing is taking all our favourite songs and creating a show around us and our stories. But I should think amongst all the classic musical theatre stuff, there’ll be a couple of surprises, including what we hope will be a brand new piece of musical theatre writing that nobody’s ever heard before, written specifically for us! So that kind of thing, which we wouldn’t normally do in a big event like a concert. We’ve got an opportunity to craft something together and put our brains into the same project. As opposed to bringing our work together, we want to create something new. And that’s what we’re starting with at the King’s Head Theatre on June the 10th. It’s a small and new venue, an exciting place to start this journey off, and then we’re off to Wales in August to do the Llangollen International Eisteddfod. Then we’re off to Scotland! We’re doing Prestonfield at the Fringe. It’s a beautiful hotel on the outskirts of Edinburgh and it’s part of the Fringe Festival – they have a lovely set-up there that they do every year. Christopher Biggins is running it and he’s asked us to put our show on there. So we’ve got a few fun things coming up – it’s really exciting!

And what is the creative process like for making a concert performance like this?

Kerry: It’s a lot of voice notes! John and I’ve done a lot of things on our own, so we’re used to putting shows together that work for us individually. And obviously, we were used to turning up and doing big concerts where you come and sing your big song, so we have a lot to bring to the table. And it’s more about deciding what is the best for the evening and how we’re going to work well together and how it’s going to be interesting for the audience. The thing that’s unique about it is that we are together, and the chat will be different – we’ll have a lot of fun on stage. We get to sing together! Of course, we’re gonna sing the songs that people expect us to sing, but it’s nice to be able to throw some things in that we wouldn’t usually get to do if you’re doing your show on your own. So lots of voice notes, lots of emails back and forth. 

John: To underline what Kerry was saying, we basically draw up our separate set lists of what we want to sing, and then we work together in making the best show possible with a few little surprises. But what I’m really excited about is uniting our two audiences. There’s a crossover anyway, but Kerry has all the world of We Will Rock You and Wicked, and all the shows that begin with W 

[Laughs]

John: And I do all the shows that are set in France in the 19th century – Les Mis and The Phantom of the Opera! So we bring those two audiences together, give them what they want, but also give them a little bit more.

And seeing as you both have performed on the West End and Broadway, what is it like performing for the audiences in those different places?

John: Every show is different. Whenever I perform live, I always invite the audience to just relax and enjoy the night because that one moment, in that theatre, that night, will never be repeated. Even if the same show is done the next night, there’s always a different dynamic, a different vibe. Live theatre is so exciting because not one performance is the same as the other. And that’s what’s exciting about doing the big shows where you’re doing months or years in the same show, and then it’s finessing it and perfecting it. But then there’s something a bit more free and raw about doing a concert show because you don’t rehearse it as much as you do a big show and it’s always a little bit more exciting as a result – and a bit more nerve-wracking! That comes across and the audience enjoy it much more because they feel part of that uniqueness. 

Kerry: It doesn’t really matter where you are in the world – every audience is different. We both performed out in Japan together, and they’re a completely different audience. Each night is different, so I think what’s beautiful about it is that it is live. And especially experiencing those dark times of COVID, where nobody could perform anywhere. For me, I missed the performing so much, but I missed the live element of it. I did sit and sing in my screen and hope to connect with people a little bit, that desperate interaction performance that we do, but the massive thing about it was the live element and the interaction, and that it’s one night only. Doesn’t matter if you’re doing a show for a year or one night, it is a unique experience for that one night. And that’s why I love doing different shows around the country and around the world because it’s unique. Those people won’t come together again and it’s exciting!

John: I’m doing all these different bits and pieces, and Kerry’s doing all these different bits and pieces, but she’s also going out on tour! When you put the dates online, I could not believe how many dates you’re doing!

Kerry: It’s interesting! When you do shows on your own, there is a big a weight on your shoulders, because it’s just you – there’s no backup, there’s no understudy. Starting to share concerts is really lovely, and the fact of us going out and working together is really nice. There’s a safety in it because you’ve got someone else with you. But the tour that I’m doing at the end of the year, I’ve got 40 dates around the country, which is a lot! But I’m not singing two hour a night. It goes along with the book and I’ve got a screen, I show some videos, I tell some stories, and I do sing, obviously, but it’s not like the tours that I’ve done before where I’ve gone out on stage for two hours and gone from show to show. I’m really excited about it! It’s quite intimate, and it should be fun.

