After a 60-city tour, Huffington Post columnist, playwright, performer, and international public speaker Josh Rivedal returns to New York City with The Gospel According to Josh—his autobiographical 30-character, 1-man show described as a parable, a mitzvah, and a comedy all rolled into one. Brent Buell directs. Four performances will be staged at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street in NYC from May 16-18, 2014. Performances will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org).
By the time he turns twenty-five, Josh thinks he’ll have had the perfect life—a few years singing on Broadway, followed by a starring role in his own television show. After which, his getaway home in the Hamptons would be featured in Better Homes & Gardens, and his face would grace the cover of the National Enquirer as Bigfoot’s not-so-secret lover. Instead, his resume is filled with an assortment of minor league theatre and an appearance on “The Maury Povich Show”—a career sidetracked by his father’s untimely death. Tortured by his thoughts, he finds himself on the ledge of a fourth floor window, contemplating jumping out—in turn he must reach out to the only person who can help him before it’s too late. Featuring cameos by Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., and Elvis; The Gospel According to Josh is a comedic and poignant true-to-life tale of love, loss, struggle, and survival—a gospel account of one young man’s passage into manhood—his twenty-eight-year Gentile bar mitzvah.
Josh Rivedal (playwright and performer) serves on the board of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and on the advisory board for Elijah’s Journey: A Jewish Response to Suicide Prevention. He is a regular contributor on mental health in The Huffington Post. As an actor, Josh has appeared on stages from New York, to Chicago, to Oahu. Josh is currently working on curating a compilation book “The Good News Project: Vol. 1″ where 40 authors share stories of inspiration and good news—a portion of proceeds will be donated to 40 different charities. He is also working on a YA fantasy novel with a language learning component. His memoir “The Gospel According to Josh” was published in 2013 and added to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s recommended reading list for survivors of suicide loss.
Brent Buell (director) has taken the directorial helm on such works as Iyaba Ibo Mandingo’s award-winning one-man show unFRAMED and From Sing Sing to Broadway, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons in NYC. For nearly ten years, Buell volunteered with the non-profit organization Rehabilitation Through the Arts, directing theater in New York’s maximum-security prisons. There his productions of plays have earned praise from critics, including from The New York Times. As an actor, Buell has appeared in classic roles from Shakespeare and Ibsen to Moliere and Strindberg. Brent is lead producer for Pat Blake’s upcoming FREEDOM: The Musical starring Maino, coming Off Broadway, Fall 2014. His outrageous new political parody, “Rapturous,” is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at local booksellers.
Tickets are $47.50 and can be purchased by visiting gospeljosh.com.
Performances are Friday @ 7pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 7pm, and Sunday @ 3pm. The Players Theatre is located at 115 Mac Dougal Street, New York, NY 10012.
Past Praise for Josh Rivedal
“The Gospel… is a compassionate tale of life, loss, under-achievement and perseverance… There isn’t one moment during the show where you’re lost, bored, or even close to contemplating being anywhere else but your seat.” – ReviewFix.com
The Gospel is a personal yet lighthearted show about one man’s journey to discover his own fate and identity. The fact that there are a slew of songs and caricatures thrown in makes for a smooth and amusing ride.” – Show Business Weekly
“With an easygoing voice and manner similar to Jeff Anderson who played Randal in Clerks and the ability to morph into various characters, Rivedal is an engaging performer.” – Pataphysical Science
“Rivedal possesses a strong boy-next-door likability and a surprisingly malleable singing voice that can handle hard rock, gospel, and musical theatre with equal aplomb.” – Talkin’ Broadway
By Josh Rivedal
The post The Gospel According To Josh also appeared on PCM Reviews.