It seems a fine example of an oxymoron that one can
thoroughly enjoy deriding something that, at the same time one is also totally
into. Bear with me – I will
clarify. I have enjoyed many of the
iconic musicals both long running and those more contemporary, but the other
night I was privileged to be an audience member at a show that pulled no
punches when ridiculing those very same musicals and world famous musical
stars. In short – FORBIDDEN BROADWAY was not only hilarious, but a top quality
musical in itself. Now just to keep you
in the loop, I’m going to cheat on my homework and regurge the history of this
show via Wikipedia:
Forbidden Broadway is an Off-Broadway revue parodying musical theatre, particularly Broadway musicals. It was conceived, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini. The original version of the revue opened on January 15, 1982 at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City and ran for 2,332 performances.[1] 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.[2] In April 1982, Chloe Webb joined the cast, and Jeff Martin succeeded 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.
Now back to me. Forbidden Broadway, which has been running at The
Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark, near
London Bridge, and from September 9 can be seen at the Vaudeville Theatre, is in its latest reincarnation a must see for musical theatre
fans. The show will appeal even more to those who
really understand what it means to both stage and perform in a musical. I had originally thought that the massive stream of ticket buyers for
the musicals it derides would at best misunderstand the comedy and at worst,
take offence and therefore imagined that a transfer to the West End would not happen. I am glad my pessimism was unfounded.
The writing or rather re-writing of the
lyrics of well chosen songs from iconic musicals is brilliant. The comedy lyrics are satire at its best and
if you need cheering up for any reason, the laughs come thick and fast. The performances are second to none and
although I am sure the actors are far from unknown, to me they all deserve to
be household names. The singing was
sublime, the comedy both physical and vocal were fantastic and it reminded me
(as if I needed it), how much incredible talent there is in the acting world
that doesn’t come under the heading ‘celebrity’ but represents many who deserve
more success than actually comes their way.
Perhaps I have been ignorant in not having heard of this
show, or indeed of it’s stars past and present, but boy am I glad I spotted the
title and followed my hunch that it would be up my street. After all – ‘forbidden’ is my unspoken middle
name!
Jules Bannister.
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