John: So we’ve got lots of exciting things planned. It’s going to be a fun year! And, my podcast returns in June, and Kerry is going to be one of the first guests! We’ve recorded her episode already, and that was a lot of fun. One of the things we’ve had to do as artists since the pandemic is diversify a lot more. You wrote your book, Kerry, you’ve had your podcast, I’ve done my podcast, I’ve done recordings, I’ve done producing and stuff like that. To get back on the road and do live gigs again, it’s a joy and it’s just going to be a lot of fun to share it with an old friend. When we first worked together, it was the Les Mis 20th anniversary. That means we’ve known each other for nearly 20 years. 

Kerry: Wow!

John: How do you look exactly the same?

Kerry: [Laughs] 

On the topic of podcasts, what is it like to be doing so many different things instead of performing in one show every night for years? 

Kerry: I like it! Like John said, we’ve had to diversify, but I’ve always liked having the variety in my career. It keeps you going because it gives you options. If you just have one path. If there’s not a show that’s right for you or you’re not available or you don’t get it, that closes a lot of doors for you. Being versatile keeps you going and keeps you being able to work within your field without having to take time out or find something completely different. And to me, art and performances is all the same – you’re just using it in a slightly different way. John’s podcast is great fun and it’s just a fun thing to do! I remember doing my first one with, rest his soul, Jamie Crick. We did an “Acting Up” podcast ages ago [2018-2019]. It was something quite new and it was fun to sit there and talk about something that we loved with lovely people. It opened a whole new route for me. It’s nice to be able to do different things, challenge yourself, push yourself and stay current with what’s going on. 

John: Absolutely! When I did drama school training back in the 90s, you had to do a little bit of everything. Central School of Speech and Drama, their philosophy is, it’s a central line between all these different disciplines – you take and learn from different things. And that’s instilled in me a joy of change. Even though I stayed in Phantom for four years, and Les Mis for five, that was a necessity – I had a family and needed money. It brought me a lot of joy, but now I’m able to really spread my wings, like Kerry, and do lots of different bits and pieces. Recording podcasts, telly, concerts, shows, it’s wonderful. I love the diversity of it. And the podcast, you don’t make any money out of it, but it’s a lot of fun and it’s weirdly artistically satisfying. I don’t know why that is! It’s one of those things as well that if you don’t find the joy in it, stop doing it, which is why I stopped doing Phantom after four years. I couldn’t find anything new, I couldn’t find anything to excite me about going into work anymore, so I put that to one side. I’ve done a lot of other things, and now maybe I could go back to Phantom because I’ve rejuvenated myself. I’m not saying I will, but I could see myself doing it again. But for ten years, there was no way. I think Kerry’s the same. When you did Anything Goes, Kerry, it rejuvenated you a little bit in a different way. It’s just nice to do all these different things – short contracts, meet lots of people, have lots of fun, move on!

What do you hope audiences take away from One Night / 2 Voices?

Kerry: I hope they just have a good time! I hope it’s a little bit nostalgic for them at times. Hopefully, they’ll get to know us in a slightly different way. Obviously, the two of us being on stage together, there’ll be a lot of chat and laughs and banter, I’m sure! It’s opening a door into into our lives as friends as well, and that definitely opens up a slightly different side to you because it allows you to chat about things. When you’re doing your own shows, to chat about yourself is quite tricky. But when you’re up there together, I can talk about what I love about John’s performance and his voice and his career and we can interact in a different way. And that’s what’s going to be slightly different and unique. It’s going to be people that I’m sure know us and have seen us perform but hopefully, they’ll get something different that they’ve not seen before.

John: Yeah, absolutely! Sometimes, if we’re doing a concert together somewhere, we sit there, chatting, and we would say to each other “God, if the audience could hear us now!”

Kerry: [Laughs]

John: And that’s the kind of thing that we want to bring on to stage. That cheekiness, the reverence, the fun – give something to people that they don’t necessarily see in concert. Having seen Kerry perform in concert, and when I do my concerts as well, you can’t take it too seriously. Some people like to walk on, sing, walk off, and then move on to the next song. But we like to make an organic, interesting, funny evening, and that’s what I hope people take away. We both love to entertain people and that’s what we will be doing when we perform together in One Night / 2 Voices.

And finally, how would you each describe One Night / 2 Voices in one word?

John: Fun!

Kerry: I think fun sums it up because we’ll have fun as we always do whenever we work together, and that’s the whole point of it. We want people to have fun. We want people to enjoy it. They will have a mix of emotions, I’m sure. But ultimately, you want people to leave with a smile on their face and go, “That was a nice evening!”

One Night / 2 Voices: Kerry Ellis & John Owen-Jones runs on 10 June at the King’s Head Theatre. The running time is 70 minutes. For more information and to buy tickets click here. After the performance at the King’s Head Theatre, the show will be performed at the “Llangollen International Eisteddfod” on 4 July. The show will then be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on 16 August.