The Cult Show Whoever makes it into this show, ranks among the crème de la crème of music business It is only the absolute top stars, such as Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Louis Armstrong, Cher or Madonna, who grace the stage for Since 1997, Producer Bernhard Kurz has been presenting the world s best look-alikes in a unique live show hosted at the Estrel Festival Center, the showroom of the Estrel Berlin, Europe s biggest hotel, congress & entertainment center More than 5 million people have already seen, either in Berlin or at one of its worldwide guest performances, and were able to convince themselves of its perfection An absolute likeness to the originals is only part of the prerequisites for the artists taking on the roles of those big idols in Also their singing and performance has to match the original completely Only perfect impersonators are employed for this extraordinary stage production Bernhard Kurz has signed more than 40 artists, as the program of changes regularly When they enter the stage, the audience delves into a world of showbiz and experiences a concert that could never have happened in real life! An excellent live band accompanies the artists Delicious eye-candy is also guaranteed by the enchanting dancers who complete the artists performances with high-class choreographies, ensuring a stage show extraordinaire In the beginning, nobody would have predicted that Stars in Concert would turn out to be such a success The show was originally intended to run for four months only Kurz sees the secret of its success in the fact that is a show that addresses all age groups; it continues to enthral its audiences and can be updated anytime And the successes speak for themselves: After Starlight Express, is the most successful show in Germany with one set venue Kurz has received numerous awards for his productions and his lifetime achievement in the USA
The Producer Bernhard Kurz Entertainment is his passion Producer Bernhard Kurz has a real passion for entertainment and can look back on a career in show business spanning more than two decades His extraordinary productions featuring celebrity look-and-sound-alike artists have earned worldwide acclaim and established his reputation as the world's leading expert for tribute shows Bernhard Kurz has produced the show at the Estrel Festival Center in Berlin since 1997, and it is the only live show out of Germany ever to have an engagement on the Las Vegas strip With over 6,000 performances attended by more than five million people to date, the show is one of the longest-running and most successful productions in German history In this spectacular homage to music industry greats from the last 60 years, the world's best celebrity impersonators succeed in dazzling audiences each evening and creating the perfect illusion of being stars like Cher, Elton John, Louis Armstrong and Madonna Kurz has also produced tribute shows to the Beatles (all you need is love!), ABBA (Thank you for the music), Elvis Presley (Elvis The Musical), the Blues Brothers (I'm a Soul Man), and the legendary Motown record label (Memories of Motown), all of which have enjoyed enormous success worldwide Kurz went back to his roots with his most recent production, It's all musical, a dazzling extravaganza featuring the most popular show tunes from hit musicals Musicals were what originally sparked his passion for working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry Bernhard and his brother Friedrich teamed up on several Andrew Lloyd Webber productions during the 1980s, with Friedrich acting as producer and Bernhard as managing director and production manager It was a highly successful collaboration, and the Kurz brothers can claim much of the credit for the popularity of Lloyd Webber's musicals in Germany Cats probably the most famous musical of all premiered in Hamburg in 1986 Starlight Express began its run in Bochum two years later and is still playing to packed houses today
In 1990 Phantom of the Opera took to the stage of the Flora Theater in Hamburg, which was built especially for the purpose Kurz followed up those hugely successful productions with the internationally acclaimed musical Marlene and with Shakespeare & Rock 'n' Roll, which was featured at the Musical Theater Berlin But show business isn't the only field where the multitalented Kurz has left his mark Born in 1951 in the small southern German town of Nürtingen, he made a name for himself in the world of sports before embarking on his career in the entertainment industry However, although he had actively pursued various sports himself, his real strength lay in coaching As he himself says: "I was a good athlete, but I've always been a better coach just as I'm a better producer than I ever could have been as an artist" At various times over the course of his first, equally distinguished career in sports, he worked with professional tennis players and served as head coach of the VfB Stuttgart athletics team, as well as coaching the German national bobsled team and Kuwait's national handball team Kurz developed numerous friendships with top athletes and coaches during this time Jürgen Klinsmann is a prominent example During the FIFA World Cup in 2006, when Klinsmann was coach of the German national football team, he stayed at the Estrel Berlin and went to see with his family on a game-free evening Looking back, Kurz says that has been the most important show of his career, opening doors to numerous other productions and cementing his reputation as the world's premier producer of tribute shows His standing has been underscored by numerous awards, including "Best Producer" at the Artist Choice Awards (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007) and at the Reel Awards (2004, 2009, 2010 and 2016) in Las Vegas He was also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas in 2006 and has served as the European President of the Las Vegas-based International Association of Talent Agents and Producers since 2008
