Online Store I CD To Where You Are I CD Bound For Broadway
THIS IS THE MOMENT
Jekyll & Hyde
Frank Wildhorn
and Leslie Bricusse
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT
Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber
J.C. SUPERSTAR
J.C. Superstar
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Distributed by RDR Music.
299 Lesmill Rd, Toronto,
Ontario Canada M3B 2V1
NEW ALBUM To Where You Are
Top Customer Reviews
5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSERIC DEGRAY
HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
By Christine W. Murray on April 6, 2009
Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase
Eric Degray is the singer who keeps on giving... Song after song on the superb "bound for broadway" cd, hits all the right notes... Eric is a genius and seasoned expert in treating the listener to a sumptuous, perfectly sung array of broadway's most famous and favourite show tunes...Eric never disappoints...you will want to listen this cd over and over and over...
5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSFANTASTIC VOICE
By Kathryn A. Falvey on January 24, 2014
Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase
I first heard Eric DeGray on board an Azamara cruise and just loved him. Forgot to get the cd on the ship so when I saw it on Amazon I had to get it. Hope to see more of his cd's soon.
Online Store I New Book - Letters from Grandpa
« MY NEW BOOK !
It's official everyone! "Letters from Grandpa" has been published after 10 years of
story telling on the ships and audiences asking for the
stories!
The book also features pictures of the grandparents and great grandparents, reflective of the stories told, introducing you to the family !
« LETTERS FROM
GRANDPA! (e-book)
by a collaboration of
jokes by Eric De Gray,
A hilarious collection
of grandpa stories
reflective of life's adventures!
Category: Humor
Keywords: jokes
grandpa from
letters stories
Eric De Gray.
News I The Washington Post
Betting on a shore thing: Four megaship
veterans try cruising on a smaller scale- By Candyce H. Stapen October 13, 2017
The Azamara Journey edges close to Santorini. The 690-passenger ship offers vacationers more time on land and the opportunity to visit ports that aren’t accessible to larger ships. (Azamara Club Cruises).
Some people like hosting relatives at their homes. We prefer cruising with family because it gives us time together (and apart), plus interesting ports, entertainment and meals without the hassle of shopping, cooking and housekeeping. Every summer since 2009, my cousins Wayne and Mary Jane have joined me and my husband, David, on the high seas.
This year, when it came time to map out our annual trip, Wayne suggested that we try something different. Azamara Club Cruises’ small ships specialize in upscale but casual — no tux or gowns required — voyages. Aboard its two vessels, the Azamara Journey and the Azamara Quest, the line offers something it calls “immersive cruising,” the ability to explore a port through shore tours that convey the local culture as well as overnights that enable cruisers to experience a destination after dark as well as the next day.
As frequent cruisers on megaships that carry more than 4,000 passengers, we wondered if we’d find happiness on the 690-passenger Azamara Journey. Could we forgo the bumper cars, ropes courses, outdoor movies and multiple music and food venues on large vessels?
[In France’s Dordogne region, land of castles and caves calls for exploration]
Despite our misgivings, we were hooked by the promise of more time on land and the opportunity to visit ports that aren’t accessible to large ships. We booked Azamara Journey’s nine-night Normandy, Holland and Germany package. The ship departed from Lisbon in mid-June, docking in St. Peter Port, Guernsey; Cherbourg, France; Honfleur, France; Amsterdam; and Hamburg, where we disembarked for our flights back to the United States. Our booking came with a $300-per-person shipboard credit, and our goal was to stick as close to that amount as possible. After all, most cruise lines offer special outings — helicopter rides, dog-sledding atop a glacier, floatplane trips, VIP winery tours with dinner — for hefty fees, but we hoped Azamara would deliver local outings at more-affordable prices.
