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Forbidden Broadway

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Forbidden Broadway
Logo
MusicVarious
LyricsGerard Alessandrini
BookGerard Alessandrini
BasisBroadway musicals
Productions1982 off-Broadway

Forbidden Broadway is an off-Broadway revue parodying musical theatre, particularly Broadway musicals. Conceived, written, and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, the show has been updated many times to parody new musicals and productions. The revue is typically performed by a cast of four with a piano. Versions of the show have been staged in more than 200 U.S. cities, as well as London, Tokyo and elsewhere around the world.

Background

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The original version of Forbidden Broadway opened on January 15, 1982, at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City and ran there for 2,332 performances.[1] Alessandrini has updated and rewritten the revue more than two dozen times over the years to include parodies of newer shows. In the original iteration at Palsson's, Alessandrini performed alongside Nora Mae Lyng, whom Alessandrini has said he created it for. [2] Michael Chapman was briefly the director of Forbidden Broadway, but later in 1982, Jeff Martin became director. In 1983 Alessandrini left the cast and assumed the directing position, with Phillip George often co-directing or directing various editions through 2016.[3] Since then, Alessandrini has written, created and directed all subsequent editions.

Through the decades, there have been thousands of performances of Forbidden Broadway in New York City, and the show has been seen in more than 200 U.S. cities as well as playing in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney.[4]

Description

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The show is a cabaret revue sharply spoofing show tunes, characters and plots of contemporary and current Broadway musicals. Forbidden Broadway and its many sequels have mocked popular shows like The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misérables, The Lion King, Spamalot, Annie, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Rent, and Newsies. The revue also targets famous Broadway actors, writers, composers, directors, choreographers and producers, including Julie Andrews, Mel Brooks, Carol Channing, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Crawford, Harvey Fierstein, Bob Fosse, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Goulet, Jerry Herman, Dustin Hoffman, Elton John, Angela Lansbury, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patti LuPone, Cameron Mackintosh, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Liza Minnelli, Rita Moreno, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Barbra Streisand, Julie Taymor, and Gwen Verdon.[5][6][7]

Forbidden Broadway is performed as a four or five-person show, with two men, two women (and in at least one production, a teen), with piano accompaniment. Forbidden Broadway has released more than a dozen albums, as well as Forbidden Hollywood, spoofing cinematic topics. The New York and Los Angeles-based companies of both Forbidden incarnations have served as a workshop for rising talent to hone their skills. Alumni include Jason Alexander,[8] Brad Oscar,[9] Christine Pedi,[10] Bryan Batt,[11] Michael McGrath,[12] Chloe Webb,[8] Barbara Walsh,[13] Ann Morrison,[8] and many more.

In 2006, the show and Alessandrini were awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre.[14] It has been nominated five times for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue, winning three times (2001, 2005 and 2008).[15][16][17] It also won Drama Desk Special Awards in 1985[18] and 2009.[19] In 2009 a book of "Best of" lyrics and the show's history was published under the title Forbidden Broadway: Behind The Mylar Curtain.[20]

A 2009 review of the London production, in Britain's The Independent, commented: "Actors have always poked fun at the foibles of commercial theatre. ... Usually, though, they keep their parodies to themselves. It takes a touch of genius to turn them into something saleable, but writer Gerald Alessandrini has that Midas touch."[7] The original artwork advertising the show was designed by caricaturist Ken Fallin, who suggested the actors find the name "Nina" written on their bodies as an homage to Al Hirschfeld, who was known for working his daughter's name into his drawings.[21]

A 2012/13 version of the show, Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking!, played in New York[22] and was revived in 2014.[23] Another off-Broadway version, Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging, played in 2014 at the Davenport Theatre.[3] A London edition in 2014 began at the Menier Chocolate Factory[24] and transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre, starring Christina Bianco, Anna-Jane Casey, Damian Humbley and Ben Lewis, with Phillip George directing.[25] In 2019, Forbidden Broadway Salutes Carol Channing played a celebration show for the late Carol Channing in New York.[26]

Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation opened on October 16, 2019, at New York's The Triad Theatre[27] and later moved to The York Theatre in January of 2020.[28] Again, the show was created, written and directed by Alessandrini. The plays and musicals parodied in this version included Dear Evan Hansen, Moulin Rouge!, Tootsie, The Ferryman, Hadestown, Fiddler on the Roof, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Oklahoma, Mary Poppins, The Prom, and Fosse/Verdon. The personalities portrayed included Lin-Manuel Miranda, Judy Garland, Billy Porter and Harold Prince.[29][28]

In 2023, a new edition of the show titled Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole a Song premiered at Don't Tell Mama in New York City and later played at The Green Fig cabaret. It included many of the parodies of Stephen Sondheim musicals that had been featured in the show over its more than 40-year history.[citation needed] In 2024, a version titled Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song was announced to play on Broadway, which would have been the series' Broadway debut. Instead, it opened off-Broadway at Theater 555, on September 19, written and directed by Alessandrini, with musical staging by Gerry McIntyre and set design by Glenn Bassett. [30] As of 2025 Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song is touring the United States.[citation needed]

Editions of Forbidden Broadway

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Albums

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "List of long runs in London and the world". Archived from the original on April 2, 2010.
  2. ^ Roberts, Sam (May 25, 2017). "Nora Mae Lyng, Actress at the Heart of 'Forbidden Broadway,' Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Brantley, Ben. "Knee-Jerk Revivals and Other Punch Lines", The New York Times, May 6, 2014
  4. ^ "Forbidden Broadway" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Emelin Theatre, accessed August 30, 2015
  5. ^ Wilson, John S. "Upper West Side Is Home to Offbeat Music; Forbidden Broadway Spoofs Musical Theater", The New York Times, March 12, 1982, p. 1
  6. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab Extends to March 2009", Playbill, December 9, 2008
  7. ^ a b Gilbert, Jenny. "Forbidden Broadway, Menier Chocolate Factory, London". The Independent, July 5, 2009, accessed November 9, 2010
  8. ^ a b c ​Forbidden Broadway​ (Triad Theatre) at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  9. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway​ (1993) at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  10. ^ Christine Pedi at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  11. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back​ at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  12. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway​ (1988/1989) at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  13. ^ Rosati, Nancy."An Interview with Barbara Walsh" talkinbroadway.com, November 20, 2002
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced the recipients of the 2006 Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Sept. 22", Playbill, October 24, 2006
  15. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey​ at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  16. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit​ at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  17. ^ ​Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening​ at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
  18. ^ "Drama Desk Awards, see 1985", Drama Desk, accessed August 29, 2015
  19. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Ruined and Billy Elliot Win Top Honors at Drama Desk Awards", Playbill, 2009
  20. ^ Boslaugh, Sarah. "Book Reviews. Forbidden Broadway: Behind the Mylar Curtain", talkinbroadway.com, November 12, 2009
  21. ^ "Caricaturist Captures the Corporate Market" Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, Biz Bash Orlando, August 11, 2008.
  22. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Cast Recording of Off-Broadway's Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking Arrives Nov. 27", Playbill, November 27, 2012, accessed October 9, 2014
  23. ^ Wilhelm, Alex. "Forbidden Broadway is Alive and Still Kicking Beginning Feb 22 Off Broadwat". Playbill. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  24. ^ Shenton, Mark. "Forbidden Broadway Extends Run at London's Menier Chocolate Factory", Playbill, July 23, 2014
  25. ^ Cavendish, Dominic. "Forbidden Broadway, Vaudeville Theatre, review: 'witty musical parodies'", The Telegraph (London), October 8, 2014
  26. ^ Hetrick, Adam (February 27, 2019). "Forbidden Broadway Salutes Carol Channing to Play Feinstein's/54 Below". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  27. ^ "Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation Sets Closing Date Off-Broadway" November 15, 2019
  28. ^ a b Gans, Andrew."Return Engagement of Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation Extends Run at York Theatre Company", January 14, 2020
  29. ^ Meyer, Dan. "Name Change: Forbidden Broadway Sets Closing Date Off Broadway", Playbill, November 15, 2019
  30. ^ Gans, Andrew (September 19, 2024). "Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song Opens Off-Broadway September 19". Playbill. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  31. ^ "Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging! Closes Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  32. ^ "Forbidden Broadway: West End". London Box Office. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  33. ^ "Forbidden Broadway Will Return to New York This Fall". Playbill. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
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