Culture Writer
I didn’t see the original Forbidden Broadway, so I don’t know which unfortunate shows, producers, or stars of the musical theater stage were lampooned in it. But based on this second show of the same name, I am confident that they received their just desserts. I am also certain it was all done in good fun…that is, nothing too mean-spirited.
That said, take cover if, as a creator of a show or a role, you ever over-acted, self-indulged, or otherwise took the thing over the top. If so, you likely won’t have dodged the satire of Gerard Alessandrini, creator and writer of the Forbidden Broadway “brand.” He’ll get you. He will. And in many cases, he just did.
Directed by William Selby, Musical Theatre West’s Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume 2 employs a four-member roster that amounts to a marvel of casting wisdom. The uber-talented Larry Raben and David Engel (of Forever Plaid fame!) team up with the delightful likes of Susanne Blakeslee and Valerie Fagan. Matthew Smedal accompanies each number on piano.
This enviable ensemble recreates some of your favorite show numbers and artists as if they occur in an alternate universe in which everything is turned on its head. It reminded me of the Star Trek episode in which a scheming Mr. Spock sports a beard.
Annie is a 30-year-old has-been. A Chorus Line’s angst-ridden “I Hope I Get It” depicts a dance audition populated with cats. A much too sugary-sweet Maria from The Sound of Music will have you wanting to remove her from the stage with a giant candy cane. Even The Sound of Music’s von Trapp children don’t escape Alessandrini’s ridicule.
Speaking of ridicule, those who arguably suffer the worst at the hands of Alessandrini are Stephen Sondheim for his glaring lack of attention to his shows’ entertainment value, and Les Miz for its dark, depressing theme and other grievances.
In some cases, I found myself a little miffed, if it was a show I really loved. In others, such as Phantom of the Opera, which I’d always considered over-rated, I felt vindicated when Michael Crawford (as passionate in the role as he was) got his fairly well-meaning comeuppance.
Highlights of the show are way too numerous to mention. But a number in which Rita Moreno and Chita Rivera have it out, mainly over the public’s tendency to mistake one for the other, had me practically falling out of my seat. Just as riotous is Raben’s depiction of Mandy Patinkin overdoing it in that way that only Mandy can.
Even accompanist Smedal gets his moment in the spotlight, singing a solo parody of Marvin Hamlisch’s “They’re Playing Our Song” that laments how tiresome it can be “playing their songs.”
Others who “made the cut” this time around are A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Raben is adorable), Into the Woods, Rent, Beauty and the Beast, Ethel Merman (Fagan nails her), Robert Goulet (another triumph by Engel), Evita, Wicked, Sunset Blvd. (Blakeslee is right on), and Mary Poppins (Blakeslee becomes Julie Andrews!).
By now the show’s one possible downside may have become obvious. If you have never seen most of these shows, your ability to identify with the multitude of gags will be limited. Still, the show is quite entertaining as a stand-alone evening of fun.
What is most fabulous about Forbidden Broadway 2 is the almost entire absence of dud numbers. The entire show is an utterly insightful, belly laugh-inducing line-up of musical theater faux pas mostly deserving of what Alessandrini dishes out.
Musical Theatre West’s Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume 2 continues at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., on the campus of Cal State Long Beach, through April 29. Performances are Thursday (April 26) at 8pm, Fridays (April 20 and 27) at 8pm, Saturdays (April 21 and 28) at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday (April 22) at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday (April 29) at 2pm. Tickets start at $20 (plus a $3 per ticket service charge) and can be purchased through the MTW Box Office at (562) 856-1999 x4 or online at musical.org.
