(Virtuality Sal/Whida Peru)
Music by Josh Schmidt
LIFE AFTER LIFE: Virtuality Sal and Whida Peru
Two connected solo musical dramas
Cast size: 1 man; or 1 man, 1 woman; 4 piece band/ghosts (3 women)
Music by Josh Schmidt.
Part 1: Virtuality Sal
Sal locks his front door and starts his work-at-home shift as a virtual receptionist for a global on-line communications service. A former city bus driver recovering from the occupational trauma of a fatal accident in which he ran down a pedestrian, Sal hides himself away from the world, losing himself in obsessive on-line, role-play gaming. As his world crumbles, he finds a way out of his grief in Second Life, an online social platform that offers him a perfect, if virtual, existence. By the end, Sal remains locked in his apartment, a husk of a man, seeking haven in the false world of virtual reality.
Part 2: Whida Peru
Whida Peru, the most powerful Puerto Rican/transsexual/agoraphobic psychic on the Eastern Seaboard, has enjoyed a transcendent, nightly affair with the spirit of her deceased lover, Juannie, who was run over in a freak bus accident. But tonight, as Whida prepares a special anniversary celebration, Juannie announces the end of the affair. Whida Peru is a one-woman emotional whirlwind of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance as she is forced to evaluate the quality of life, death and what lies in-between. By the end, she unlocks her door and reenters the world of the living.
Production History: Whida Peru (Part Two) was commissioned by Paulette Haupt for the Inner Voices festival. It was further workshopped under the auspices of Groundswell Productions and the Flea Theatre in NYC; both workshops directed by Jonathan Butterell
Virtuality Sal (Part One) was origionally commissioned by Music Theatre Company, (Chicago), and subsequently workshopped in NYC with its sister piece, Whida Peru; with Taylor Mac.
Press LINK for libretto at New Play Exchange.
RECOMMENDED BY DOUG DEVITA
“Despair and hope, love and loss, retreating into a virtual life or advancing back into the world after a catastrophe… David Simpatico explores these conflicting emotions in this gut-wrenching two-character musical with sympathetic but clear-eyed honesty. The first half, VIRTUALITY SAL, is as cogent a nervous breakdown in song as I’ve ever heard, and the second half, WHIDA PERU, while noticeably lighter in tone, is no less heartbreaking. Do yourself a favor and listen to the music samples; every note of the score is a perfect match to the emotions of the characters, and the performances are stellar. ”
Doug Devita, playwright
David Simpatico, Dramatist 