Announcing: Erich Bergen Set to Debut Club Act

FORMER “JERSEY BOYS” STAR ERICH BERGEN
SET TO DEBUT CLUB ACT AT MAGIC CASTLE IN LOS ANGELES
AND WILL APPEAR IN VENICE AT KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE

In celebration of his first solo CD release, former Jersey Boys star Erich Bergen will debut his new club act at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 15 at 8pm, and following that performance, he will be appearing at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City as part of the cast of Venice from October 7 through November 14.

Erich Bergen recently completed a three-year run starring as Bob Gaudio in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Jersey Boys, as part of the Los Angeles, San Francisco, First National Tour and Las Vegas companies. Other recent credits include Gossip Girl (CW Network), White Christmas (Pantages Theatre), and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Reprise).  In 2009, he co-produced, directed, and served as musical director for Las Vegas Celebrates the Music of Michael Jackson, a benefit concert which raised $118,000 for Music Education in Nevada public schools.

“Erich Bergen, as Bob Gaudio, is the show’s breakout star.  With his lanky good looks and vibrant intensity, his charisma feeds off the spotlight,” said Charles McNulty in his Los Angeles Times review of Jersey Boys.  Said Steve Freiss in Las Vegas Weekly, “Bergen has a youthful and affable presence, an ability to play with audience expectations, a willingness to take risks and a confidence that does not come across as arrogance.”  And, Bonnie Priever at Examiner.com said, “Erich Bergen is a star on stage … a fresh, promising, musical talent.”

Bergen’s CD, titled The Vegas Sessions, will feature new studio recordings of original compositions in the pop genre, along with live tracks recorded during three sold out Las Vegas appearances at the Liberace Museum in April, 2009. The disc will be available for purchase at the Magic Castle on September 15, and then October 1 at Amazon.com, CD Baby, iTunes and other digital music outlets.

The Inner Circle at The Magic Castle (7001 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood) will host Bergen’s California club act debut on Wednesday, September 15 at 8pm (doors open at 6:30pm).  Tickets are on sale now, at $15 for Magic Castle members and $25 for guests; there is VIP seating available for $50, which includes a copy of the CD, a post-show reception, meet-and-greet and a champagne toast.   Reservations  can be made at boxoffice@magiccastle.com or by calling (323) 851-3313, ext. 303.  Attire at the Magic Castle requires jackets and ties for gentlemen, and absolutely no denim.

Bergen will appear in the world premiere of Venice, a new musical with book by Eric Rosen, music by Matt Sax and lyrics by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen with additional music by Curtis Moore, at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.  Beginning previews on October 7 with an official opening set for October 17, the limited engagement will run through November 14 only.  Due to Erich’s participation in this exciting new production, his previously announced concert date at the Rrazz Room in San Francisco will be rescheduled for early 2011.

Visit Erich Bergen at www.erichbergen.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/erichbergenfans, and follow Erich on twitter @erichbergen.

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09-03-10

The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, is the world’s most famous club for magicians and magic enthusiasts as well as the home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.  Known worldwide as the showplace for some of the greatest magicians from around the globe, its latest artistic contribution, the Cabaret at the Castle, has also become the cabaret stage at which to appear in Los Angeles and whose recent performers have included Carol Channing, Florence Henderson, Lee Roy Reams, JoAnne Worley, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Rachel York, and the recent addition, once a month, of the popular New York hit Cast Party with Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch.

Announcing: 2009 Ovation Award Winners

LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS PRESENTED
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010
AT REDONDO BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

KUDOS FOR 2008-09 SEASON
SHARED BY 17 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEATRE COMPANIES

The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement during the 2008-2009 season, were presented on Monday, January 11, 2010 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

Twenty-nine awards were bestowed upon seventeen different Southern California theatre companies.  Center Theatre Group (Lydia at the Mark Taper Forum and The Little Dog Laughed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre) led with four, followed by the Troubadour Theatre Company (Alice in One Hit Wonderland and As U2 Like It) and the Louis & Keely producing team (Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara) with three each.  NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (Dracula), Musical Theatre West (The Producers), Havok Theatre Company (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ebony Repertory Theatre (Two Trains Running) and Chalk Repertory Theatre (Family Planning) tied with two awards each.

Several other companies and productions with multiple nominations, including The Chance Theatre, Rubicon Theatre Company, Road Theatre Company, Renal Support Network , Pasadena Playhouse, Open Fist Theatre Company, Fountain Theatre, East West Players and A Noise Within, went home without statuettes.

The Troubadour Theatre Company was honored with the newest Ovation Award for Best Season.

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1-12-10

Announcing: 2009 Ovation Award Nominees

2009 OVATION AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
CENTER THEATRE GROUP LEADS WITH 25,
GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE RECEIVES 14,
TROUBADOUR THEATRE COMPANY GETS 12
EL PORTAL THEATRE GARNERS 10

Nominees for the 2009 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on the evening of Monday, October 19 at A Noise Within in Glendale.  The nominations were presented by 2008 Ovation Award winners Barry Lynch, Jennifer Paz, Randy Rogel and Robert J. Townsend, along with LA Stage Alliance Executive Director Terence McFarland.

Center Theatre Group garnered the most nominations, followed by the Geffen Playhouse, the Troubadour Theatre Company and the El Portal Theatre.  The CTG productions honored with nominations are “9 to 5: The Musical”  (7), “The Little Dog Laughed” (6), “Minsky’s” (5), “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” (4), “Lydia” (2), and “The School of Night” (1).  The Geffen productions are “Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara” (5), “Farragut North” (3), “Beethoven As I Knew Him” (2), “Time Stands Still” (2), and “By the Waters of Babylon” (1).

The nominated Troubadour Theatre Company productions are “Alice in One Hit Wonderland 2: Through the Looking Glass” (6) and “As U2 Like It” (5).  The El Portal Theatre’s production of “Smokey Joe’s Café” received 10 nominations.

A new category has been added for the 2009 voting year: Best Season.  The award recognizes theatre companies who have produced shows of consistently high quality throughout the voting season (September 1 – August 31).  Any company who registered at least three productions for Ovation Awards consideration during the season is eligible.  As with most other Ovation categories, there will be five nominations and one recipient.  For this first Best Season Award, the nominees are:  the Chance Theater, the Fountain Theatre, the Geffen Playhouse, the Rubicon Theatre Company, and the Troubadour Theatre Company.

Founded in 1989, the L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles.  For the 2008-2009 voting season, there are a grand total of 186 nominations for 66 productions presented by 48 companies. [PLEASE SEE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINATIONS FOLLOWING THIS RELEASE.]

Voters are L.A. theatre professionals who are chosen each season by the Ovation Awards Review Committee (through an application process). The list of nominees is determined by a tabulation of scores conducted by the entertainment accounting firm Green, Hasson & Janks, LLP.

It was also announced that the awards ceremony, which has traditionally been held in November each year, will now happen in January, kicking off the Los Angeles awards season.  The 2009 Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, January 11, 2010 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, home of the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities. The curtain will go up at 7:30pm. More info on this to follow soon.

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10-19-09