B'way & Off Update: Forbidden B'way Back on the Boards; Michael Urie Stars in Mattress

Chris Collins Pisano (left) and Jenny Lee Stern (right)
 will be featured in Gerard Alessandrini's
new "Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song"
at Theater555 
Credit: Carole Rosegg

Forbidden Broadway is back on the boards. The latest edition of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running satirical revue, subtitled Merrily We Stole a Song had been announced as playing Broadway's Hayes Theater this summer, but the engagement was postponed indefinitely. Now, the production will open Off-Broadway at Theater 555 on W. 42nd St. on Sept. 12 with previews beginning Aug. 23.

Created, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, with musical staging by Gerry McIntyre, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song skewers the latest deluge of Broadway offerings including Hell’s Kitchen, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, The Wiz, and of course, Merrily We Roll Along. In addition, there will be sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose and Jeremy Jordan, among others. This up-to-the-minute version will also poke fun at the 2024 Tony Awards, and will include some of the most popular numbers from Alessandrini’s recent Forbidden Sondheim.

 

Gerard Alessandrini says “I am thrilled that this latest incarnation of the show that I had been preparing for more than a year, can now open Off-Broadway, where Forbidden Broadway has felt at home for over 40 years. The exciting new Broadway season has inspired me to create a barrage of theatrical zingers, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to present this edition in New York after all.”

 

The company will be headed by Chris Collins-Pisano and Jenny Lee Stern with musical director Fred Barton on piano.  The remainder of the cast and creative team will be announced. 

B'way Update: Forbidden B'way Postponed; Theater Award News

The first Broadway production of Forbidden Broadway has been postponed indefinitely. The latest edition of the long-running satirical revue was to have played the Hayes Theater beginning on July 29 with an opening set for Aug. 15. The limited engagement was to have played through Nov. 1. The producers cited the high volume of shows competing for theatergoers' attention and dollars.

“We made the difficult decision today to postpone the upcoming Broadway production of Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song,” said producers Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang and Tracey McFarland in a statement. “The Broadway landscape is enormously crowded at this moment, and while we adore Forbidden Broadway, we are disappointed that the show will not open at the Hayes on Broadway this summer. New programming for the Hayes Theater this summer will be announced soon.”

The Hayes is currently housing Paula Vogel's Mother Play which is scheduled to run until mid-June. The memory play has received excellent notices and might extend its run depending on cast schedules and if it reaps any Tony Award gold. 

This is the second recent Broadway production to announce a postponement. Rod Madge's solo My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) was to have played the Lyceum but plans were scuttled in February.

Bebe Neuwirth and Chita Rivera
Credit: Emilio Madrid-Kuser

Theater Award News: Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth, currently starring in the revival of Cabaret, will announce the nominees for the Chita Rivera Awards on Mon. April 29 on ABC's GMA3 during the 1pm block. This means we will have a double dose of theater award nominations. Earlier the same day, Kathleen Turner will give out the Drama Desk nominations on WNBC's New York Live at 11:30 am.

Then, the next day, April 30, the Tony Award nominations will be read by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renee Elise Goldsberry. A portion of the press conference will be broadcast on CBS Mornings at 8:30am. The full announcement will drop on the Tony Awards' YouTube Channel beginning at 9am.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and
Renee Elise Goldsberry will
announced the 2023-24 Tony nominees.

B'way Update: Forbidden B'way Finally Makes It to B'way

The cast of the London edition of
Forbidden Broadway.
Credit: Alistair Muir

Forbidden Broadway is finally making it to Broadway. The latest iteration of the long-running parody series--Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song will begin previews at the Hayes Theater on July 29 with an opening set for Aug. 15. The limited engagement will play through Nov. 1. The five-person cast (including an onstage pianist) will be announced at a later date. There will also be special weekly guest stars appearing throughout the run.

The first edition of Forbidden Broadway opened in 1982 at Palsson's Supper Club and ran for 2,332 performances. Various editions have played over 200 US cities as well as in London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney. Titles of the Off-Broadway versions include Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back, FB Goes to Rehab, FB 2001: A Spoof Odyssey, FB: Special Victims Unit, and FB: The Next Generation. 

Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging
(2014)

The show’s creator and director Gerard Alessandrini said, “I’d never have believed that Forbidden Broadway would end up on the street that we love - and love to lampoon.” For his work on the various versions of Forbidden Broadway, Alessandrini has won a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater, an Obie Award and two Drama Desk Awards for his lyrics. The show has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue three times.

Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song will be created around the current and recent seasons of Broadway and will include spoofs of the new and upcoming Broadway musicals and plays like The Great Gatsby, The Notebook, Water for Elephants, Hell’s Kitchen and Back to the Future, as well as current and recent Sondheim revivals like Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company and Merrily We Roll Along.