Chef Robert Irvine Coming to Van Wezel, 4/18

Food Network Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine is bringing his all new live show to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on April 18. The live show, co-created by Chef Irvine and producer Joshua Lingenfelter, takes the live cooking demo to the next level by incorporating challenges, audience interaction and high tech video projection. Irvine's successful Food Network show "Restaurant: Impossible" continues to break ratings records, making it one of the highest viewed programs on the channel. For updated tour information visit www.ChefIrvine.com.

"Robert Irvine Live" is Irvine's first theatrical tour and he's not taking the show lightly. "This is not just me cooking on stage for two hours because that has been done before. I wanted to do something totally different that makes cooking a vehicle for being able to create a theatrical event," says Irvine. If past performances are any indication, Irvine has truly taken the idea of theatrics to heart. Those performances found him rappelling down balconies and being challenged to feed members of the audience with no knowledge of the ingredients while a timer counted down. Of course, these challenges are nothing new to Irvine, whose Food Network shows "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible" often find him challenged both physically and creatively with deadlines that often seem nothing short of insurmountable let alone impossible.

Chef Irvine isn't stopping at just creating challenges. He and his co-creator have devised the show to be different in each location, giving every audience a unique experience. Taking that one step further, Irvine is choosing to remain in the dark about what challenges will be thrown at him each night. "We basically have constructed a set list of cooking challenges, much like a rock band would put together a list of songs for the evening. The big difference is our 'lead singer' has no idea what that list will entail," said producer Joshua Lingenfelter. "My job is to try every way I can to trip Robert up. Honestly, Robert is so skilled at what he does I don't know that I can do it, but every night I get another shot to make things more difficult."

In order to receive the challenges, audience members are chosen at random to spin a giant wheel. Whatever the wheel lands on is the challenge Robert must perform. The audience participation doesn't stop there. Each of the challenges also requires additional volunteers to help on stage.

"We have had as many as 30 people on stage before in a show. It can get pretty crazy, but that's really the fun of the show. You never know what's going to happen," said Lingenfelter.

"Ultimately my goal is for folks to walk out of the theater feeling we did everything in our power to entertain them with something they've never seen before and give them their money's worth."

No recipes. No script. No holds barred. It's like nothing you've ever seen on stage before. You choose the challenges. He does the impossible.

Tickets are $15-$55 and are available at VanWezel.org, the Box Office, or by calling 941-953-3368.

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