Elliot Davis
Encyclopedia
Elliot Davis is a British
composer
, musician
and music documentary maker.
. He then went on to work in the West End of London in a musical capacity on Miss Saigon
, Cats
, Les Misérables
, Blood Brothers and Jesus Christ Superstar
. He was musical director
for the European premieres of Lucky Stiff
, Orpheus and The Demon Headmaster
, which premiered at the Pleasance Theatre, London. Davis has also collaborated with Stephen Schwartz
(composer of Wicked
) on re-scoring and arranging his Broadway smash Pippin
.
Davis's musical Best Friends and Butterflies formed part of the 2008 Official Olympic Handover Celebrations from Beijing to London when it was played by the BBC
Big Band
in Concert.
The original score Davis composed for the 2010 Druid production of The Sliver Tassie by Sean O'Casey performed at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, was described as providing "an elegaic lilt to O'Caswey's rousing songs" by Irish Theatre Magazine.
He is currently co-writing Loserville: The Musical
with James Bourne
(Busted/Son of Dork
), for Youth Music Theatre: UK
.
. His song 'Lifetime of Love' was a finalist in the London International Song Competition and 'The Village Song' was top three in Radio Two's search for a songwriter competition.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and music documentary maker.
Biography
Davis started his career transcribing musical ideas for Lionel BartLionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
. He then went on to work in the West End of London in a musical capacity on Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Blood Brothers and Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
. He was musical director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
for the European premieres of Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff
Lucky Stiff is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty . The show is based on the 1983 novel The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth...
, Orpheus and The Demon Headmaster
The Demon Headmaster
The Demon Headmaster is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah....
, which premiered at the Pleasance Theatre, London. Davis has also collaborated with Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
(composer of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
) on re-scoring and arranging his Broadway smash Pippin
Pippin (musical)
Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto...
.
Davis's musical Best Friends and Butterflies formed part of the 2008 Official Olympic Handover Celebrations from Beijing to London when it was played by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
in Concert.
The original score Davis composed for the 2010 Druid production of The Sliver Tassie by Sean O'Casey performed at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, was described as providing "an elegaic lilt to O'Caswey's rousing songs" by Irish Theatre Magazine.
He is currently co-writing Loserville: The Musical
Loserville: The Musical
In February, 2009, Youth Music Theatre: UK comissioned James Bourne, along with his friend, Elliot Davis, to write a musical based on the Son Of Dork album, Welcome To Loserville. The tickets for the August 20 premier, directed by Steven Dexter, went on sale on May 7...
with James Bourne
James Bourne
James Elliot Bourne is an English singer-songwriter and co-founder of pop bands Son of Dork and Busted. He is currently pursuing a solo career under the name Future Boy. His albums have sold over six million copies...
(Busted/Son of Dork
Son of Dork
Son of Dork were a British pop punk band formed by James Bourne after his previous band, Busted, split in January 2005. The name of the band came from a scene in the movie Problem Child where the chant "Son of Dork" is used. Their debut single, "Ticket Outta Loserville", was released in November...
), for Youth Music Theatre: UK
Youth Music Theatre: UK
Youth Music Theatre UK is the United Kingdom's biggest provider of music theatre projects for young people. It is one of nine recognised National Youth Music Organisations ....
.
Works
- Watermark, with lyrics by Olivier AwardLaurence Olivier AwardsThe Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
winner Stephen Clark. Performed at the Crucible TheatreCrucible TheatreThe Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, Sheffield, and Waterfront HallWaterfront HallThe Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
, Belfast. The show is now renamed X - Limehouse Nights, a period piecePeriod piece-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
set in the Docklands of London, written with Robert Longdon. - Spooks Run WildSpooks Run WildSpooks Run Wild is a 1941 film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series, starring Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and Bobby Jordan. Released in 1941, it was directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the series, and produced by Sam Katzman . It is based on an original...
, played for a season in the National Theatre's Touring Tent, whilst Davis's musical scoreSheet musicSheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
of Hansel and Gretel has played for two Christmas seasons. - Best Friends and Butterflies (book and musical score)
- The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (by Stephen Berkoff)
- Cyclops(2006)
- Once upon a Time at the Adelphi musical, co-written with Phil WillmottPhil WillmottPhil Willmott is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company, The Steam Industry.He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Earl's Court from 1994 to 1999....
for the Liverpool PlayhouseLiverpool PlayhouseThe Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actresses, some of which went on to achieve...
in the City's Year Of Culture Celebrations. - Stepping Out (orchestrations and arrangements) Derby Playhouse Production
- The Sliver Tassie by Sean O'Casey (composer and musical director), Druid production 2010
Songwriter
He has an exclusive songwriting contract with Warner/Chappell MusicWarner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
. His song 'Lifetime of Love' was a finalist in the London International Song Competition and 'The Village Song' was top three in Radio Two's search for a songwriter competition.
Awards
- Vivian Ellis Prize: Best Musical for Young People (Best Friends and Butterflies); 2000
- TMA award: Outstanding Musical Production (Once upon a Time at the Adelphi) 26 October 2008