BWW REVIEWS: REVIEW: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY CHRISTMAS Makes Christmas Funny at The Gem Theatre

After setting a record for the Gem Theatre's best holiday show in 2007, A Forbidden Broadway Christmas cracks up audiences again at the Gem Nov. 24 - New Year's Eve.

Based on the popular Forbidden Broadway production, A Forbidden Broadway Christmas includes spoofs of Broadway's greatest shows and performers. From The Phantom of the Opera to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, no show is immune from the comedic parody of the Forbidden company! For the holidays, A Forbidden Broadway Christmas adds spoofs of celebrities and holiday favorites such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Barabra Streisand, Elvis and more - all singing your favorite holiday numbers. And don't worry - you don't have to be a Broadway aficionado to get the jokes. The show is top-notch quality fun, even if you don't know the tunes.

This year, A Forbidden Broadway Christmas returns to Detroit with new-to-Detroit spoofs of Broadway shows and celebrities, as well as the same amazing cast that made the 2007 production a smashing success. The Gem Theatre cast includes, Janet Caine, Jennifer George Consiglio, Mark David Kaplan, Jason Richards and Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck.

The show simply put was hilarious, I honestly do not think I stopped laughing the entire time. There was a great mix of Christmas tunes with Broadway hits. From spoofs of old Broadway classics to Holiday favorites nothing was off limits. I especially enjoyed the numbers from Les Miserables, which were just laugh out loud funny with numbers such as "Christmas Time Things" where Jason Richards is supposed to be Cameron Macintosh singing about how we he loves his "Christmas Time Things" which are all the souvenirs from his shows that are hidden in his cloak. Other favorite numbers included a spoof of "On My Own", entitled "On My Phone" and "God On High", which was cleverly renamed "This Notes Too High".

Some of the Christmas stand out numbers were "Have Yourself A Money Little Christmas" and a ridiculously funny rendition of "Little Drummer Boy". The impersonations done by the entire cast were phenomenal, but I especially enjoyed Janet Caine's impersonation of Patti LuPone, Little Mermaid, Baraba Striesand, and Celine Dion which were done perfectly.
Every time I see Forbidden Broadway shows I am amazed by the talent that the cast must have in order to pull off spoofing such popular shows. They never cease to amaze me at the way they can transform numbers that I love and would never think of making fun of into something that is so funny I have to cover my mouth to stop laughing.

Tickets ($19.75-$45) are on sale now through the Gem Theatre Box Office 313-963-9800, Ticketmaster charge by phone 1-800-982-2787, at all Ticketmaster Ticketcenters, and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

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