Things get off to a nice start with the cast (Christina Bianco, Jared Bradshaw, Gina Kreiezmar, Michael West) at a meeting for theater addicts. This includes those obsessed with musicals, plays, and all things Sondheim. However things stall a bit in the next two numbers, which do take-offs on the musicals Chicago and In the Heights. Bianco does a dead-on impersonation of Bebe Neuwirth in the former, but the lyrics themselves and the story they tell aren’t all that interesting. In the latter number, West does some nice rapping, but the premise, now that the show has won the Tony Award for Best Musical they have to appeal to the Jewish bus and tunnel crowd, gets old rather quickly. (The same idea is much better executed in the “Feed the Burbs” number, parodying Mary Poppins.)
Another segment that really didn’t work (one of the few nonmusical sketches in the show) was where the mother and daughter of “August: Osage County” met in a boxing ring and tried to knock each other out with their various neurosis. Good idea perhaps, but the execution fell flat and definitely would have worked much better as a musical number.
The show gets much better when Alessandrini goes for the jugular, such as with the “Equus” number, making much of actor Daniel Radcliffe being naked on stage in that play, as well as throwing in a few Harry Potter references; or Kreiezmar as a wonderful scenery-chewing Patti LuPone who is such a diva she doesn’t recognize her co-stars where they’re not on stage together. The show also takes some shots at the musical Young Frankenstein, using the “Puttin' on The Ritz” number from that show to illustrate how much of a misfire (and hyped to the stars) that effort turned out to be, with some wonderful payoff lines in the lyrics.
Other enjoyable numbers include send-ups of The Lion King (with the song “Can You Feel the Pain Tonight,” about the various injuries the actors receive while on stage). Also quite enjoyable are several numbers from past editions of Forbidden Broadway. Although it’s probably time to change the lyrics in the “Annie” number from “I’m 30 years old tomorrow,” to “40 years,” since it’s been that long since the musical first opened on Broadway.
While Forbidden Broadway is at its best when it goes for satire, another attribute of the show is its ability to comment on the state of the theatre, both past and present. This is especially evident in a powerful number from “Spring Awakening,” which points out what was controversial 20 years ago is pretty tame now and what can shock people today may barely raise an eyebrow in the future. There’s also a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, who has come in for a number of ribbings in “Forbidden Broadway” over the years. But while Alessandrini offers the possibility of what Broadway can strive to be, there are also several numbers dealing with what it has become, i.e. “You Can’t Stop The Camp” (Hairspray) and “The Re-Little Mermaid,” about the continual Disneyfication of Broadway.
The acting is uniformly excellent, with the cast making quick changes from one costume to the next and often doing spot-on impersonations of their respective targets. Alessandrini’s direction is mostly strong, other than a few missteps here and there (i.e. the “August: Osage County” piece). Then again, the good thing about a revue such as this is that if an audience member isn’t crazy about one particular sketch or musical number, the next offering is usually different enough to offer the spectator an entirely new chance to be swept along for the ride.
Set design by Megan K. Halpern, basically a cabaret setting, works fine. Lighting by Mark T. Simpson is good and the costumes by Alvin Colt are a lot of fun. Good work also by musical director David Caldwell, who doubles as the show’s onstage pianist.
Over the years “Forbidden Broadway” has become a New York treasure and a must-see for theater afficionados. One should definitely take the time to visit this final incarnation before it shuffles off this mortal coil in January. And as you’re saying “ta-ta” to the cast, or as they sing it to you, take comfort in the thought that another version of “Forbidden Broadway” will hopefully arrive in New York before too long.
Forbidden Broadway Goes To Rehab
The 47th Street Theatre
304 West 37th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6300
Information: www.forbiddenbroadway.com
Closes: Jan. 15
Running time: Approximately 1 Hour, 40 Minutes (with an intermission)
