03 Dec NEWS: Recording of The Route to Happiness to be released, featuring Kerry Ellis, Louise Dearman and Ben Forster
Three of the UK’s most popular and internationally renowned musical theatre stars, Kerry Ellis, Ben Forster and Louise Dearman have joined forces to record Alexander S. Bermange‘s new British musical, The Route to Happiness, which is to be released on Monday 8th December.
The three-person musical charts the individual and interweaving experiences of three present-day Londoners in pursuit of their respective dreams: finding love, making money, and becoming famous. It sets out to be a musical with humour and heart, amusing, moving, and possibly even making listeners question their own desires and goals.
Not only does the album include the complete show of The Route to Happiness which was embraced by audiences during a run at London’s Landor Theatre last year, but it also includes new and reconceived material that BBC comic songwriter Bermange has created for the musical since its premiere production. It is produced by Mike Dixon, one of the UK’s foremost Musical Supervisors.
The three artists have a wealth of experience in musical theatre, and it wouldn’t be amiss to call them some of the biggest stars of the modern West End. Kerry Ellis recently completed a much-anticipated return to the role of Elphaba in Wicked, with other leading roles including Nancy in Oliver!, Fantine in Les Misérables, and Meat in We Will Rock You. Featuring alongside her, Ben Forster shot to fame on ITV’s Superstar, in which he won the title role in the international arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. He also boasts West End credits including Thriller Live and Grease, as well as being a stand out talent as Agustin Magaldi in Evita, reviewed here Finally, Louise Dearman is the first actress ever to have starred as both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked, with other West End credits to her name including Eva Peron in Evita and Grizabella in Cats.
Alexander S. Bermange’s credits include dozens of comic songs for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service; the music for Plague Over England (West End) and Murder On Air (which has been touring the UK since 2008); 18 musicals produced in London, around the UK, and internationally; and songs released by many musical theatre stars including Ramin Karimloo, Lara Pulver, Jon Lee, Gina Beck, Oliver Thornton, Mark Evans, Oliver Tompsett, Daniel Boys, Susan McFadden and Earl Carpenter.
Mike Dixon has established himself as one of the leading figures in the West End , television and radio as musical supervisor, musical director, conductor and arranger. His theatre credits include The Infidel, Oh What A Lovely War, The Bodyguard, Taboo, Hair, Zorro, Never Forget, We Will Rock You, Footloose, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aspects Of Love, Doctor Dolittle, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and La Cage Aux Folles.
The Route To Happiness is to be released on Monday 8th December 2014 on the Spectacular Music label. It will be available both as a deluxe 2 CD set from Amazon and Dress Circle, and to download from iTunes and all major digital platforms.
To coincide with the release of The Route To Happiness, the recording of Alexander S. Bermange’s earlier musical Shadowless is to be released digitally on the same date. The show, which won two awards at the Musical Festival Graz in Austria, tells the story of a man who sells his shadow to the devil, and the recording features seasoned West End performers James Gillan, Sarah Lane, Michael Cormick, Rachel Izen, Alan Ruscoe, Tony Kemp, Caroline Deverill, Susan Stevens, John Tallents, Andrew Hutchings, Melitsa Mace, Christopher Middlebrook and Melanie Tate.