Operetta | Paul Tosh

OPERETTA format I

HALF WAY BETWEEN

A MUSICAL AND A PLAY

About death of the conscience

buried in the heart

"Beyond context, there's something needs to be done"

Mesoud Benasully

"I like to get into your mode though. Because I haven't heard music like this before. And your free, you know some people stick to things, but you're very fluid."

-Video testimonial

Click here for SHOW BOOKING FORMATS

Formats

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OPERETTA PAPER GUN ORIGINAL SONG PLAYLIST

Hear the current live operetta collection as now released on iTunes etc (all platforms).

FULL ALBUM HALF WAY DOWN THE OPERETTA PAGE - CLICK HERE

Paper Gun

“Paper Gun" by Paul Tosh is a poignant musical piece that delves into themes of vulnerability, emotional fragility, and the human experience. The operetta uses the metaphor of a “paper gun” to illustrate the contrast between outward appearances and inner realities. While a gun typically symbolizes power and aggression, rendering it in paper suggests impermanence, highlighting the disparity between perceived strength and actual fragility. The piece resonates with listeners by addressing the universal struggle of maintaining a facade of strength while grappling with internal challenges. Its jazz-inflected melodies and heartfelt lyrics create an intimate atmosphere that invites reflection and connection.

A solo piano-singer performance of music, stories, and reflections. With humor, heart, and melody, Paul brings audiences on a journey through music, memory, and meaning from the pubs of Scotland to a soul searching for the American dream.

Universally resonant, this is music for the part of you that still believes in light."

Ideal for fund raising events, for friends, family, neighbors, or small theatre space recitals.

For the live visual and auditory experience of “Paper Gun,” book your Paul Tosh performance through me"

Lou - Booking manager

bookings@paultosh.com

From a living grave Paul Tosh 25 Sept 2025

"I especially like the substantive intellectual meaning that you weave into your music. You remind me of the inspiring Shlomo Carlebach עה”ש

The interface with the late great Rabbi Sacks is profoundly meaningful."

Rabbi Daniel Lapin

www.RabbiDanielLapin.com

"Really good solid organic original material, it has to be experienced live, they’re not simple in terms of structure nor in terms of emotional content."

-Miguel Cavazos, session drummer, LA

“A poetic call to presence—reminding us that the pursuit itself is the purpose, and that love, more than anything, is the foundation of it all. So much fun to watch Paul’s creative brain at work… a true pleasure. He really knows how to incorporate an audience into the experience.!"

-Amy Kirshtein

at Libbys & Daniels home concert

“Last night made me feel like pre WWII era of the arts in Jewish society! Loved it”

Libby Fox, Hostess Charleston home

where Operetta performed for; friends, family, and neighbors

"Wow! This is as different a performance as anything I've seen in terms of the Listening Room Network! It's really more "performance art" than "musical performance"...as much poetry as it is music. He is clearly hugely creative in general, and his lyrics are poetic wonders. And, his piano playing is just exceptional!"

-Listening room audition review, Aug 2025

Book A Show

"Paul held up a mirror to the audience, inviting us to wrestle with ourselves, with each other, and with G-d. And isn’t that the truest form of art? Even as the performance ended and we instinctively returned to lighthearted conversation, the depth of what we had experienced lingered within each of us, waiting to be unpacked in solitude. Unforgettable!"

- Tzipporah Naim

Charleston 2025

NOTES

My Operetta is to help people gain a beyond context perspective from complex emotions,

illuminated by the PAPER GUN as it fires in the dark.

That there is a path from illusion and pretense, to truth and integrity

— to living authentically and with purpose.

When people are overly compromised, they all the more so need to express. My PAPER GUN doesn’t solve the problem in the forum where some exchange should take place. However it can bring a person / and audience to feel expressed, to help some peace, and ultimately hopefully some sense of direction.

The process of much of my writing through the years has been cathartic and personal, and the perspectives become remarkably impacted through live performance - when "the mews is upon me" in a meditative and performative state it invariably renders a broader and more generous context which I live by.

In ANOTHER OLD SONG the emphasis is on the “old” not “song”, ie same old story - it’s down on paper but nothing changed. The closing line…... there's something needs to be done” is asking the question; are you going to do something, even only internally, but not just with a “PAPER GUN”.

In FEAR HATE no matter the kind of travails we face... "don’t let fear turn into hate"; is the perennial objective.

However no-one will take you seriously unless you can protect yourself - so cost has to be considered.

It is my understanding that a curiosity and perspective on G-d, as the ultimate in "beyond context" is a vital step in strengthening a person’s ability to discover, and live up to real value.

If believing in G-d simply requires a person look at his actions, and that is in the way it is important to discover why this is not something to be afraid of.

In YOU MAKE ME ROK N ROLL this is my conversation with G-d.

Warm regards

Paul

An Album

"When you go into the like spoken word kind of style it sounds a little bit like Bob Dylan and David Bowie combined."-Sound engineerFox recital roomCharleston

“Last night made me feel like pre WWII era of the arts in society! Loved it” Libby Fox, Hostess Charleston home, where Operetta performed for; friends, family, and neighbors

"Paul held up a mirror to the audience, inviting us to wrestle with ourselves, with each other, and with G-d. And isn’t that the truest form of art? Even as the performance ended and we instinctively returned to lighthearted conversation, the depth of what we had experienced lingered within each of us, waiting to be unpacked in solitude. Unforgettable!"

- Tzipporah Naim
Charleston 2025 home concert recital

“A poetic call to presence—reminding us that the pursuit itself is the purpose, and that love, more than anything, is the foundation of it all. So much fun to watch Baby Tosh’s creative brain at work… a true pleasure. He really knows how to incorporate an audience into the experience.!"

-Amy Kirshtein
at Libbys & Daniels home concert

"Wow! This is as different a performance as anything I've seen in terms of the Listening Room Network! It's really more "performance art" than "musical performance"...as much poetry as it is music. He is clearly hugely creative in general, and his lyrics are poetic wonders. And, his piano playing is just exceptional!"

Listening room audition review, Aug 2025