By: Darryl Reilly
“Sit Down, You’re Blocking The Aisle”, sung by a crabby usherette to the tune of “Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat” from Guys and Dolls, is from the opening number of Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song. This isn’t very funny, and neither is much of the show. This edition of the perennial satirical musical revue mocks recent Broadway offerings including Hell’s Kitchen, Suffs, The Outsiders, Cabaret, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, with a bit of the play, Oh!, Mary, and a swipe at that immortal target, Cats.
There are also wicked sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose, Jeremy Jordan, Audra McDonald, Ben Platt and Hillary Clinton. Depending on one’s sensibility, one could find the plethora of inside show business vignettes either hilarious, mildly amusing, or wearying. “A Nightmare on Elm Street in Berlin” is how the current Cabaret revival is described, and is representative of the level of Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song’s wit.
The show’s title is demonstrative, as Stephen Sondheim is a through-line. There are knowing and affectionate references to Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, and of course the starry revival of Merrily We Roll Along. Sondheim appears for a plot device as a teenage character during the Back to the Future spoof, and perpetually pops up as a motif.
The dynamic cast of Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Danny Hayward, Jenny Lee Stern, and Chris Collins-Pisano, all offer energetically accurate characterizations of their multiple, mostly celebrity roles. Director Gerard Alessandrini’s madcap physical staging in concert with Gerry McIntyre’s zesty choreography, make for a lively, swift, and visually appealing production. Alessandrini created and wrote Forbidden Broadway; he has been tartly updating it for numerous incarnations since its 1982 premiere at a Manhattan cabaret. That production’s music director Fred Barton, amazingly and supremely repeats that function here.
(Photo credit: Carol Rosegg)
Mylar curtains is a major feature of Glenn Bassett’s clever, spare scenic design; there’s even a song about them. Costume designer Dustin Cross’ witty creations grandly replicate the looks of the figures of parody. That is enforced by Ian Joseph’s rich hair and wig design. Joan Racho-Jansen’s lighting design and Andy Evan Cohen’s sound design are of crisp straightforwardness, lending polish to the presentation.
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song is a pleasant experience, offering its fabled jocular take on the present state of Broadway theater.
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song (through November 3, 2024)
Theater555, 555 West 42nd Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.forbiddenbroadway.nyc
Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission