Beatles & Bossa: When Liverpool Meets Rio at Riverside

A chance encounter at a Greenwich Village jazz club in 2016 has evolved into Beatles & Bossa, an innovative musical fusion coming to Riverside Theatre.

The concept was born when now local resident Manny Moreira—a Juilliard-trained composer, arranger, and producer — met a Dutch linguistics student who knew every Beatles song. When his regular singer got laryngitis, she stepped in to perform Beatles classics with Brazilian jazz arrangements. The audience response was immediate.

"The people just ate it up," Moreira recalls. The promoter immediately recognized the commercial potential, and what started as an emergency solution grew into a full theatrical experience combining storytelling about the music's origins with multimedia elements and complete band arrangements.

Moreira discovered Vero Beach while escaping a New York winter, accepting a long-standing invitation from Riverside music director Anne Shuttlesworth. He moved here permanently in 2018 and has since performed in eight Riverside productions while developing Beatles & Bossa through regional previews.

The show became a collaboration when Moreira met vocalist Lou Wilkin through Kevin Given of Quail Valley Country Club.

Wilkin, a professional vocalist and music director trained with the Roanoke Valley Children's Choir, brought instant creative chemistry to the project. Despite their age difference, Moreira describes their partnership as "the most simpatico energy" he's ever experienced.

Beatles & Bossa transforms familiar songs like "Girl" and "Here Comes the Sun" through the sophisticated lens of bossa nova, complete with full band and vocal harmonies.

Performances are September 25th and October 9th at 6:30pm and 8:30pm at Riverside Theatre. T

The October 9th show coincides with John Lennon's birthday.

Early shows are nearly sold out. Tickets available at riversidetheatre.com.