Further Show Productions of Thank you for the music - The ABBA Story ABBA that stands for Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid But predominantly, ABBA stands for hits like Thank you for the music, Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Fernando or Dancing Queen In this show, a presenter tells the story of the Swedes and their careers in short episodes The rest speaks for itself: songs everyone can sing along to and that stay in your ear At the centre of the attention are four artists, who not only look identical to their idols but whose liveliness and verve radiate the attitude to life of those bygone days I'm a Soul Man A Tribute to the Blues Brothers One cannot help getting a bit short of breath, when watching I'm a Soul Man A Tribute to the Blues Brothers The performances of Chris and Geoff Dahl, both wearing black suits, black hats and black sunglasses as Jake and Elwood, are as racy and full of energy as those you know from the cult movies The Blues Brothers or Blues Brothers 2000 Like in all shows produced by Bernhard Kurz, live singing and live music is the most important thing and the Dahl Brothers prove their talent not only with their singing ability but also at the guitar, bass, keyboard and the drums And when Geoff takes up his harmonica, he is certain of wild applause Elvis The Musical A terrific homage to Elvis Presley, turning back time The cult around the King of Rock n Roll is fully revived when Grahame Patrick steps into the limelight and delivers his performance with irresistible charm and stirring singing and dancing Contemporary witnesses and companions of Elvis Presley report from their lives by the side of the world-famous star and thus bring the King a little closer to everyone all you need is love! - The Beatles Musical This show tells the story of the most famous band in the world, which still manages to enthuse people with their hits today From their early days in Hamburg nightclubs via their comet-like rise to stardom to their final concert all the important stations of their lives are revisited in short episodes, accompanied by more than 30 of the greatest worldwide Beatles hits The songs are played and sung by the band Twist & Shout, who do not only sing but
also look just like the Fab Four The audience can constantly check this for themselves as photos of the Beatles are shown alongside scenes from the show on big screens in the background A presenter guides audiences through the show, taking the audience right into the world of the Beatles Anecdotes and the terrific music are sure to fascinate audiences from the first to the last minute of this show The Beatles go Philharmonic Classical music in connection with world-famous Beatles hits this unrivalled combination is unique and does not only make Beatles fans hearts skip a beat The musical accompaniment by the 48 musicians of the Classical Mystery Tour Orchestra transforms the world-famous hits of the four Liverpudlian mushroom heads, creating an atmosphere that does not only amaze friends of classical music all that swing They are truly immortal not only thanks to their voices but also because of their aura, their charm and their stage presence: we are talking about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis jr, who went down in history as the legendary Rat Pack Together with Jim Huntley, the Artistic Director of the Rat Pack at that time, Bernhard Kurz has produced a show that does justice to precisely this aura and stage presence Apart from the world s best lookalikes of these three legends, also Marilyn Monroe and Bette Midler enter the stage, delivering rousing Swing The musicians of the Savoy Dance Orchestra create the legendary big band sound: all in all, a combination that preserves a piece of these big stars immortality on stage It s all musical The musical gala It s all musical presents the musical highlights of the most famous and successful stage productions With hits from top musicals like Cats, Starlight Express, Grease, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, Saturday Night Fever, Beauty and the Beast and Dance of the Vampires, professional musical performers sweep the audience away into a world of great emotions The show is perfectly completed by an eight-man live band and a gorgeous dance ensemble, turning this 90-minute musical gala into an unforgettable event DIVAS The Show Join us at the Estrel Festival Center for "Divas - The Show", a tribute to the greatest female names in popular music The world s finest look-and-sound-alike artists deliver glamorous, powerhouse performances as Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin,
