'Madam Secretary' star Erich Bergen brings his concert 'party' to Metropolis
When you hear about actor Erich Bergen's busy shooting schedule playing Blake Moran on the CBS drama "Madam Secretary," you realize how challenging it is for him to appear at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre as part of its Artists Lounge Live concert series. But Bergen really wanted to return to the Chicago area and his live performing roots for two shows in Arlington Heights on Sunday, Nov. 8.
"From July through the middle of April, every day we're on set on average from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The only time we get off are weekends," said Bergen over the phone from the Brooklyn soundstage where "Madam Secretary" is filmed. "I had to make sure that I could get the day off on Monday because there were no flights out of Chicago that left late enough after my second Sunday show to get back in time."
Since the age of 17, the native New Yorker has been crafting and reshaping a concert act to perform with a band. The concert work proved invaluable for Bergen's theater career, which includes local stints starring in a musical version of "The Three Musketeers" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2007 and the world premiere musical "Hero" in 2012 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolshire.
Yet it is Bergen's three-year association with the 2005 Broadway smash musical "Jersey Boys" that launched his acting career. Bergen was cast as singer/songwriter Bob Gaudio in the first national tour and Las Vegas productions of the musical, which charts the rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
When it came time for Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood to cast his 2014 movie version of "Jersey Boys," he opted to go with veteran performers of the stage show - including Bergen.
"It was really surreal for me and a dream that I had thought of sitting backstage at the show but never thought that it would ever be possible," Bergen said. "I felt that I had really nailed down the part of Bob Gaudio, and the movie was a chance to go back to that really more than it was a chance to reinvent it."
Bergen's concert act features lots of music and anecdotes tied to "Jersey Boys," including the story of how the film cast got to perform at the White House for President Barack Obama.
Bergen also performs a wide range of songs popularized by artists such as Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow.
"It's not retro. I'm not pretending that it's 1962 with my hair styled in a pompadour. I'm just trying to emulate ... what was so great about live entertainment back in that time," Bergen said. "While I'm the person who's heading it and up front, my rule is that everyone should leave feeling like they've been to a great party."
And once the party is over, Bergen goes back to his TV work on "Madam Secretary."
"I get to work with these incredible women, obviously Téa Leoni. But part of the joy - especially for a musical theater actor like myself - is that I have two Tony Award-winning women by me all the time in Bebe Neuwirth and Patina Miller," said Bergen about his "Madam Secretary" co-stars. "It's fair to say that every time it's called 'Cut!' behind the camera, we all break into a show tune and start dancing a little bit."
“Erich Bergen: Live on Stage”
Location: Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, (847) 577-2121 or
Showtimes: 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
Tickets: $40-$45