Go Ahead—Take A Bite!
Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s Forbidden Broadway is wickedly delicious!
Review by Joan E. Kruger
Staff Writer
Leaving the Cosmopolitan
Cabaret after an opening night of nonstop laughs at Forbidden
Broadway, the latest musical revue to grace that stage, part of
me couldn’t wait to get home and start on the review—and part of me
didn’t want to write it at all, because as soon as I do, it becomes
a bit of a “spoiler” and I really, really just want everyone to go
and see it themselves! Part of the fun is the element of delighted
surprise with each new parody—so let me write about it without
actually giving too much away, because seriously, if you’re a fan
of musical theater you really, really have to go see this hilarious
show!
Lee and Melissa WolfKlain parodying The Lion King in the
Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of Forbidden Broadway
running through March 18. Photo by Charr Crail.
Award-winning Forbidden Broadway is the brainchild of Gerard
Alessandrini, and is a collection of musical parodies of Broadway
shows put together in a nightclub act that has been tickling the
funny bones of audiences since 1982. It is updated regularly and
has spawned fifteen editions, now enjoying fame as New York’s
longest running musical comedy revue!
While I expected parodies of the best known show-stopping tunes of
the Great White Way, something along the line of Weird Al Yankovic
perhaps, this was nothing like that—but far, far cleverer! The cast
of four, Marc Ginsburg, Jerry Lee (a native of Sacramento), Jessica
Reiner-Harris, and Melissa WolfKlain (seen recently at the Cabaret
in Suds and A Grand Night for Singing), are all
stunningly talented individually, and wonderful as an ensemble,
too, in the various configurations that each bit requires.
Under the direction of William Selby (and Musical Director Graham
Sobelman), the show runs seamlessly
from routine to routine, which, by the way, requires dozens of
costume changes for each of these pros! Some of the shows satirized
include Cats, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, West Side
Story, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, The Jersey Boys, Annie,
and many more. Disney gets more than a barb or two for their
seemingly endless franchise of animated feature films to Broadway
productions; Cameron MacIntosh (of Les Mis fame and beyond) takes a
hit for his marketing of the tie-in merchandise (one of my favorite
bits), and that’s just for starters.
(L to R) Jerry Lee, Jessica Reiner-Harris and
Marc Ginsburg parodying Chicago in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret
production of Forbidden Broadway running through March 18. Photo by
Charr Crail.
An example of how it all
works: one very funny song parodying Avenue Q (and also Lion
King and Little Shop of Horrors) features Marc Ginsburg
(wearing the Avenue Q T-shirt) with puppets—but his song “You Gotta
Get a Puppet” is to the tune of “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”, which is
from Gypsy. Another bit opens with a Sally Boles character lounging
on the piano, so of course we are expecting something from Cabaret,
but instead she leads us into Les Misérables instead, bringing the
other three out (in appropriate costume) to sing their own show’s
songs—well, with the reinvented lyrics, of course! For example, the
Eponine character sings about “texting…on my phone” to the “On My
Own” song from Les Mis. Impossible to say which was my favorite,
although the Mandy Patinkin “Somewhat Overindulgent” is certainly
at the top of the list, as well as the whole Fiddler on the Roof
(“Ambition!” to the tune of “Tradition!”) bit.
Jerry Lee parodying The Phantom of the Opera in the Cosmopolitan
Cabaret production of Forbidden Broadway running through March 18.
Photo by Charr Crail.
Each of these performers
obviously has the Broadway show chops to sing these tunes (oh, and
dance, and act), but they are also doing impressions of some of
those stars who made their shows famous—we see Carol Channing,
Patti Lapone, Idina Menzel, Robert Goulet, Mandy Patinkin, Barbra
Streisand; well, you get the idea—anyone who’s ever “trod the
boards” in a hit show. And it’s not just the voices but the
gestures, the musical phrasing—all of it absolutely spot on, which
would be impressive enough if it were just the songs.
Jerry Lee parodying Cats in the Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of
Forbidden Broadway running through March 18.
But it’s the songs with
the hysterical lyrics lampooning the show, the directors, writers,
producers, the business; nothing is safe, all is fair game, and all
of it is very, very funny. From the opening number (from Chicago),
where “Razzle Dazzle” becomes “Saucy Fosse” with a few good-natured
jeers at the jazz hands and bowler hats, to the end, the encore,
and the rousing standing ovation that finished the evening,
Forbidden Broadway was great uproarious fun! It’s my new favorite
show—it’s had a run of 25 years and counting, and now I know why!
One last thing: don’t worry if you haven’t seen all the original
Broadway shows, either; the songs are pretty much ones everyone
knows anyway, but if not, they are still funny all on their own.
The show runs an hour and forty minutes, with a short intermission.
And by the way, leave the kids at home; this is for the grownups.
Forbidden Broadway is playing through March 18, 2012. For
ticket information, call (916) 557-1999 or visit the website at
www.CosmopolitanCabaret.com
FORBIDDEN
BROADWAY ANNOUNCES 4-WEEK EXTENSION!
The acclaimed Cosmopolitan Cabaret production of the hit musical
comedy revue Forbidden Broadway has been extended through April
15. Whether or not you’re a fan of Broadway musicals, you’re
bound to find Forbidden Broadway hilarious:
Cosmopolitan Cabaret
1000 K Street, across from Crest Theatre
Performances Evenings:
Wed & Thurs at 7 pm
Fri & Sat at 8 pm
Matinees:
Thurs, Sat & Sun
at 2 pm.
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