Amy Winehouse, Donna Summer and Dolly Parton The show is accompanied by a group of ravishing dancers and a fabulous allgirl live band "Divas The Show" is hosted by Las Vegas singer and comic Bethany Owen, renowned throughout the USA as the woman of 1000 voices for her uncanny ability to perfectly imitate virtually every celebrated female singer Memories of Motown Memories of Motown, the newest musical stage show of producer Bernhard Kurz brings back all the unmistakeable world hits with which the Detroit record label celebrated its success in the 60 s and 70 s With original stars and tribute acts, Memories of Motown brings the legendary sound that made Motown famous back to life Between 1961 and 1971 Motown produced more than 110 top ten hits, including Do You Love Me by The Contours, Stop In The Name Of Love" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, My Guy by Mary Wells and I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye In Memories of Motown real Motown stars take the audience away to the glamorous times of Motown with their songs Alongside the originals the world s best performers of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson and Mary Wells will bring the unmistakeable sound of Motown to the stage with true passion "That'll be the day" The Buddy Holly Musical The Buddy Holly Musical "That'll be the day" named after the 1957 hit that brought Holly stardom is an extravaganza documenting the short, turbulent life of the Rock'n'Roll legend In the latest of the Berlin stage shows "", producer Bernhardt Kurz pays musical homage to Buddy Holly - the gawky, nondescript, Texas 'boy from next-door', who became a worldfamous superstar in the mid 1950's Holly played with the likes of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, and was the first white artist ever to play at New York's Apollo Theater where he took the public by storm Audiences back in the days of petticoats went wild by over 30 unforgettable hits like 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy', and were enchanted by 'Words of Love' Rock around the Clock The Fifties-Musical The Fifties-Special is a show which leads back to the beginning of the rock n roll era During this show, great music legends from that time like Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis are gathering on stage and enchant the audience with live performed songs like Peggy Sue, Ring of Fire or Don t be cruel Rock around the clock is a very entertaining live-concert with the founding fathers of rock n roll
Simply The Best The Tina Turner Musical With songs like We Don t Need Another Hero or What s Love Got To Do With It Tina Turner made history in the pop business The Musical Simply The Best shows a great and a distinctive sound combined with a powerful performance live on stage The story of her life, including the ups and downs as well as the unforgettable songs, takes the audience on a musical journey through five decades of music history starting with the successful song of Proud Mary, her comeback within the 80s up to the James Bond theme song The Golden Eye in the 90s
Facts and Figures of In September 1997, Producer Bernhard Kurz started his productions with star impersonators A total of over 5 million people have so far seen one of his successful tribute shows 1997 Premiere (formerly Legends in Concert ) 2001 Premiere Beatles Musical all you need is love! 2002 Premiere Elvis The Musical 2003 Premiere ABBA-Story Thank you for the music 2004 Premiere I'm a Soul Man Tribute to the Blues Brothers 2005 Premiere The Beatles go Philharmonic 2006 Premiere all that Swing 2006 Premiere Musical Gala It s all musical 2007 Premiere Swinging Ballroom 2009 Premiere Memories of Motown 2010 Premiere Buddy Holly Musical That ll be the day 2011 Premiere Shakespeare s Musical Comedy 2013 Premiere DIVAS The Show Apart from performances in the Berlin Estrel Festival Center, the main venue of, the individual shows have also gone on world tours And everywhere people were amazed by the incredible likeness of the artists, be it singing, facial expressions or performance Worldwide guest performances of have taken place in Athens, Lausanne, Vienna, Prague, San Diego, Budapest, Bucharest, Salzburg, Istanbul as well as on Majorca, Cyprus and Hawaii Moreover, the ABBA- Story Thank you for the music was invited to Dubai, Athens, Bern and Majorca Also the Beatles Musical all you need is love! went on international tour and stopped off at several locations in Switzerland, Australia and Japan In Germany, Bernhard Kurz s shows have done guest runs sometimes over several weeks in many big cities including Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hanover, Dresden, Essen as well as on the lake stage ( Seebühne ) of the famous Bavarian Chiemsee
The Venue Estrel Festival Center With its 1,120 m 2, the Estrel Festival Center, which can be directly accessed from the Estrel Hotel via the glass rotunda, is one of the three pillars of the Estrel Berlin, Europe s largest hotel, congress & entertainment center Since 1997, the reconstructed factory hall has been hosting the successful Las Vegas live show as well as other productions of Estrel entertainment every night With a concert stage that was renovated in 2015, the Estrel Festival Center managed to achieve such a high standard that it fulfils the requirements of international top stars effortlessly The new stage and lighting design enables audiences to enjoy an even more impressive show experience, and also the sound quality was perfected further Thanks to three projectors, the stage set can be changed within seconds, and changing projections open up new possibilities in terms of using the stage in different show productions The stage now seems a lot bigger than it used to be though its actual size has remained the same 800 spectators can still be placed on tables in the hall Together with Lighting Designer Patrick Murray Producer Bernhard Kurz chose this modern and flexible stage technology to make sure that this attractive event venue is equipped with absolutely top-notch technology But it is not only the audiences of the daily shows who benefit from these possibilities the hall can also be used for every other type of exclusive event Lighting, sound and stage technology can naturally be used for other events, too Furthermore it is possible to book individual elements or entire shows of in the Estrel Festival Center for individual event programs This can be accompanied with gala buffets or menus for up to 1,000 people before or after the show elements