Eric Kunze

Eric Kunze (pronounced "Koon-zee"), born in 1971 in San Diego, California, is a Broadway actor and singer. He showed an early aptitude for singing and was involved in choir and theater at Rancho Buena Vista High School.^[1] He attended theater studies at University of California, Irvine. In his junior year, the students traveled to New York to expand their education through workshops. While there, Eric auditioned for and landed the role of Marius in Les Misérables at the age of 20. When not on the road, Kunze and his long-time friend Gina De Luca have a production company called Big City Broadway^[2] based in San Diego.

Kunze has had the pleasure of starring on Broadway in leading roles for the better part of his professional career. Performing in "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" at the Kennedy Center, Mr. Kunze starred as "The Man" in the national touring company of Whistle Down the Wind; later, he starred as the title character in the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with veteran Carl Anderson after replacing Sebastian Bach.

He made his Broadway debut as Marius in Les Misérables (opposite Lea Salonga) and went on to star as Chris in Miss Saigon and then as Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees (with Jerry Lewis). Off-Broadway: Leopard's Leap, directed by Michael Rupert. International Tours: The Fantasticks, Pirates of Penzance, and the Mikado. He received rave reviews for the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Muny, KC Starlight, Sacramento Music Circus and San Diego CLO earning a San Diego Critics Circle Nomination) Other Regional (selected): Evita (LA Ovation Nomination), West Side Story, Into the Woods, the title role in Pippin (LA Robbie Award), South Pacific and the title role in The Who's Tommy in Los Angeles.

Kunze had voice training from Tony McDowell, Harry Garland and Bruce Kolb in Los Angeles. He received acting coaching from Uta Hagen and Alan Savage in New York, and from Drew Tombrello, Andrew Barnicle and Robert Cohen in Los Angeles. He received dance tutelage in New York from Buzz Miller, Thommie Walsh, Mary Rotella and Susan Stroman, and in Los Angeles, from Javier Velasco, Jack Tygett, Donale McKayle, El Gabriel and Bernard Johnson.^[3]

Credits

• South Pacific 2014 (Lt. Cable) Sacramento Music Circus
• The Little Mermaid 2014 National Tour (Prince Eric) Dallas, Houston, Atlanta
• Grease 2013 (Teen Angel) Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia, PA
• An Evening With Eric Kunze (Cabaret) 2013 Hartford, CT, Sun City, CA, Lake Havasu, AZ, Sacramento, CA
• Grease 2013 (Teen Angel) Riverside Theater, Vero Beach. FL
• The Little Mermaid July, 2012 (Prince Eric) Sacramento Music Circus
• Do You Hear the People Sing 2012-2014 (Soloist) Ottawa, Mazatlan, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Bethesda, Ottawa, Mazatlan, Hartford, Salt Lake
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), San Diego Musical Theater, CA
• Miss Saigon August, 2011 (Chris), Sacramento Music Circus, Sacramento, CA
• Miss Saigon May, 2011 (Chris), Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia, PA
• Damn Yankees July, 2010 (Joe Hardy) Muny, St. Louis, MO
• Music of the Night May, 2010 Soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph) April, 2010 Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities, Redondo Beach, CA
• Miss Saigon (as Chris) February, 2010 Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) in Houston, Texas
• Masquerade December 31, 2009 Soloist with the Cincinnati Pops
• Music of the Night October 9–10, 2009 at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, B.C. With the Vancouver Symphony Pops, Bramwell Tovey, conducting, with soprano Betsy Wolfe.
• Godspell (Jesus) July, 2009, Muny, St. Louis
• Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus) April, 2009, Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities (Ovation nomination)
• Miss Saigon (Chris), February 2009, North Carolina Theater
• The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber Soloist, December 2008-January 2009 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Evita (Che) August, 2008, Sacramento Music Circus, Sacramento, CA

• Broadway -Damn Yankees as Joe Hardy (with Jerry Lewis) at the Marquis Theatre, Miss Saigon as Chris at the Broadway Theatre, and as Marius in Les Misérables at the Imperial Theatre.

• National and international tours—in Whistle Down the Wind (as "The Man"), Jesus Christ Superstar (title role, replaced Sebastian Bach), Pippin (title role), Miss Saigon (Chris), The Fantasticks(Matt) and The Pirates of Penzance (Frederick).

• Regional—in Godspell as (Jesus), Miss Saigon as (Chris), Evita (Che), West Side Story (Tony Pittsburgh), South Pacific (Lt. Joe Cable), Damn Yankees ( Joe Hardy), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Chess (Freddy), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), Into The Woods (Wolf), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Demetrius) and A Man For All Seasons (Master Richard).

Awards

• 2009 LA Ovation nomination (Best Actor in a Musical Large Theater) for his portrayal of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar
• 2008 IRNE Award winner (Best Actor - Musical Large Theater) for his portrayal of Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Reagle) and The Man in the National Tour of Whistle Down the Wind^[4]
• 2008 LA Ovation nomination (Miss Saigon)
• 2002 LA Ovation nomination (Evita)

LA Robbie Award Lead Actor Musical (Pippin)

References