Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit

"Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit"

Created, Written, and Directed by Gerard Alessandrini

Musical Director, Catherine Stornetta; Choreography, Phillip George; Costume Design, Alvin Colt; Lighting Design, Marc Janowitz

CAST Janet Dickinson, Valerie Fagan, Kevin B. McGlynn, Nick Verina

Performances through March 12, 2006 Box Office 617-266-0800 www.huntingtontheatre.org

Popular…this show should be "pop-u-lar," borrowing a line from one of the shows that gets sent up by the talented cast of "Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit." If theatre is meant to be only entertaining, then this new production presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts meets the requirement in spades…and with skewers. Nothing is sacred to Gerard Alessandrini as he has shown over the last two decades of poking fun at Broadway, but always with love.

Opening with a grown-up Annie in a short red dress, puffing on a cigarette and lamenting that she'll be "thirty years old…Tomorrow," the laughs start and do not stop as two trenchcoated detectives take the stage to investigate "homicides of a theatrical nature." The premise here is that the Broadway of today is cluttered with jukebox shows, revivals, and Disney extravaganza, and that the ka-ching of the cash register takes center stage over artistry and originality. Yet even the new shows like "Wicked" and "Spamalot" take some ribbing. With both being on the calendar for spring in Boston, it whets the appetite to see a couple of their songs getting the "Forbidden" treatment. Using low-budget props to make the wicked witch appear to fly is one of the funnier sight gags here, while the knights of "Spamalot" with actual cans of the food attached to their costumes is another.

The women of Broadway get severely roasted, especially Christina Applegate in "Sweet Charity" (broken foot and all), Brooke Shields as the replacement for the replacement for the replacement in "Wonderful Town," and Sarah Brightman looking like Bucky Beaver, but sounding like a stuck pig. It is worth noting that Janet Dickinson and Valerie Fagan are both such talented singers that they make the trio sound both better and worse than they actually are!

Most of the top musicals of the last couple of years are included, as well as a few nods to earlier crowd favorites such as "Les Miserables," "The Lion King," and "Rent." The puppets of "Avenue Q" make an appearance, as do the stars of "Hairspray" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Hugh Jackman hosts a take-off on the Tony Awards and presents the award for the Most Pretentious play to "The Light in the Piazza." Apparently few in the audience had any familiarity with the latter as it did not garner the laughs of most other numbers.

Although having seen some of the featured musicals may heighten one's enjoyment, "Forbidden Broadway" is to musical theatre as EPCOT Center is to Europe. It affords a taste, albeit a very good taste, of that world and, with any luck, will motivate the audience to attend other live shows. There are many familiar faces represented here, even for those who do not frequent the legitimate theatre. Robert Goulet, Harvey Fierstein, Carol Channing, and even Yoko Ono all grace the stage in hilarious garb or demeanor.

Alvin Colt's costumes bring many of the spoofed shows to life for us. The set consists of a backdrop of silver streamers painted only by colored lights, and large theatre posters hanging from the rafters, advertising the likes of "Wickeder," "Rant," "More Miserables," and "Gagtime." Musical Director/Pianist Catherine Stornetta sits upstage and accompanies the spirited action with flair. Kevin B. McGlynn's appreciable comedic talents and Nick Verina's strong vocals round out the solid cast.

While the Huntington Theatre Company version of "Forbidden Broadway" offers some different selections than the New York musical, it most fittingly brings out Ethel Merman (channeled by Fagan) to close the show. To hear her belt out a tune with her signature voice and verve serves as a stark counterpoint to the talent of the artists that Alessandrini puts on the hot seat. There's no business like show business!