St. Peter Port, Guernsey, was the first of five ports of call on the Azamara Journey’s nine-day Normandy, Holland and Germany cruise. (Azamara Club Cruises)
The ship had the requisite pool deck, lounge, buffet cafe, main dining room, specialty restaurants, gym, spa, and theater. Although the venues appeared doll-size compared to those on big ships, David and I liked the scale. Wayne and Mary Jane, however, thought the ship was too small and lamented its lack of organized activities and people-watching spots.
We all looked forward to our first stop, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands occupied by the Germans in World War II. It was time to test Azamara’s immersive-cruise proposition. Of the six available tours in St. Peter Port, two were primarily sightseeing rides, a third traced the sites in “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society,” a novel none of us had read, and a fourth explored the German occupation, a topic that didn’t appeal to us on a fine summer’s day.
That left us two options, both of which would have decimated our budget: the “Fishmonger, Farm and Gin Distillery Tour” and that evening’s “Castle Cornet Reception.” The medieval castle rose on an island a 15-minute walk from the dock and the admission cost was about $23. We wondered whether the prosecco, canapés and private guide would be worth the added zeros. Maybe, but we had an allowance to consider. We settled for a self-guided walk and a drink at a local cafe.
Back on board, we were pleasantly surprised by the evening’s entertainment. We had assumed that a small ship focused on land tours would skimp on talent. But as soon as cruise director Eric De Gray began belting out “Some Enchanted Evening,” we realized our error. In his “From Vegas to Broadway” show, De Gray, backed by a seven-piece chamber orchestra — a rarity at sea — sang “Send in the Clowns,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and other Broadway favorites. His delivery energized a crowd of attendees with an average age hovering in the mid-60s.
In the morning, our ship arrived in Cherbourg, at the tip of Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula and stayed 14 hours. That gave Wayne, Mary Jane and David plenty of time to stroll through the Cité de la Mer museum. An outing to Mont Saint-Michel, an island UNESCO World Heritage site, intrigued me, but nine hours on a bus did not, so I signed up for a four-hour bus tour to Cap de la Hague.
Following the Route des Caps, we passed manor houses, woodlands and cornfields . In the hamlet of Gruchy, we strolled to the house where artist Jean-François Millet was born. Between the summer haze and the wild grasses, it was easy to imagine that we were in the farm fields of Millet’s paintings. In Port Racine, we watched a scuba club prepare to search for wrecks; in Le Nez de Jobourg, we ventured out onto the gorse and heather-covered cliffs that rose 419 feet above the sea. Waves broke against the sandy beach below, and cormorants and gulls called into the wind. At the site’s cafe, we sampled a crepe and the local, five-percent-alcohol Cidre Cotentin.
[ Cirque du Soleil takes its act to sea on new Mediterranean cruises ]
Our next stop was Honfleur, a picturesque town that dates to the 14th century. Unlike Le Havre, across the river, Honfleur was not bombed during World War II. Cobblestone streets fan out from the historical harbor, home to centuries-old buildings, including half-timbered medieval dwellings. Boutiques, galleries, and cafes line the quay. The town’s lesser-known gem, the Eugene Boudin Museum, features pre-impressionist, impressionist and contemporary works.
When the ship overnighted there, we eschewed the 9½ -hour “D-Day Landing Tour” (too long) as well as the 10-hour Paris excursion to the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame. (Been there, done that). Instead we explored Honfleur on our own, pausing at the 15th-century Church of St. Catherine — the oldest wooden church in France — browsing in galleries and lingering over a late lunch. We weren’t in a hurry, since we had the next day to explore the museum.
The group explored Honfleur, France, a picturesque town that dates to the 14th century, on its own. The town’s Eugene Boudin Museum is a lesser-known gem. (Azamara Club Cruises).
The ship did not offer a Paris shuttle or information on how to reach the city on one’s own; this was frustrating for Wayne, who wanted to visit without paying hundreds of dollars to tour sites he already knew well. Instead, he followed directions gleaned from the Internet, then took a cab to Deauville and a train to Paris.
