VIVA PATSHIVA to Play Equity Showcase at One Arm Red, 3/30-4/7

Viva Patshiva is an original musical comedy about a down and out man who is swept up by an ancient culture living in The Shadows of Brooklyn. After embarking on a series of misadventures with a colorful crew of musical wanderers, he is confronted with a choice that could reconnect him with his soul or send him to hell forever.

The full length musical features a World Music score played by an onstage “band of Gypsies,” laying down grooves for a small ensemble of Broadway veterans and rock stars. Many of the melodies and dances draw from the rich tradition of Central European Roma, updated with a distinctly New York style. A dark comedy that embraces love, sadness, and the longing of the eternal outsider, Viva Patshiva achieves a balance of old and new that enables its characters to find a way forward.

Performances are March 30 – April 7 at One Arm Red, 9th Floor, 10 Jay Street DUMBO, Brooklyn.
Information can be found at www.vivapatshiva.com. Watch a video of the production here.

The musical features book and lyrics by comedian-playwright David Jenness (“Born To Warp,” “Barry Agita”) from a story by David Jenness and Paul Smithyman. The musical arrangements by David Jenness and Jesse Kotansky (“Click Clack Boom”) weave melodies by the Roma of Central Europe updated with Blues, Jazz, Latin, Funk, Ska and Punk. Direction is by Paul Smithyman (“Illuminated Rounds”) with musical direction by Bobby Peterson (Rufus Wainwright) and Roma choreography by Andrea Kalan (“Ritka Magyar Dance Company”). The cast features Broadway veteran Eric Anderson (“South Pacific”), downtown artstars Chemda (“Conjure One,” “Keith And The Girl”) and Raven Solano (“Stupefied”), actor-rocker Rick Westley (“Columbina's Suite“), triple threat Julia Moss (“Weekend At An English Country Estate”) and introducing Jeff “Jazzyboots” Davis as “Onion.”

A musical one-hit wonder has become hooked on The Temptations of the rock star lifestyle and lost his passion for music. On a drinking bender, he heads to the Brooklyn waterfront, determined to drown his instrument and maybe himself, where he is saved from oblivion by a mysterious band of foreign travelers living under the highway. He tags along with the volatile gang of Roma (Gypsies) as they embark on an adventure to raise a desperate payment to a Brighton Beach gangster. The family band auditions for a seedy strip club owner with dreams of being a music business mogul. He spots the fiery, raven-haired Roma chanteuse as a talent to exploit. In turn, her cousins conjure a plan to offer her hand in marriage for a fee that will cover the gangster’s demand. The drunken wedding celebration that ensues leads to complications and culminates in a battle of Love and Death on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Viva Patshiva was developed in New York City theaters and music venues, including Surf Reality, Collective Unconscious, the Women’s InterArt Annex, Mazer Theater, East Village nightclub Drom and even the Hungarian Consulate, where the show has entertained dignitaries from all over the world. Songs from the musical were featured in the 2008 Droma Gypsy Festival.

One Arm Red began in D.U.M.B.O Brooklyn, in 1999. Founder and Artistic Director Adam Adams' mission is to develop interdisciplinary collaboration in the performing arts. One Arm Red's three multi-purpose spaces on the 9th floor at 10 Jay Street offer a home for artists and producing companies to develop & present new works for the theatre.

Tickets are $15 and are available at www.smarttix.com.

2012 Schedule:

Friday, March 30 - 8 PM
Saturday, March 31 - 8 PM
Sunday, April 1 - 7 PM
Monday, April 2 - 7 PM
Thursday, April 5 - 8 PM
Friday, April 6 - 8 PM
Saturday, April 7 - 3 PM and 8 PM