Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Leaves Them Laughing in Riverside

Theatergoers at the Fox Performing Arts Center (Fox PAC) in Riverside, California, had the pleasure of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY's company for two performances on Saturday, March 12th. At the performance I attended, the audience laughed uproariously at the onstage antics, which, for those unfamiliar with FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, consist of skewering Broadway's musical hits and stars.

The better known the show or the performer, the more likely it is to fall into the crosshairs of this talented troupe of satirists. Most of the ribbing is good-natured, although the sendup of "Hello" expresses what appear to be real objections to the harsh humor of THE BOOK OF MORMON's creators.

The award-winning FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has appeared in various incarnations in numerous U.S. cities, in London's West End, and around the world. Creator, writer, and director Gerard Alessandrini began the phenomenon as a cabaret show in 1982. It eventually moved to its current home in midtown Manhattan, close to its victims.

Unless someone has seen every show on Broadway, and knows every bit of trivia about every star, there are likely to be references that he or she will miss, but the action is so funny that the audience laughs anyway. John Freedson, co-producer (along with Harriet Yellin) recently told Broadway World in an email interview that the show is sensitive to that possibility - "like any good parody, even if you miss a reference or two, you're having such a good time, you're on to the next joke right away." I missed a few references at the performance I attended, although the general silliness created laughs even when I didn't understand a joke.

Some of the audience members may have wondered why, during the sendup of LES MISERABLES, everyone marched around awkwardly looking as if they were on a spinning surface; the answer is that the original version of LES MIZ took place on a turntable that moved continuously throughout the show. Even if people had seen only a revival and didn't know about the turntable, the cast's clumsy rotating was funny. My favorite scene, the Phantom singing about the difficulties in performing "The Music of the Night," ended with a literal bang, from a miniature crashing chandelier. I suspect that everyone in the audience understood that sketch, as well as the sendup of ANNIE, in which a former lead wants to take part in a revival to revitalize her career.

The company members who appeared in this particular show are Marcus Stevens and Gina Kreiezmar, veterans with FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; Kevin McGlynn; and Trisha Rapier. All four have beautiful singing voices and comic talent. All could be doing actual Broadway shows instead of satirizing them, but I, for one, am glad that they have chosen this route, instead.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY is not, alas, on a national tour, and seems to appear only sporadically outside New York. As a result, those who missed the show at the Fox Performing Arts Center may not have the opportunity to see it any time soon. However, the albums are available, and lucky individuals may get the opportunity to see the show in its New York home base.

The Fox Performing Arts Center's Web site is http://www.riversidelive.com/. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY'S Web site is http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com/.

Photo Credits Carol Rosegg, Joan Marcus -- Photos of the NY cast

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