|
|
|
 |
Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey |
|
Author: Gerard Alessandrini
Reviewer: Carolyn Albert for Theatre Reviews Limited |
|
Can you believe that this is the 18th year of Forbidden Broadways? Time has been good to the long-running series. This current incarnation just may be the funniest so far. Almost all of the spoofs and songs are totally new and fresh; even when creator/author GERARD ALESSANDRINI pokes fun at long-running targets like "Les Mis," his approach is different from earlier spoofs of the same shows.
Thank Heavens for Alessandrini's talents! Whenever the theater season starts to take itself too seriously, there he is to deflate egos and lampoon traditions with a new and even funnier edition of FB.
  
As a reviewer, I was given a guide that does not appear in the program, a list of all of the shows and performers that "FB 2001" would zap - but I refused to ruin the novelty for myself by peeking at it before the show. In the same way, I don't want to diminish the spontaneity of surprise for readers either, so I won't tell who gets lampooned.
However, I can be lavish in my praise for nearly every aspect of this production. First, of course, is Alessandrini's talent at finding just the right weak spot to peck at then going in with a harpoon. Musicals are his forte. He will select one or a medley of songs from that production and write parody lyrics skewering the show's star, writer, or some vulnerable aspect of the production. His lyrics are often more clever and his rhymes more deliciously original than those in the actual show.
Most of the hip New York audience was probably familiar with the musicals and stars and even critics who are the subjects of the take-offs. Yet I'll venture to guess that even if a busload of tourists who almost never go to these musicals were to venture in, they'd enjoy FB-2001. Part of the genius of the work is that it is clear to newcomers while at the same time not overly explicatory - which would bore experienced audience members.
FB's performers are consistently amazing. Each of the four this year has a grand voice that can imitate a wide range of their contemporaries. CHRISTINE PEDI, an FB vet, triumphs in her ability to personify well-known divas, youthful and aging (and occasionally immortal), not only doing impeccable impersonations vocally, but also catching and magnifying their postures, gestures, and facial expressions.
Among the three "newcomers," DANNY GURWIN more than meets the difficult challenge with a fast-talking recitation of a complex variation of one of the great numbers of all time from "The Music Man." He goes on to exhibit the same delightful chameleon qualities that make so many of the FB stars astonishing. Former FB-ers have gone on to star on and off Broadway, including Michael McGrath and Bryan Batt. Look for Danny Gurwin to join the parade.
FELICIA FINLEY has a beautiful soprano voice, able to do operatic imitations as well as legit B'way belting. TONY NATION is a good-looking leading man with great potential in musical theater for his strong voice and comic ability.
The actors flit on and offstage with high energy, reappearing in new costumes within mini-seconds. These costumes by ALVIN COLT are more elaborate than ever before (FB originally relied on headdresses and wigs). Some are terribly funny [e.g., look for the Oscar hanging from the neck of Dame Judi Dench as Elizabeth I]. JIM GRIFFITH is credited as Production Stage Manager; whoever is backstage getting the actors in and out of their costumes so quickly deserves to come out for a bow along with the performers.
The one problem with the theater is that the acoustics are uneven. Sometimes voices were ear-piercingly loud. That problem is amplified because one doesn't want to shut out a syllable of the lyrical fun.
This year Alessandrini co-directed along with PHILLIP GEORGE who's credited with the choreography. On the mini-stages that have been typical of FB's productions, there has never been much room for dancing, but those mini-spaces were always well utilized. Musical accompaniment by CATHERINE STORNETTA is strong and supportive.
"Forbidden Broadway 2001" restores musical comedy to a new high.
|
|
|
Produced by John Freedson, Harriet Yellin, and Jon B. Platt in association with Steve McGraw, Nancy McCall, Peter Martin, Gary Hoffman, Jerry Kravat, and Masakazu Shibaoka.
CAST: Felicia Finley, Danny Gurwin, Tony Nation, Christine Pedi. Catherine Stornetta on the piano.
Theater: Stardust Theatre, downstairs at Ellen's Stardust Diner, 51st Street & Broadway.
Schedule: Monday, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15, Sunday at 7:30; Matinees on Saturday at 2:30 and Sunday at 3:30.
Tickets: $49.50 for all seats. Call TeleCharge: 212/239-6200. Group sales: 212/840-5564. Discount parking at Circle Garage, 209 W. 51st Street (B'way-8th Ave.) Note: Food and drinks are available before the show and are optional.
Audience: Everyone who loves musicals. Young children might not get all the jokes and sophisticated references. No nudity or obscenity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|  |
|