That evening, concert pianist and raconteur Brooks Aehron charmed us with his anecdotes and renditions of pieces by composers including Sergei Rachmaninoff and John Lennon. After his performance of new material the next night, De Gray and the ship’s singers and dancers staged a Broadway tribute whose high-energy finale featured the cruise director in drag circling the stage on roller skates.
The Journey arrived in Amsterdam the next afternoon. All of us had previously visited the cosmopolitan city known for its culture, canals and throngs of bicyclists. Among its many museums, two stand out: the Rijksmuseum for its works by Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters, and the Van Gogh Museum, which houses the largest collection of the artist’s works.
Azamara offered a tour of the Van Gogh Museum, but it conflicted with our previously purchased tickets to the Rijksmuseum, so we admired Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and other masterworks on our own. By now, we liked the concept of overnight stays because it gifted us with the ability to see more. On the second day in Amsterdam, David joined the bike ride through Waterland, a municipality north of the city. The bikers took a ferry there, then cycled through scenery out of a Dutch landscape painting.
The second night in Amsterdam, the ship’s passengers had been promised an “AzAmazing Evening.” We traveled by bus to the centuries-old Grote Kerk church in Monnickendam for a classical organ concert . For the its finale, 30 actors in period attire created a living version of “The Night Watch,” complete with a dog (real) and a little girl holding a chicken (rubber). Although we aren’t big fans of organ music, we appreciated the spectacle, as well as the lavish onboard dessert buffet that followed.
The Azamara Journey overnighted in Amsterdam, which allowed time for both a visit to the Rijksmuseum and a bike ride through scenic Waterland. (Azamara Club Cruises).
Our final destination, Hamburg, has served as a major German port for centuries. The Kunstmeile (art mile) showcases five art museums; the Reeperbahn buzzes with bars, clubs and brothels; and HafenCity, a large urban-renewal district, pops with a mix of harborside walkways, modern architecture and the repurposed redbrick, 19th-century warehouses of the Speicherstadt district.
Because we wanted to sample another Azamara offering and still have time to explore on our own, we opted to take the Sweet Hamburg tour. Twenty-three of us walked behind a guide whom we couldn’t hear most of the time as she had no microphone and we had no headphones. Fortunately, our destination, the Chocoversum, was well worth a visit. We customized our own chocolate bars with toppings and spices before taking the museum’s chocolate-making tour. Our gripe: The museum’s fee for these activities was only about $13, which meant we’d paid through the nose for our less-than-informative walk through town. This letdown aside, we enjoyed the city, walking on our own to the Hamburg Town Hall and square and browsing in the nearby shops.
By the end of the nine-day cruise, we had learned that immersive cruising is dependent on the quality of the tours, with longer and more expensive outings perhaps delivering more local flavor. We regretted, for instance, not busting our budget to take the big-ticket tour that might have brought St. Peter Port to life for us.
Nonetheless, David and I would gladly board the Journey again, if only for the long hours in port. We liked setting our own agenda simply by wandering, taking advantage of the overnights in Honfleur and Amsterdam to experience more in an unhurried way, a rarity on megaships that steam to different ports each day. But the lack of things to do on the ship bored Wayne and Mary Jane; they won’t sail Azamara again. Clearly, next year’s cousins’ cruise is going to be problematic.
Stapen is a writer based in the District.
Her website is www.gfvac.com.
Find her on Twitter: @familytrips.
More from Travel:
The childhood home of lauded author Colette is open in this small French village
In Portugal, uncorking some unexpected culinary delights
Malta, the island nation just below Sicily, is an increasingly popular stopover
IF YOU GO
Azamara Club Cruises / Azamara Journey
877-999-9553
In 2018, Azamara Club Cruises will sail guests to more than 214 ports in 70 countries. Itineraries for the Azamara Journey include a 10-night Normandy and Amsterdam voyage in June that starts at $4,299; an 11-night Cities of Northern Europe voyage in August that starts at $4,399; and a 10-night Circle Cuba voyage in November that starts at $3,599. Azamara Quest itineraries include a 10-night Islands of the Western Mediterranean voyage in June that starts at $4,099 per and a 10-night Classic Grand Prix and Mediterranean voyage in May that starts at $3,399. (Prices are per person double.) Cost includes tips, meals, nonalcoholic beverages and select spirits, beers and wines; an array of optional outings are offered for a fee. For select bookings through Nov. 30, Azamara offers a complimentary upgrade from a Club Interior to a Club Veranda stateroom.
