Forbidden Broadway (FB) has become a beloved parody on NYC's revered Great White Way. I'm a huge fan of B'wy musicals. I also love irreverance aimed at cherished establishments. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY COMES OUT SWINGING is the most recent rendition. It's evolved into its most hilarious, clever & caustic parody to date. And, for the sanctimonious musical lovers, get over yourselves and enjoy the jest. Gerard Alessandrini, the creator, writer & dir. for all 25 editions over the past 3 decades, has been honored by Broadway's own. He received the 2006 Tony for Excellence & the Drama League Award for Lifetime Achievement. Thankfully, Alessandrini can't be subverted. He still slings arrows that strike their mark. Mounting a successful B'wy show has become extremely risky & cost prohibitive. FB COMES OUT SWINGING lands hard punches on the casualties ensued: big corp. now control big productions {Disney cheese is easy to please,} revivals have overrun ground breaking new material (Les Miserables {one run more}) (Cabaret {what good is sitting through something new?}.) Musicals alleged exploitation of children (Mathilda, Billy Elliot & Annie.) Most detrimental of all are the compromises to quality. Harvey Fierstein & Cyndi Lauper explain how simple & formulaic it is to create an inane hit. "Use a cookie cutter mold & don't aspire to take it higher." The tentacles of Alessandrini's lashes out laughs at celebrities' expense: Liza Minelli, Sylvester Stallone, Idina Menzel, Michelle Williams & Alan "coming" to name a few. The audience is also fair game for its obnoxious cell phone use. The show opens & closes with the cast thumbing their noses. Revivals may come & go but FB is here to stay.
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