Elliot Davis is a British composer, musician and music documentary maker.

Biography

Davis started his career transcribing musical ideas for

Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's " Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...

. He then went on to work in the West End of London in a musical capacity on ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera '' Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed ...

'', ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', '' Blood Brothers'' and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. He was

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

Big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

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. For Youth Music Theatre UK he has written three musicals with James Bourne ('' Busted''/''

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 1990 film '' Problem Child'' where the chant "Son of Dork" is used. Their de ...

''): Loserville: The Musical (2009) based on the album Welcome to Loserville; ''Out There'' (2011), an original musical imagining an Apollo astronaut who mysteriously disappears in 1969; and a musical based on Bourne's time in the band Busted called '' What I Go to School For - the Busted Musical'' (2016), which premiered at the Theatre Royal Brighton. ''Loserville'' and ''Out There'' are both licensed b
Music Theatre International

Works

*''Watermark'', with lyrics by

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

winner Stephen Clark. Performed at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

, Sheffield, and Waterfront Hall, Belfast. The show is now renamed ''X'' *''Limehouse Nights'', a

period piece A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and sw ...

set in the Docklands of London, written with Robert Longdon. *'' Spooks Run Wild'', played for a season in the National Theatre's Touring Tent, whilst Davis's musical score 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 Willmott Phil Willmott (born 26 January 1968) 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 Ear ...

for the

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, 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 actre ...

in the City's Year of Culture Celebrations. *''Stepping Out'' (orchestrations and arrangements) Derby Playhouse Production *''The Silver Tassie'' by Sean O'Casey (composer and musical director), Druid production 2010 *''Loserville'' (with James Bourne) for Youth Music Theatre UK (2009) *''Out There'' (with James Bourne) for Youth Music Theatre UK (2011) *''What I Go to School For - The Busted Musical'' (book and new songs), with James Bourne for Youth Music Theatre UK (2016)

Songwriter

He has an exclusive songwriting contract with

Warner/Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

. 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

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Elliot Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British composers