Review of Kerry Ellis and The Fulltone Orchestra (2025 Cadogan Hall): “Lavish vocal renditions prove how the lady is far from green”

The West End and Broadway sensation starred in this one-off recital featuring an eclectic repertoire ranging from musical theatre classics to symphonic arrangements of pop anthems and film songs. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show to let us know if the performance was memorable enough to make audiences dream the dream.

She may not have rouged her knees or rolled her stockings down — but boy, did she paint the town. There’s hardly anything to say other than praising Kerry Ellis’s signature brilliance as a vocalist — perfect pitch, excellent technique, exceptional purity in her timbre, and the most stirring ardour in every rendition as she effortlessly encapsulates the message, emotion, and character of each song.

Last Monday’s performance at the Cadogan Hall was no exception, as a flock of musical theatre fans and colleagues came to support her two-hour concert alongside the Fulltone Orchestra — eager to experience live, either for the first or umpteenth time, some of the showtunes that have formed both hers and the journey of those who’ve watched her across the years. There was no room for disappointment — suffice to say that they had it coming.

A joyous celebration of her legacy as actress and the repertoire that’s captured the souls and imagination of millions of viewers, the recital regaled its attendees with a sumptuous homage to some of the most iconic anthems in the genre — ranging from the glossy jazz of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago and Leonard Bernstein’s upbeat West Side Story to the sentimentally striking melodies of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar, combined with contemporary classics such as The Greatest Showman and some profane additions including Queen and themes from the James Bond films.

There’s no question that all these diamonds are forever, and even less debate about how Ellis polished them to their highest glimmer. Her ability to own every song is uncanny. Not only does she execute each number with utmost command and effortless musical proficiency, but her skill to transport us into the pieces’ world is, by all means, staggering. She does not just interpret them; she lives through them, as her voice becomes an all-around vehicle that evenly carries and enhances every story and role she embodies.

Under conductor Anthony Brown’s baton, the Fulltone Orchestra delivered a lush, spirited rendition that shone through its impassioned approach and colourful textures. Yet, this overall refreshing impetuousness didn’t come without a few bumps along the road. A lack of coordination across the group’s sections faulted the performance several times, particularly during the middle bars of Chicago’s Overture as well as some segments in Bernstein and Sondheim’s electrifying Mambo!. Furthermore, the brass section, particularly the French horns, is also a few notes away from achieving the most pristine sound, with several snippets noticeably off-key.

Featuring symphonic versions throughout the entire programming, all the arrangements flaunted a rich, intricate quality that often came across as a delightfully lyrical treat, including some interesting nods, such as incorporating extra chromatic excerpts to Memory, a brand that Andrew Lloyd Webber has arguably forged a great deal of his oeuvre on, and the way it echoes. Yet, the brass comes again as the culprit in this field. Not only does its excessive use during the vocal parts feel unnecessary, it’s also massively counterproductive, taking over Ellis’s track and, in the end, preventing the symbiosis between the singer and accompanist from materialising.

Boasting showmanship in her act, complemented by the concert’s general spectacularity, Kerry Ellis defied gravity without even chasing it, through a continuous display of tonal impeccability on her side, supported by the compositions’ intrinsic grandeur. Despite the orchestra not always keeping up with her artistic prowess, their fervent determination and understanding of the pieces’ heart created an acceptable balance that, though not erasing the blemishes, still managed to attenuate them. You may not know how to love it, but in many aspects, you do know you loved it.

All pictures credit to Danny With A Camera.

Further concerts by the The Fulltone Orchestra can be found on this link, while Kerry Ellis’s upcoming touring performances are available here.

By Guillermo Nazara