Forbidden Broadway

Synopsis

Forbidden Broadway was first seen at Palsson's Supper Club in New York January 1982. Unemployed actor Gerard Alessandrini wanted a showcase for his talents and put together as a nightclub act, a selection of some of the musical parodies of Broadway shows he had written. Lauded by critics and audiences alike Forbidden Broadway has since become New York's longest running musical comedy revue, winning Drama Desk, Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and recently receiving a Tony Honor.

Our Review:

Theo Bosanquet - 3 July 2009

It's perhaps surprising that Forbidden Broadway (or at least a derivative of it) has never found a more permanent home in London. The glimpses we have had of the legendary revue show have been fleeting – a month-long run at the Albery ten years ago (produced by David Babani, who now brings it to the Chocolate Factory) and a brief stint at the Fortune ten years prior to that. Add to this the fact it recently ended its 27-year run in New York, and suffice to say you should probably see it while you have the chance.

The material is a combination of old favourites (the “Bring it Down” skit of Les Miserables is timeless) and new additions, including a brilliant pastiche of the Chocolate Factory's recent pared-down revival of A Little Night Music, in which a giant Hannah Waddingham pleads “Send in the Crowds”.  

Not everything hits its mark – the Andrew Lloyd Webber skit is not a patch on the Sondheim one w...

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 31 August 2009:

I can't remember the last time I laughed as much at a show as I did almost all the way through Forbidden Broadway. A top notch cast of four with genuine musical theatre talent race through a series of brilliant parodies of a staggering range of shows complete with great choreography and amazing costumes (with lightning fast changes). It's almost impossible to pick out favourites, although Annie, Billy Elliott, Oliver and the Lion King were hysterical and the first half closed with a Les Mis spoof which brought the house down. There were also spot-on impressions of, amongst others, Hannah Waddingham, Elaine Paige and Idina Menzel (defying subtlety). Perhaps the second half was not quite as good as the first - even spoof Sondheim is a bit dull - but this was a hilarious couple of hours. In New York the show was constantly updated and ran for years; I really hope it can find a suitable home in the West End (Leicester Square?) or parhaps it can become a regular visitor to the Chocolate Factory. It would be a desperate waste of a fantastic show if this is the last London sees of Forbidden Broadway....

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