— C.S.
News I TORONTO SUN I Cruise Director Eric De Gray is Mr. Entertainment aboard Azamara Journey
Cruise director Eric De Gray is Mr. Entertainment aboard Azamara Journey
- By Robin Robinson
At 6-foot-6 — topped by a couple of inches of spiky blond hair — Eric De Gray is hard to miss. The singer-actor-dancer-composer stands out in any crowd, but especially so aboard a small-by-today’s-standards, 694-passenger cruise ship such as Azamara Journey, where he is the lead performer and cruise director. In the world of cruise directors, the multi-talented De Gray is a bit of a rock star.
But head-turning height, regal bearing and aristocratic-sounding name aside, he is remarkably down to earth. During a meet-and-greet with the ship’s officers, De Gray demonstrates a self-deprecating sense of humour as he jokes about working part-time for the housekeeping department — “dusting the ship’s ceilings with my hair.”
On a 10-night cruise from Costa Rica to Los Angeles, De Gray is everywhere: On shipboard TV doing his morning show, mixing and mingling with guests around the ship, and on stage each night doing everything from MC duties to standup comedy to singing — on roller blades!
Oh, yeah, in addition to a career in musical theatre on and off Broadway, the Toronto resident and U of T music grad was once a competitive figure skater and ice-show performer. And while there is no rink aboard the Journey, he manages to work some skating moves into his routines.
De Gray hails from Morrisburg — a small town south of Ottawa — and draws on his family life for comedic material. He speaks affectionately of his Mother, a music teacher and mentor, his Father, who bought young Eric figure skates instead of hockey skates, and his grandparents. De Gray has a series of gently humorous “Grandpa jokes,” which he uses to warm up the crowd that comes out for nightly entertainment aboard Journey. Delivered deadpan and with impeccable timing, the tales have proved so popular he has published a small volume titled Letters from Grandpa.
In addition to his own performances, De Gray is in charge of the entertainment staff, and likes to encourage the young entertainers, who may be away from home for the first time. “Sometimes a word of encouragement can mean so much,” De Gray says, recalling luminaries such as singer Michael Burgess and ice skater Toller Cranston who encouraged him along the way. “Cruise ships are a great venue for young talent to come out and get some experience,” he adds.
Another one of De Gray’s many duties as cruise director is to help organize the AzAmazing Evening — a unique activity for Azamara Club Cruise passengers. Almost every cruise includes one off-ship AzAmazing Evening. There is no cost for passengers to take part in the special event, which is always a one-off. On a previous cruise I took aboard the Azamara Quest, the evening was held in Sete, France, where the town’s annual river-jousting tournament was re-staged just for us.
This time the AzAmazing Evening was held in Puerto Vallarta. After dinner, we travelled into the hills on the outskirts of town. En route, the road went from pavement to broken pavement to dirt, and when the last street light was behind us, men on horseback lit the way with torches.
At the hilltop site there was food, crafts and entertainment by the Huichol Indians — one of Mexico’s few remaining indigenous tribes, said to have retained their pre-Columbian traditions. When not at sea, De Gray spends his time in Toronto, where he has a condo. In addition to writing music, going to shows and symphony, he is a “serious” train buff. Describing himself as a “huge rail-fan and model railroader,” De Gray says his balcony has a view of the Canadian National mainline, and his condo has a “custom built dream layout” — “HO-scale, all Canadian, CP and CN.”
