Eric Kunze

Eric Kunze
Born 1971 (age 4344)
Origin San Diego, California
Occupation(s) Singer, actor
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1991present

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

Awards

LA Robbie Award Lead Actor Musical (Pippin)

References

  1. Two Rancho Buena Vista High grads returning to local stage. http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/education/20070505-9999-lz1mi5rancho.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. http://www.bigcitybroadway.com
  3. "Eric Kunze Fansite". erickunze.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. http://www.stagesource.org/pages/22465_irne_awards_2008_page_two.cfm