Forbidden Broadway
Encyclopedia
Forbidden Broadway is an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...

 satirical revue conceived, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini
Gerard Alessandrini
Gerard Alessandrini is an American playwright, parodist, actor and theatre director best known for creating the award-winning off-Broadway musical theatre parody revue Forbidden Broadway...

. The original version of the revue opened on January 15, 1982 at Palsson's Supper Club
Triad Theater
The Triad Theatre, formerly known as Palsson's Supper Club and Steve McGraw's, is located on West 72nd Street on New York's Upper West Side...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and ran for 2,332 performances. Alessandrini has rewritten the show over 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. Michael Chapman directed and produced. In April 1982, Chloe Webb
Chloe Webb
Chloe Webb is an American actress.Webb was born in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York. Her New York theater debut was in the original cast of the long-running musical satire Forbidden Broadway...

 joined the cast, Jeff Martin succeeded Michael Chapman as director. Alessandrini assumed the directing position subsequently, with Phillip George, Alessandrini's long-time collaborator, co-directing all of the editions of the revue since 2004.

The show, in its various editions, has received over 9,000 performances and been seen in more than 200 U.S. cities as well as playing in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney.

Description

The show is a cabaret revue sharply spoofing show tunes, characters and plots of contemporary and current Broadway musicals. Forbidden Broadway has mocked popular shows like The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

, Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...

, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

, Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...

, Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...

, The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...

, The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...

, Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...

, and Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...

, to name a few. It also targets famous Broadway actors, writers, composers, directors, choreographers and producers, including Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...

, Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...

, Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...

, Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...

, Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...

, Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...

, Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...

, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...

, Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...

, Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...

, Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....

, Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer-Yvette Holliday is an African-American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist...

, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

, Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...

, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...

, Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...

, Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...

, Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...

, Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...

, Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...

, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....

, Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....

, Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...

, Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...

, Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...

, Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...

, Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...

, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

, Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...

 and Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...

.

Forbidden Broadway is a four-person show, with two men and two women. Forbidden Broadway has released eleven 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, Brad Oscar, singer/impressionist Christine Pedi, actor Bryan Batt (of AMC's "Mad Men"), Spamalot's Michael McGrath, Chloe Webb (Sid and Nancy), Ed Staudenmayer (Fame Becomes Me), Barbara Walsh (Company, Ragtime), Ann Morrison (Merrily We Roll Along, LoveMusik) and many more.

In 2006, the show and Alessandrini were awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre is a non-competitive award created by the American Theatre Wing in 1990. They are presented to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible to compete in any of the...

. The 25th Anniversary production: Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening is the 2007 incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals....

won the 2008 Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...

 for outstanding revue with a cast recording recorded on October 18, 2007 and released on January 22, 2008. It starred Jared Bradshaw, Janet Dickinson, James Donegan and Valerie Fagan. The final incarnation, Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab is the final incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off-Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals. The revue ran in 2008.-Production:...

, ended its run at the 47th Street Theatre in New York on March 1, 2009. It starred Christina Bianco, Jared Bradshaw, Gina Kreiezmar, and Michael West, with David Caldwell at the piano. 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, has received over 9,000 performances and been seen in more than 200 U.S. cities as well as playing in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney. A 2009 review in Britain's The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

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
Ken Fallin
Ken Fallin is an American illustrator and caricaturist. His first big break was in 1983 doing the posters and advertising for the popular satirical revue Forbidden Broadway...

, who suggested the actors find the name "Nina" written on their bodies as an homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....

 to Al Hirschfeld
Al Hirschfeld
Albert "Al" Hirschfeld was an American caricaturist best known for his simple black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.-Personal life:Born in St...

, who was known for working his daughter's name into his drawings.

Versions of Forbidden Broadway

  • Forbidden Broadway (May 4, 1982 – August 30, 1987)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1988/1989 (September 15, 1988 – December 24, 1989)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1990 (January 23, 1990 – June 9, 1991)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1991½ (June 20, 1991 – January 12, 1992)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1992 (April 6, 1992 – November 30, 1992)
  • Forbidden Broadway Featuring Forbidden Christmas (December 1, 1992 – December 27, 1992)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1993 (January 12, 1993 – September 19, 1993)
  • Forbidden Broadway 1994 (November 11, 1993 – January 2, 1994)
  • Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back
    Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back
    Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back! is a version of Forbidden Broadway created by Gerard Alessandrini. It Previewed Thursday September 5, 1996 and Opened at the Triad Theater Wednesday October 16, 1996. It later moved to the basement of Ellen's Stardust Diner and, as is the show's tradition, spoofed...