The layout spans two rooms, but raises to the ceiling when not in use, he says. And of all the many places he has travelled, De Gray says there is nothing better than coming home. “I’m so proud of Canada. It’s the most beautiful country. ... And it’s so amazing how sparsely populated some parts still are,” he says.
“Toronto is magical. It has everything ... great food, great culture. ... It’s always evolving,” he adds.
NEED TO KNOW
— Azamara Club Cruises has two ships — Journey and Quest — and is Royal Caribbean International’s boutique cruise line. Journey is currently sailing in the Caribbean, then moves on to Asia and Australia-New Zealand itineraries. See azamaraclubcruises.com.
— Eric De Gray is aboard Journey until February of 2017, his next scheduled break. See ericdegray.com.
— Azamara was named No. 1 for entertainment in the mid-size/small ship category for the Cruise Critic & Readers Choice Award 2014-15.
News I TRAVEL WEEKLY I Azamara Journey isn't hiding the gray
Aview of the new spa suite on the Azamara Journey, which was added during a recent drydock. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
If you love gray, you're going to love the redesigned Azamara Journey. The ship recently came out of drydock with every cabin and suite redecorated with many of its public rooms redesigned, as well.
Azamara Club Cruises picked a lighter shade of gray along with beige, cream and a medium brown to lighten the feel of the ship's interior, which had been built with a lot of dark wood. Many of the darker fabrics in the ship have been replaced with lighter ones, as well. Burgundy curtains in the staterooms have given way to a patterned, silvery gray.
"It looks much fresher," said Ryszard Gusmann, the hotel director of the Journey. "The combination of light colors and fresh linens gives you the impression of more space." At the same time, the neutral qualities of the grays and beiges give the vessel a relaxed and calm feel.
Some guests have wondered how the lighter shades will stand up cruise after cruise, but Gusmann said he's not concerned. "Maybe in the high-traffic areas we have to shampoo it more often, but we like the look, so if we have to, why not?" he said.
That new look, with fresh carpets, wall coverings, fabrics and furniture, was a major part of a two-week drydock that produced the most extensive changes since the ship started sailing as the Azamara Journey in 2008. Azamara also changed the uses of several public rooms and added a pair of spa suites with special access to the spa area. It carved out room for the suites by downsizing the ship's public Internet room from 12 stations to two and relocating it away from the spa
The patterned gray carpet was installed throughout the ship, creating a lighter color scheme.
- Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst"People are traveling now with their tablets and phones," Gusmann said. "We didn't need 12 computer stations any longer." The spa suites also have the lighter, more airy tone that Azamara tried to set in its overhaul.
"They're very modern, compared to other suites," Gusmann said. That's especially true of the bath area, which has a circular hot tub and walk-in shower combination that reminded me of areas I've seen on Celebrity Cruises or Viking Ocean Cruises. The suites are reached via a short corridor that provides direct access to the spa lobby. "It's nice and peaceful," Gusmann said. "This corridor, there's nothing happening." "Nothing happening" had been a problem in a different area of the ship. The former Looking Glass Lounge, a bar and dance space with top deck, floor-to-ceiling-window views of the ocean, was deserted much of the day. To remedy that, Azamara changed the name of the space to the Living Room and began providing coffee and Spanish tapas during the day to try to boost usage. It is also now the venue for wine tastings.
Azamara hopes the change will better balance the passenger flow, drawing coffee drinkers from the smaller Mosaic Cafe, where they had a tendency to cluster. Another venue that has been tweaked is the former Pool Grill, which is now the Patio. It still functions as a pool grill during the day, but after 6 p.m. it changes character. The linens are put away, and waiters take orders from a menu that includes hamburgers but also features more formal fare, such as beef paillard, chicken cordon bleu and salmon steak with pink peppercorns. I had a Patio cheeseburger for lunch and dinner, and the evening's Angus beef burger was larger and came out piping hot from the grill. One popular addition to the staterooms is a charging port for a reading lamp and USB outlet next to the bed. New makeup mirrors in the bathrooms are another passenger request fulfilled.
