Brindlebeast Update

From Eric:  Thank you all for sticking through the transitions of Brindlebeast as we find our way through this project. This will be the first of many changes and transformations - which is very common in this business, particularly with a new work. Please keep your faith! We are all working very hard to make sure that nothing goes unexamined or critiqued, and that we will put our best foot forward when we are ready for the public to view the piece. Of course, you all will be the FIRST to know!

The readings originally scheduled for March, 2011 have been postponed until later in the year.  Stay tuned for updates.

Fanclub Dinner

A lovely time was had by all at our fanclub dinner at the Chase Hotel on Saturday, July 17th before the second to last performance of "Damn Yankees".  Some of had met before and some were new.  Two were from the St. Louis area and others came in from other states: New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa.  Everyone agreed their trips were worth it!  Not only were we blessed with Eric's company, but then we got to watch him in this old-fashioned romp.  What a treat!

Maggi's Review of "Damn Yankees"

Amidst cicadas chirping, ambulances whizzing by and airplanes buzzing overhead and despite the 95 degree heat and humidity, the cast of "Damn Yankees" presents an energetic, enthusiastic production at the 11,000 seat Muny amphitheather in St. Louis.  After viewing the 1958 movie, I wasn't sure I'd like the stage version, even though they are very similar.  But Director Paul Blake imbues the production with so much energy and color it hardly seems like the same story.  Blessed with a talented and professional cast, whose singing and dancing is top notch, the show is Broadway caliber.
 

Eric told me it would "make me smile" and it did, long after I left the theater.  Unlike other shows I've seen Eric in, i.e. Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Miss Saigon, this definitely is a feel-good romp.  Yet the type casting is still there:  Joe Boyd is a good, honest man, unwilling to cheat on his wife with the vamp Lola.  Eric is cast in these "hero" roles because he himself is a good man and it shines through him like a beacon, even in a huge venue like the Muny. 

Eric first appears onstage when he is transformed from the old to the young Joe.  His incredulity at his transformation is amusing and believable.  Eric builds his characterization slowly from naivite in his first encounter with Applegate to the smart and savvy real estate broker that he is at the end, outwitting his Faustian deal with the devil.  His tenderness with his wife (strongly portrayed by Linda Mugleston) is achingly touching.  It's fun to watch him squirm as he politely rebuffs the advances of Lola (a hilarious Angie L. Schworer). 

It takes a strong stage presence to hold his own against the more flashy role of Applegate (Lewis Stadlin) but Eric is a good foil for him when they are both on the stage.  Eric had good preparation for that when he starred in this show on Broadway in the 90's with Jerry Lewis.  It's a treat to see Eric participate in Bob Fosse's jazzy, stylized dance numbers, complete with bowler hats and chairs.  Is there nothing he can't do?   He looks wonderful, ladies. The costumes really suit his look and as a reviewer friend wrote to me recently, "You pick him out of a line-up of ballplayers VERY EASILY". 

I saw the show four nights in a row and each night was flawless.  Too bad these productions only run for a week.  What a waste!  I would travel to Broadway to see it again.


For photos of our trip to St. Louis and more of the fans and Eric see
http://picasaweb.google.com/maggiwun/DamnYankeesMunyStLouis2010?feat=directlink

Photos from Muny's "Damn Yankees"

(from Playbill.com)

Eric Kunze and Gina DeLuca performing at the Vista Conservancy Benefit on May 30, 2010

Eric singing "Why, God" from Miss Saigon:



Eric singing "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph, with Gina DeLuca and the Calvary Chapel choir:

Vista Jamboree Music Festival, May 30th

Eric Kunze and Gina DeLuca, guest soloists at the Vista Jamboree Music Festival at the Moonlight Amphitheater, May 30th

May 22nd Celebration at the Detroit Symphony

I received more photos from fans at the DSO gathering. Check out the Facebook pages on Eric as well for video of the event!

 

Maggi's Report on "Music of the Night" with Eric Kunze and Betsy Wolfe

The evening started out with a delightful surprise visit from Eric at our fanclub dinner in the elegant Paradise Cafe at Orchestra Hall.  Twenty-three of us were gathered for a pre-theater meal and seven more were to join us at the concert.  Our entourage included fans who had traveled from Boston, New Jersey and Houston to catch this performance, as well as many of my family and friends who had heard me talk about Eric, but some of them had never seen him in action.  They were not disappointed! 

It just happened to be Eric's birthday that day and we had a cake for him and a surprise birthday present: a portrait of him in his role as "The Man" in "Whistle Down the Wind". The visit was short, but sweet, as Eric had to get to his dressing room to change into his tux and warm up. Luckily, we were able to see him afterward as well.

This was Eric's birthday gift:  A portrait from Whistle Down the Wind, done by French artist Ludovic Legros.

