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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    This album of songs from the new musical "The Fourth Messenger" stars Vienna Teng as Mama Sid, a world-renowned spiritual teacher with a hidden past. Loosely inspired by the Buddha legend, this contemporary re-imagining poses the question of whether and how it's possible to be both enlightened and flawed.

    This pre-order package includes a physical CD and a digital download, to be released November 7, 2015.

    Music by Vienna Teng, lyrics by Tanya Shaffer and Vienna Teng, directed by Matt August, orchestrated/music directed by Ryan O'Connell.

    "An absolute delight." - SF Chronicle • "Profound and profane, combative and compassionate… Teng’s complex harmonies and inspired melodies stick with you long after the curtain goes down." - Art Animal • "Hugely ambitious and refreshingly original…Teng is a fresh and exciting new theatrical talent with a distinctive voice of her own…" - Huffington Post • "Masterful and compelling…both timeless and contemporary." - Stage and Cinema

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Fourth Messenger, featuring Vienna Teng via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 7 days

      $15 USD or more 

     

  • What if the Buddha were a woman, living in our times? In this captivating new musical, Mama Sid is a modern-day “awakened one” with a worldwide following. But a determined young woman seeks to unearth Mama Sid’s mysterious past, exposing long-held secrets that could change everything. Epic and intimate, comic and profound, The Fourth Messenger investigates what it means to be both enlightened and human. Book and lyrics by Tanya Shaffer, music and additional lyrics by Vienna Teng. Script includes all lyrics and text, not musical score.

    This is a digital pre-order. The PDF will be released on November 7, in conjunction with The Fourth Messenger album featuring Viena Teng.

    “An exciting and ambitious project, driven by Teng's eclectic score, Shaffer's inspired rewrites of the Buddha story, and their punchy, provocative lyrics… An absolute delight.” - San Francisco Chronicle • “Intelligent and skillfully crafted…hugely ambitious and refreshingly original... Shaffer's musical has the audience emotionally involved and on the edge of their seats.” - The Huffington Post • “A satisfying and remarkably entertaining new musical that takes on spiritual life with wit and emotional resonance…” - KQED/NPR • “Beautiful...A triumph… Shaffer’s book brims with intelligence and wit… ” - Theater Dogs • “Masterful and compelling...both timeless and contemporary…” - Stage and Cinema
    ... more

      $5 USD or more 

     

about

In a flashback, spiritual teacher Mama Sid's (Vienna Teng) disciple Andy (Pierce Peter Brandt) begs her to take him with her when she leaves the urban squat where they have been staying.

lyrics

ANDY
Take me with you.

SID
Why?

ANDY
You’ve got something.

SID
(Laughs) Like...the flu, maybe?

ANDY
I’m serious!

SID
I’m sorry. I’ll miss you too.

ANDY
I need you.

SID
Andy.

ANDY
You’ve got something I can’t name.

SID
We’ve been through this. It’s nothing personal. I’m just not interested in that kind of relationship.

ANDY
That’s not what I mean.

You’ve got a glow
You shine like the sun
I want to be near you
And I’m not the only one
We’re drawn to your orbit
Reflect back your light
So let me come with you
Don’t walk out alone into the night

SID
Andy, all of that is just what you’re projecting onto me.

ANDY
No. It’s more than that.

You’ve got a glow
You awaken my mind
The moment you enter
The room just comes alive
It’s not infatuation
It’s Deeper than desire
So please take me with you
Don’t walk out alone into the fire

SID
I’m just a pilgrim
The glow that you see
Is simply your own burning
Need to arise and be free
I’ve nothing to show you
No magical spark
So I can’t take you with me
When I walk alone into the dark

My hands are empty of gifts
I’m still trying to learn how to live

ANDY
Let me follow you, Sid

SID
Andy I’ve nothing to teach
There's no wisdom to in following me

ANDY
Then at least
Let me walk beside you
That's all that I ask
Let me shoulder some weight
In this daunting task
We share the same dream
A dream that will grow
Sidney, dear Sidney
You know more than you know...
You've got a glow


SID
No more than your own

ANDY
You shine like the sun

SID
So does everyone

ANDY
I'm seeking the answers

SID & ANDY
And I'm not the only one
I'm drawn into orbit
Propelled into flight
Compelled to keep searching
Until I emerge into the light

ANDY
So please take me with you
Don't walk out alone into the night

credits

from The Fourth Messenger, featuring Vienna Teng, released November 10, 2015
Music by Vienna Teng
Lyrics by Tanya Shaffer and Vienna Teng
Directed by Matt August
Music Directed and Orchestrated by Ryan O'Connell

SID: Vienna Teng
ANDY: Pierce Peter Brandt

Piano and keyboards: Ryan O'Connell
Violin: Anthony Blea
Cello: Freya Seeburger
Drums: Ken Bergmann

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The Fourth Messenger Berkeley, California

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