However, the showers on the Journey remain some of the smallest I have ever encountered on a ship. Although Azamara doesn't carry a lot of families, there are a half-dozen of the 266-square-foot Club Continent suites with connecting doors to adjacent suites. Also, there are a dozen that have pullout sofa beds to accommodate three guests. Otherwise, the suites are intended for two.
"Travel agents need to be very careful" distinguishing between the two, Gusmann said.
Food on the Journey was more comfort than gourmet, but that suited my tastes. It was hard to resist the concept in the Windows Cafe buffet restaurant, which offered a different national cuisine each night.
I lingered over French and Turkish dinners in the Sunset Bar, an outdoor seating area adjacent to the Windows Cafe that was slated to become an Asian restaurant in the drydock renovation but was retained after passenger feedback.
A chef on the Azamara Journey carves tandoori
chicken on Indian Night at the Windows Cafe.
- Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Entertainment on the 690-passenger Journey is limited, but I found myself seeking out Montreal guitarist Simon. The showstopper, however, was an evening with entertainer Eric De Gray, whose voice and showmanship packed the Cabaret Lounge the night he took center stage. De Gray had a great touch for involving the audience and so clearly loves performing that it was infectious. His powerful tenor and folksy stories meant there's something for everyone in his show.
One neat feature I didn't get to try was the Night in Private Places, a sheltered sofa bed in a private outdoor area near the spa where couples can spend the night under the stars, weather permitting. The $385 package comes with dinner for two, butler service from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and morning breakfast. "[The concept is] only a year old, but it's very popular," said Gusmann, who had five reservations for it on our cruise. I had to depart the ship's 12-day sailing from Costa Rica to Los Angeles before two signature events: the AzAmazing Evening, a custom night excursion for all 624 guests on this cruise, and an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, featuring another evening excursion to a local hot spot. Both are big parts of the brand promise for Azamara.
If there's an area of the ship untouched by the renovation that should have been touched, it was the Drawing Room, a U-shaped space that primarily serves as a library. The carpet was changed, but the room retains the country club ambience of the ship's original design, with dark wood, an elaborate faux fireplace and a raised ceiling with a winter-garden design.
It was tranquil but underused. Azamara employs it for its Best of the Best dinner one evening for its top suite guests and for lectures. There was a piano player in the afternoon. All in all, I found the Azamara Journey to be a very comfortable size. It was easy to get around, the service was friendly and the officers were affable in the way they sometimes aren't on larger ships. The new decor should keep Azamara in the mix in the upper-premium segment.
News I TRAVEL WEEKLY I Rock Star On Board
Photo Credit: TW illustration by Thomas R Lechleiter
ERIC DE GRAY
The storyteller
At Azamara, one of those personalities is Eric de Gray, cruise director on the Azamara Journey.
A towering figure at 6 feet 6 inches tall, De Gray is a former figure skater who often appears on stage on roller blades, making him appear even taller. His background includes a music degree from the University of Toronto, performing in Broadway and off-Broadway shows and writing scores for films. He's legendary on Azamara for telling stories about his grandfather, which he has compiled in a book titled "Letters From Grandpa!" But what makes de Gray really stand out is his warmth and engagement.
"He defines human connection," Pimentel said. "He has a way of being able to connect with guests and crew members with a sense of humor from a multicultural standpoint, through jokes, through storytelling and through incredible attention to detail about guests."
Not surprisingly, De Gray has become an attraction unto himself. "We have people calling the call centers asking, 'Is Eric on that voyage?' So he makes a difference in that he makes people laugh," Pimentel said. "And the laughter is the joy and glorious connection that he gets."
Interaction with the crew turns out to be one of the most highly valued parts of a cruise experience, according to research undertaken by World Travel Holdings, parent to retailers such as CruiseOne/Cruises Inc.
In an analysis of more than 14,000 entries submitted by cruisers to the company's Cruiseline.com review site, staff and service were rated higher than any other cruise attribute, including food and dining.
