Eugene Desyatnik has watched the horrors of war and destruction unfold from afar. The Bella Vista resident lived in Ukraine until he was 11 years old before moving to the United States.
“I grew up in Zaporizhzhia, which was one of the places of the nuclear reactors that was getting bombed,” Desyatnik said. “My family had all moved away but I have friends there that sent my mom pictures and buildings are no longer there. It’s been an interesting time. Back then we were all under one regime.”
Russian forces have have fired numerous missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia and other Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the 2022 invasion. And local Ukrainian-Americans like Desyatnik have tried to help their native country pick up they pieces.
“The first few weeks this happened, a group of neighbors got together for a fundraiser for another charity called Ukraine Trust Chain and they were helping evacuate villages as the front lines were advancing,” he said. “We tried to raise funds but it’s been going on for so long now.”
Desyatnik is taking a different approach. The 47-year-old musician answered a call from REV Theatre Company’s co-artistic directors Rosey Hay and Rudy Caporaso for a two-night fundraiser on April 25 and 26 at Ulana’s Night Club at 205 Bainbridge St. to benefit “Save Ukraine,” which organizes rescue missions to return deported children from Russia.
In dreaming up the fundraising show, Hay and Caporaso decided to go big — Texas-sized big — with a show called “A Honky Tonk For Ukraine.” The show will features classic retro sounds/song stylings of legendary artists Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Buck Owens and more, and includes iconic hits like Hey Good Lookin’, Jackson, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Act Naturally, plus genuine lasso-twirling rodeo tricks.
“We wanted something that was quintessentially American,” Caporaso said. “Not only because we wanted to give people a good time in that way, but patriotism is at an all-time low right now so we’re doing something to increase that in terms of giving people a great big slice of old-fashioned Americana. The girls will have huge hair and tons of rhinestones and cowboy boots. It’s just a great way to support a really wonderful cause and have a fantastic time to boot.”
Ulana’s Nightclub is owned by Ukrainian activist and civic leader Ulana Mazurkevich, who is president and founder of the Ukrainian Human Rights Committee. Caporaso is half-Ukrainian and REV Theatre produced a show called “My Big Fang Vampire Wedding” in September at Ulana’s.
“We did a Fringe show here and hit it off and set the house on fire,” Caporaso said. “She’s supremely committed to this cause as you can imagine. She’s such an activist and a force of nature. We were sitting at the bar talking after the show and I said as actors, we should do something and use our voices quite literally and do whatever we can to make the world a better place.”
Caporaso also performs in the show with singers Madison Claus and Riley Irvine while Hay directs. Irvine was a student of Hay’s poetic realism class at the University of the Arts and worked together last summer.
“It’s a really comfortable environment and it’s for a good cause,” Irvine said. “I feel really lucky that I’m able to give my time and efforts in whatever way I can.”
Irvine said the show is a unique experience.
“There will be wigs,” Irvine said with a laugh. “I’ve seen them. They are really something to behold. Lots of glitter. It’s definitely not what I usually do, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Singers will be accompanied by an excellent five-piece band including Desyatnick, Jonathan Donald and Rafael Gottlieb on guitar, Donna Renae on drums and Carl Bright-Walck on fiddle. Donald is also the musical director and Simon Bonenfant is the assistant musical director and musical facilitator.
Showtime is 8 p.m. on both nights and tickets ($40) can be found at https://rev-theatre-company-ukraine-benefit.eventbrite.com. Proceeds benefit Save Ukraine, which has returned more than 600 children to their families in Ukraine. Caporaso said the organization was chosen for many reasons.
“We struggled with what the cause would be because there was a lot of talk about contributing to arms,” he said. “We don’t want to continue the war. We want to deal with it from the perspective of love and not destruction.”
A lot of damage has been done. A group of performers are hoping to help them heal.
“I haven’t even played guitar as much,” Desyatnik said. “I’ve been playing bass. But when I saw the cause and it’s very close to me personally. I actually borrowed an acoustic guitar for this show. I hope people come out and I hope we’re able to raise some money for this.”