    (October 17, 1996 – September 20, 1998)
  • Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act
    Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act
    Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act is the fifth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway, his popular off-Broadway musical revue spoofing "the best of Broadway". All the parody lyrics were written by Gerard Alessandrini. This version was co-directed by Mr. Alessandrini and his...

    (November 17, 1998 – August 30, 2000)
  • Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
    Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
    Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey is the 21st century's first incarnation of the Off-Broadway revue Forbidden Broadway. It was conceived, created and written by Gerard Alessandrini and satirizes Broadway's latest shows and stars. Phillip George co-directed with Alessandrini, with Catherine...

    (December 6, 2000–2001)
  • Forbidden Broadway 20th Anniversary Celebration (May 10, 2001–2004)
  • Forbidden Broadway Summer Shock! (July 5, 2004 – September 15, 2004)
  • Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit
    Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit
    Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit is the ninth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's musical revue...

    (December 16, 2004 – April 15, 2007)
  • Forbidden Broadway: The Roast of Utopia (June 13, 2007 – August 22, 2007)
  • Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
    Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
    Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening is the 2007 incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals....

    (October 2, 2007 – March 24, 2008)
  • Forbidden Broadway Dances With the Stars! (June 28, 2008 – September 2008)
  • Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
    Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
    Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab is the final incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off-Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals. The revue ran in 2008.-Production:...

    (September 17, 2008 – March 1, 2009)

Albums

  • Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 1
    Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 1
    Forbidden Broadway, known also as Forbidden Broadway, Volume 1, is the first album released by Gerard Alessandrini, the creator of Forbidden Broadway...

    – 1984
  • Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 2
    Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 2
    Forbidden Broadway, Volume 2 is the second album released for Forbidden Broadway , an off-Broadway musical that spoofs Broadway's latest musicals. The album was recorded and mixed in February 1991 in New York at Sear Sound....

    – 1991
  • Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 3
    Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 3
    Forbidden Broadway, Volume 3 is the third album released to accompany Gerard Alessandrini's off-Broadway show Forbidden Broadway, which spoofs Broadway's latest musicals. Volume 3 was recorded in November 1993 and released in 1994, recorded at DRG Records, Inc. in New York.The album follows the...

    – 1994
  • Forbidden Hollywood
    Forbidden Hollywood
    Forbidden Hollywood is the parody show taped live in Hollywood created by Gerard Alessandrini, who also created the ever-popular Forbidden Broadway. But instead of spoofing Broadway, FH spoofed popular films Forbidden Hollywood is the parody show taped live in Hollywood created by Gerard...

    – 1995
  • Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back
    Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back
    Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back! is a version of Forbidden Broadway created by Gerard Alessandrini. It Previewed Thursday September 5, 1996 and Opened at the Triad Theater Wednesday October 16, 1996. It later moved to the basement of Ellen's Stardust Diner and, as is the show's tradition, spoofed...

    – 1996
  • Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act
    Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act
    Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act is the fifth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway, his popular off-Broadway musical revue spoofing "the best of Broadway". All the parody lyrics were written by Gerard Alessandrini. This version was co-directed by Mr. Alessandrini and his...

    – 1999
  • Forbidden Broadway: 20th Anniversary Edition
    Forbidden Broadway: 20th Anniversary Edition
    Forbidden Broadway: 20th Anniversary Edition is the sixth volume in the Forbidden Broadway Cast Albums. Although there isn't a show with the same title, the CD has twenty-five of Forbidden Broadway's best songs, including eight previously unreleased tracks...

    – 2000
  • Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
    Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
    Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey is the 21st century's first incarnation of the Off-Broadway revue Forbidden Broadway. It was conceived, created and written by Gerard Alessandrini and satirizes Broadway's latest shows and stars. Phillip George co-directed with Alessandrini, with Catherine...

    – 2001
  • Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit
    Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit
    Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit is the ninth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's musical revue...

    – 2005
  • Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
    Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
    Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening is the 2007 incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals....

    – 2008
  • Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
    Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab
    Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab is the final incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off-Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway, which parodies notable current Broadway and Off Broadway musicals. The revue ran in 2008.-Production:...

    – 2009

External links

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