On a scale of 1 to 3, the average review ranked satisfaction with service and staff at 2.71. "It is where we find our highest scores, but people are also telling us it is very important to them, as well," said David Crooks, senior vice president of product and operations at World Travel Holdings. Crooks said that when CruiseOne/Cruises Inc. held its annual conference last fall on Princess Cruises' new Regal Princess, Hotel Director Dirk Brand stood out.
"He was phenomenal," Crooks said, "and that ship does score really high."
For the six months that ended in March, Regal Princess tied with Celebrity Reflection as the third most popular ship among Cruiseline.com reviewers, behind only the Disney Dream and the Allure of the Seas.
As overseers of the dining and cabin staff, hotel directors supervise the largest number of crew on a ship.
They can have a dramatic effect on crew attitude, said Jennifer Gasser, vice president of supplier relations and product operations at World Travel Holdings.
Theatre
Fanfare for the American Hero:
Hero's of 911USA Touring Production 2011
Alkahest Artists USA
Featured Lead Singer / Director / Writer / Assistant Arranger
Stage Door to Dreams
White Nights / Headliner Artist
Azamara Club Cruises, 2010-currently
Featured Entertainer / Director
"From Vegas to Broadway"
2010 Featured Guest Artist
Winchester Hospital Benefit 2010
Mardi Gras 2006
Featured Solo Artist for Robert Noland Productions
ALS Benefit 2003
Featured Solo Artist for
Kansas City USA Annual FundraiserRosebrook Society Benefit
Rosebrook Society Celebrity Benefit
Guest Celebrity Headliner for 2002 Society Benefit
“From Vegas to Broadway”
“Broadway Showstoppers”
Rock the boat”
Seabourn Cruise Lines 2001 - 2010
Featured Entertainer / Director
Christmas Spectacular on Ice
Headline Singer/Skater
Rosstyn Ice Shows Production
2000 On Ice
Headline Singer / Skater / MC
Rosstyn Ice Shows Production
Sweet Dreams / Flashback
Vocal Director
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Hooray for Hollywood
Broadway's Best
Rock and Roll Revisited
Headline Singer
Kevin Black Prod.
Rock on Broadway
Rhythm Nation
Make Mine Broadway
Headline Singer / Featured Artist
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Stars on Ice
Headline Singer / Featured Skater
Karen Flannigan Productions
Vive Miami
Headline Singer
Théâtre Des Variétés - Montréal
Broadway Bound
Headline Singer
Silverseas Cruise Line 97-98
Christmas Mistletoe
Featured Singer/Music
Director
Silverseas Cruise Line '97
Jazz Night Hot
Featured Singer / Director
Silverseas Cruise Line '97
Cole Porter / Dancin' Fools
Featured Singer Morag
Productions
Vegas Voila Tour
Headline Singer
Greg Purcott Productions
On the Town
Let’s Go To The Movies / MystèreFeatured Guest Entertainer Princess Cruise Lines
Closer Than Ever
Man Two (2)
Bluewater Summer Playhouse
Secret Garden
Dr. Craven
Theatre Orangeville / Jim Betts
Mollywood
Miss Molloy / Pianist / Bassoonist
Lovers & Madmen Productions
A Night at the Pavilion
Director / Writer / Singer
Bluewater Summer Playhouse
Blue Champagne
Lead Male
Bluewater Summer Playhouse
Cabaret Artist / Featured Artist
Q.E. II / World Cruise '94
Cunard Cruise LinesBroadway Bound Featured Artist World Cruise Vistafjord '93 / CUNARD Cruise Lines
Holiday Magic
The Tony's
Featured Singer
Jean Ann Ryan Productions
Radio Waves / London Daily News
Featured Singer Jean Ann
Ryan Productions
Ten Feet Off the Ground
Featured Singer
Off-Broadway Productions
Clowns Play
Jack Clown
Giant Lighthouse Children's Productions
Beauty & The Beast
Beast / Prince
Musical Inc.