(If anyone is interested in their own portrait of Eric, or of another subject of your choice, contact Maggi for the email address of Ludovic Legros)

The concert was a tribute to Erich Kunzel, who passed away last year and who was supposed to direct on this night.  Eric and Betsy sang the following selections, most of which were in the first act:

I Don't Know How to Love Him (Betsy) (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Close Every Door (Eric) (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)

Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Betsy) (Evita)

All I Ask of You (Eric and Betsy) (Phantom of the Opera)

Music of the Night (Eric) (Phantom of the Opera)

God Bless America finale

Eric looked very dapper in his Hugo Boss tux and black bowtie.  Betsy had a different breathtakingly beautiful gown for each number.  They both sang their songs straight into the audience's hearts and upon completion of each number there were loud shouts of acclaim and thunderous applause.  After Eric's "Music of the Night", and halfway into the next orchestral selection, the elderly lady next to me piped up in a loud voice, "That guy can really SING!!"  Haha, I agree!  When he sings that high note on "Let your soul take you where you want to BE" it just took our breath away.  What I liked best was the dramatic way he delivered the songs.  It wasn't just music, it transported you to a different time and place.  That is a direct quote from a friend of mine.  Another girlfriend called me the next morning and sang "I don't know how to love him..." into the phone.  Everyone who meets Eric is bewitched and enchanted.  As an added bonus, we had a lovely time visiting afterward in the Green Room. 

Seeing Eric Kunze in Joseph at CLOSBC

This is not the first time I've seen Eric portray this role, the last being with Reagle Players in Waltham, Massachusetts in 2008. To my delight and relief, this version of "Joseph" is G rated. The costuming is imaginative, colorful and modest. The one scene that could be (and often is) over the top, is where Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph. Even in the film, that scene is depicted as an orgy. But director Ron Kellum is able to convey the story without making it uncomfortable to watch, which is reassuring to those planning to bring their young children to this production. Compared to the last show I saw Eric in, "Miss Saigon" in Houston, this is a piece of fluff, but it is nice to see him smiling. Eric's smile is so killer it could be used as a secret weapon. The lyrics, "I look handsome, I look smart. I'm a walking work of art" could have been written for him. On a serious note, the redemptive theme of forgiveness is presented clearly under Kellum's direction and Eric's acting ability.

The entire cast is strong, beginning with Kelli Provart, whose rich, full voice adds dimension to her role as the narrator. I kept thinking she reminded me of someone and finally I realized it was Ann Margaret, both in looks and the way her voice sounded.  Paul Ainsley does an admirable job on the dual role of Jacob/Potiphar and Robert J. Townsend, with his huge pompadour and blue suede boots brings down the house with his spot on impersonation of Elvis. I loved watching the children in the chorus, impressed that each and every one of them was in the moment and engaged all throughout the production. As a choir director, I know that is no small feat. In a lovely touch, one of the small boys even gets to sing with Eric stage front at the end of the show, when he puts the huge coat on him for a duet reprise of "Close Every Door".

I liked the blocking of "Grovel, Grovel", as each of the brothers falls down in a row in front of him, Eric steps over each prostrate body. The dancing chorus was impressive, especially the men in their "Canaan Days" number. Ty Taylor, especially, impressed with his soulful rendition of "Benjamin Calypso". According to his bio, he starting singing at the age of five in church and one could well imagine it. This show must be fun for the ensemble because of the variety of singing and dancing it offers, from French accents to rapping to belly dancing. At least it looks like fun from the perspective of the audience, which, I imagine, is the goal of the show. If that is the case, the goal was achieved, judging from the humming and smiling audience upon exiting the auditorium.

"ATribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber" at the Sunset Center

The Webber show features five well-regarded professionals in musical theater, who have all worked on Broadway but are mostly based in Southern California at present. The all-star quintet includes Norman Large,  Kevin Earley, Eric Kunze, Valerie Perri and Dale Kristien, all of whom have played numerous roles in Webber musicals, both on Broadway and elsewhere.  The five, backed by an eight-piece orchestra, will sing some of Webber's most iconic songs, including "The Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera," "Memory" from "Cats," "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," from "Evita" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye," from "Sunset Boulevard. 

Read more at: http://www.montereyherald.com/entertainment/ci_14468497?source=rss

Eric and President Bush Sr.

The cast of "Miss Saigon" were visited backstage by President Bush, Sr. and Barbara Bush after the performance.

"In his first solo of the evening, the audience is amazed at the talent, power and sadness in Eric Kunze’s marvelous voice as he sings the plaintive, “Why, God, Why?” His starring roles in a long string of theater favorites, such as Marius in “Les Miserables,” Tony in “Westside Story,” Che in “Evita, as well as Lt. Cable in “South Pacific,” have prepared him well for the sensitive portrayal as Chris in this heart-breaking story of a puzzling time, that is almost as difficult to understand now, as it was thirty plus years ago."
Read more at:
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/02/17/pasadena_citizen/lifestyles/021710_miss_saigon.txt