Forbidden Broadway

''Forbidden Broadway'' is an Off-Broadway revue parodying musical theatre, particularly Broadway musicals. It was conceived, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini.

The original version of the revue opened on January 15, 1982, at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City and ran for 2,332 performances. Alessandrini has rewritten the show more than a dozen times over the years to include parodies of newer shows. In the original iteration of the show, Alessandrini was one of the original actors alongside the actress Nora Mae Lyng, whom Alessandrini said he "created it for.". Michael Chapman directed and produced. In 1982, Jeff Martin succeeded Chapman as director. Alessandrini assumed the directing position subsequently, with Phillip George, Alessandrini's long-time collaborator, co-directing or directing all of the editions of the revue since 2004.

The show, in its various editions, received over 9,000 performances by 2009 and has been seen in more than 200 U.S. cities as well as playing in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney."Forbidden Broadway"
Emelin Theatre, accessed August 30, 2015

Description

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.Wilson, John S
"Upper West Side Is Home to Offbeat Music; ''Forbidden Broadway'' Spoofs Musical Theater"
''The New York Times'', March 12, 1982, p. 1Gans, Andrew
"'Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab 'Extends to March 2009"
Playbill, December 9, 2008Gilbert, Jenny

''The Independent'', July 5, 2009, accessed November 9, 2010

''Forbidden Broadway'' is performed as a four or five-person show, with two men, two women, and most recently, a teen, and piano accompaniment. ''Forbidden Broadway'' has released more than a dozen albums, as well as one entitled '' Forbidden Hollywood'', a cast album of the show of the same title by Alessandrini. Like ''Forbidden Broadway'', ''Forbidden Hollywood'' is made up of parodies, except that it targets movies rather than musicals. 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,''Forbidden Broadway''
lortel.org, accessed August 30, 2015 Brad Oscar, Christine Pedi, Bryan Batt, Michael McGrath, Chloe Webb, Barbara Walsh, Ann Morrison, and many more.

In 2006, the show and Alessandrini were awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre. It has been nominated five times for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue, winning three times (2001, 2005 and 2008). It also won Drama Desk Special Awards in 1985 and 2009. '' Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab'' ended its run Off-Broadway on March 1, 2009. In 2009 a book of "Best of" lyrics and the show's history was published under the title ''Forbidden Broadway: Behind The Mylar Curtain''.

The show, in its various editions through 2009, received over 9,000 performances and been seen in more than 200 U.S. cities as well as in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Adelaide, Australia, where it played for the only time with an orchestra at the 2002 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. 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." 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."Caricaturist Captures the Corporate Market"
, Biz Bash Orlando, August 11, 2008.

A 2012/13 version of the show, ''Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking!'', played in New York and was revived in 2014. Another Off-Broadway version, ''Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging'', played in 2014 at the Davenport Theatre. Brantley, Ben
"Knee-Jerk Revivals and Other Punch Lines"
''The New York Times'', May 6, 2014 A London edition in 2014 began at the Menier Chocolate Factory and transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre, starring Christina Bianco, Anna-Jane Casey, Damian Humbley and Ben Lewis, with Phillip George directing. In 2019, ''Forbidden Broadway Salutes Carol Channing'' played a celebration show for the late Carol Channing in New York. A brand new Off-Broadway edition, ''Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation'', is currently playing in New York City at the York Theatre.

''Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation'' began previews on September 18, 2019 and opened on October 16, 2019 at New York's The Triad Theatre. The show was conceived, created and written by Alessandrini and was directed by Alessandrini. Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation closed at The Triad on December 1, 2019. The show did a special limited engagement at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL from December 27–31, 2019. On January 15, 2020, Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation resumed performances Off-Broadway at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's in New York.Gans, Andre
"Return Engagement of Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation Extends Run at York Theatre Company"
January 14, 2020

The plays and musicals parodied in ''Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation'' include ''Dear Evan Hansen'', ''Moulin Rouge!'', ''Tootsie'', '' The Ferryman'', ''Hadestown'', '' Fiddler on the Roof'', ''