Into the Woods
Rapunzel's Prince
Broadway North
Treasure Island
Pew / Flint / Ben Gunn
Limelight Dinner Theatre
Duncan & De Gray
Lead Singer / Director
King Edward Production
What's a Stage?
Singer / Composer
Upper Canada Playhouse
Theatre On Ice
Soloist / Figure Skater
Cricket Productions
Film
WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS
Host
Barslow International Ltd.
ROAD TO AVONLEA
Malcolm Singing
CBS / Storygirl Productions
TOM SAWYER
Young Male
CBC Productions
Direction
MUSICAL DIRECTOR & ORIGINAL MUSIC
Broadway Showstoppers / Rock the Boat / Opera Under the Stars
Azamara Club Cruises, 2010-currently
Fanfare for the American Hero: Hero's of 911
USA Touring Production 2011
Alkahest Artists USA
Featured Lead Singer / Director / Writer / Assistant Arranger
From Vegas to Broadway
King Olav Goes Broadway
A Night at the Magellan
Broadway ShowStoppers
Rock the Boat
Seabourn Cruise Lines
Sweet Dreams / Flashback
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Ontario Youth Tour
Beauty & The Beast
Clown's Play
Jack & The Beanstalk
Musical Inc.
Oklahoma
Curtain Call Players
Mollywood
Lovers & Madmen Productions
First Times
Seaway Theatre
Mariposa Showcase
About Face
King Edward Productions
Treasure Island
Original Composition
Limelight Theatre
Arrangements
Over the years, Eric has been developing many Broadway style arrangements utilizing state of the art equipment and recording devices to produce professional quality musical arrangements in "click track" format as well as regular recording format. Eric has been utilizing many of his arrangements in his one man show entitled "Bound for Broadway".
He is also gifted in the art of writing charts for the various instruments utilized both on land and on major cruise lines. He has recently completed musical arrangements for Seabourn Cruise Lines and continues to develop musical arrangements for other artist's from New York City such as Dorothy Bishop over to Los Angeles with noted singers Pamela Holt and Jamila Ajibade as well as other performers from the United States and Canada.
A listing of his works available for listening and purchase will appear very soon on this website. For all those interested in recording or utilizing "live orchestra" arrangements...
Stay posted for a listing of upcoming available arrangements on this website.
Eric has also written many original songs which he will be including in his next CD.
Skating
CANADIAN FIGURE SKATING
ASSOCIATION MEMBER
Gold Level Test Free Skater Senior Silver Test Level Dancer
Third Level Test Figures
Silver Medalist state of New York 1984
Winner of several community competitions in Ottawa district,
Canada 1980-84
Coach of the University of Toronto team from 1987-89 bringing the team from twelfth out of twelve Universities across the province of Ontario to First place overall by the end of his coaching years with the team!
Eric has performed for Karen Flannigan's Stars on Ice and Rosstyn Ice Shows as headline singer and skating soloist, skating as a professional figure skater for over 16 years.
Eric has most recently appeared as a headline singer/skater in Rosstyn Ice Productions' Christmas Spectacular on Ice.
His favourite character
protrayals have included:The Beast in Beauty and the Beast both
on ice and on the main stage, Dr. Craven in
The Secret Garden, The Pinball Wizard
excerpts from the musical Tommy and
The Phantom in concert.
Show Time
Eric De Gray
“Give My Regards from Vegas to Broadway!”
Recently, Eric De Gray teamed with pianist and producer Mac Frampton to create the highly acclaimed production, Fanfare For The American Hero. This show utilizes almost exclusively the music of Broadway to tell the story of a New York fireman and his young wife on the evening before 9/11. Eric wrote the script, assisted in music selection and arranging, and directed the production. He also co-stars in it with singer Jamila Ajibade.
© All Rights Reserved For Eric De Gray • Website and Hosting powered by www.studiomdesign.ca
