Elliot Davis (composer)
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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 an English 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 sung-through musical theatre, 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 ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...
'', ''
Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
'', ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', '' 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 Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
''. He was
musical director A music director, musical director or director of music is a 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 ...
for the European premieres of ''
Lucky Stiff ''Lucky Stiff'' is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The show is based on the 1983 novel ''The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'' by Michael Butter ...
'', ''Orpheus'' and '' The Demon Headmaster'', which premiered at the Pleasance Theatre, London. Davis has also collaborated with
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...
(composer of ''
Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...
'') 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 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current state ...
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 and ...
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 British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama sc ...
he has written three musicals with
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop-punk bands Busted (band), Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project under the alias Fu ...
('' 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 "What I Go to School For" is the debut single of English pop rock band Busted. It was written by James Bourne, Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis, Steve Robson, and John McLaughlin and produced by Robson. The track was inspired by a teacher that Mat ...
- 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 recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
winner Stephen Clark. Performed at the
Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 1740 and drove the industrialisation of the city. ...
, Sheffield, and
Waterfront Hall Belfast Waterfront is a multi-purpose conference and entertainment centre, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. The hall is located in Lanyon Place, the flagship development of the Laganside Corp ...
, Belfast. The show is now renamed ''X'' *''Limehouse Nights'', a
period piece Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or r ...
set in the Docklands of London, written with Robert Longdon. *''
Spooks Run Wild ''Spooks Run Wild'' is a 1941 American horror comedy film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series. It stars Bela Lugosi with Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan and Huntz Hall. It is directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the ser ...
'', 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 Steven 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 James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop-punk bands Busted (band), Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project under the alias Fu ...
) for
Youth Music Theatre UK British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama sc ...
(2009) *''Out There'' (with
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop-punk bands Busted (band), Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project under the alias Fu ...
) for
Youth Music Theatre UK British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama sc ...
(2011) *''What I Go to School For - The Busted Musical'' (book and new songs), with
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop-punk bands Busted (band), Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project under the alias Fu ...
for
Youth Music Theatre UK British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama sc ...
(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 catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 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) British composers British male composers Living people