MAD WOMEN IN MY ATTIC! Makes U.S. Premiere at United Solo

Mad Women in my Attic! The haunting, comedic cabaret show, Mad Women in my Attic! comes to the United Solo Festival on Saturday, October 7th at 4:00 pm. The production played to critical acclaim at the Brighton Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015.

Set in an imaginary lunatic asylum, Mad Women in my Attic! is the cabaret brainchild of Monica Salvi, an Italian performer based in London, UK, who also stars in the show. The production is directed by Clare McKenna (LAByranth Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe), with musical direction and accompaniment by Michael Ferreri (Lincoln Center/benefit concert version of Into the Woods chaired by Stephen Sondheim).

About Mad Women in my Attic! Typecasting and a theatre career drove Monica to insanity so she exchanged her stage wings for padded walls, glamorous costumes for a white nightgown, adoring audiences for a bunch of inmates. Yet, she will sing! A madwoman proudly recounts the roles and songs which made her who she is today, celebrating that fine line between creativity and madness.

A semi-autobiographical cabaret set in a lunatic asylum. From Sweeney Todd, to Jane Eyre the musical, from Sunset Boulevard to Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Mad Women in my Attic! is a fantastic romp through showtunes, folk and cabaret songs, celebrating the mentally unstable women that populate music and theatre.

Mad Women in my Attic! played at The Actor's Church in Covent Garden, London in 2014. The production then went to the Brighton Fringe Festival in England in 2015, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2015. The cabaret show will have an additional performance at the prestigious theatre The Other Palace (recently bought and refurbished by Andrew Lloyd Webber) in London on October 28, 2017.
A Royal Academy of Music alumni Ms. Salvi, discussed what inspired her to create, Mad Women in my Attic!, "In the past, I've often been cast (or should I say typecast) in comedic or dramatic roles of mad women, or women locked up in asylums, or quirky characters with particularly crazy songs or speeches... I don't complain about this, as they are often the most interesting and challenging characters to play... Eventually, I realized I had enough crazy songs in my repertoire to create a cabaret act about mad women. I wrote a script to connect the songs, which is partly inspired to the characters I've met in my career, partly dramatized, as if I was an inmate in a lunatic asylum, recounting her story to all the other inmates (the audience!). The show is a mixture of poignant and haunting songs, with lots of humor and seduction."

Performances take place at Theatre Row/Studio Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), New York, NY 10036. Subways: A/C/E to 42nd Street.

Tickets are of $35.00 and are available at the Theatre Row Box Office or at http://unitedsolo.org/us/madwomen-2017 - or by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200. Running time: 65 minutes. More info available at: www.madwoman.org.uk - www.monicasalvi.com - www.unitedsolo.org/us. Twitter: @MadWomenAtticFacebook: www.facebook.com/MadWomenInMyAttic

Monica Salvi (Writer/Performer) is an Italian actress and singer graduated from the Royal Academy of Music's Postgraduate Musical Theatre Course. She was one of Sir Elton John's backing singers at the Concert for Diana (Wembley Arena, London) and a member of the West End Chorus for Chess in Concert (Royal Albert Hall, London). Theatre credits include mad Bertha in Jane Eyre the musical (Bridewell Theatre, London), a few mythical creatures in The Lion, and The Witch and The Wardrobe (Kenneth More Theatre, London). She originated the roles of Polly Flinders in the new musical Nursery Crimes (King's Head Theatre, London), and Mademoiselle Syphilis in Nadav Wiesel's Femme Fatale (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London).

In Malta, Monica has performed in Bernstein's Wonderful Town alongside Kim Criswell and an international cast, conducted by Maestro Wayne Marshall with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Monica is a backing singer for Anthem: The Concert with Brian May, Kerry Ellis and Adam Pascal, and is part of the ensemble in The Night of the 1000 Stars (both at Royal Albert Hall). She has appeared as Luisa Contini in Nine (Kenneth More Theatre), Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd (Rome, Italy), and Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Theatre Clwyd, Mold), Violet Gibson in Violet & Mussolini (Rome). Monica is also a certified gong practitioner and sound therapist.

Clare McKenna (Director) was born in Dublin and based in London. Clare trained with Philippe Gaulier in Paris & London. A lover of devising and new writing, she is currently working on an ongoing project she set up with Mind Yourself, recording stories about Irish emigration to London through film, sound and books. Her work has taken her to New York (LAByranth Theatre), and festivals such as The London Mime Festival, The Shanghai International Theatre Festival, The Tokyo Spring Festival, The Dublin & Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, The Derry 'George Farquhar Theatre Festival, and others. Directing credits includes: Our Saviouress (GRAFT, The Pleasance Theatre), The Stupid Sisters (E'space Catastrophe, Belgium), Giddy Goat (Goldsmiths), The Six Swans (Goldsmiths). As a producer: Amadan (London tour), Amadan 2 (The Seville Clown Festival). As resident director at The Almeida, her work included directing The Almeida Young Peoples Touring Company and various other projects; At Ambassadors, The Young Actors Company (The Ripple Effect, Richmond Theatre.). Michael Ferreri (Pianist/Singer) is a musician and entertainer who performs in cabarets, clubs, and concerts. His debut CD, Michael Ferreri: Sweet Dreams is an ethereal collection of songs that tell a story - songs perfectly suited to Michael's intimate phrasing and musicianship. Michael has appeared in concert and in galas with such celebrated performers as Michael Feinstein, Andrea McArdle, Beth Fowler, and Greg Edelman. Other concerts include a "Tribute to Sondheim" at Primary Stages and a benefit concert version of "Into the Woods" chaired by Stephen Sondheim. He has performed in the Musicals Unlimited revival of Pipe Dream and the acclaimed Lincoln Center production of The Happy End, produced by the Kurt Weill Foundation. Michael has also been given the unique honor of performing at an intimate New York reception for HRH Prince Philip of England. His solo cabaret engagements have been enthusiastically received, including a sold-out cabaret show with Meg Flather at one of New York's cabaret epicenters, Don't Tell Mama. A New York resident since 1986, Michael is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia and attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

About the United Solo Festival:United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, is proud to present its 8th season at Theatre Row in the heart of New York City's theatre district. Since its inaugural year, United Solo featured nearly 800 theatre productions from all over the world. This season, performers from six continents will present their unique works between September 14 and November 19, 2017.