“Forbidden Broadway” will open on Broadway. The latest iteration of the decades-old parody, titled “Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song,” will begin previews on July 29 and open Aug. 15 at the Hayes Theater. Creator Gerard Alessandrini, a Tony honoree for the musical’s Off-Broadway stagings, will direct the Broadway production, set to play a limited run through Nov. 1.
The musical revue will feature a five-person cast, who will be joined weekly by guest stars. The production plans to parody shows featured in the current and recent Broadway seasons, including “Back to the Future,” “Company,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Into the Woods,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “The Notebook,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Water for Elephants.”
For his work in creating “Forbidden Broadway” and adapting its many installments that poke fun at the ever-changing slate of Broadway shows, Alessandrini was honored with a 2006 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Created in 1982, the musical first played the Upper West Side’s Palsson’s Supper Club (now known as the Triad Theatre). Alessandrini won a Special Drama Desk Award in 1985 for the “level of irreverence of ‘Forbidden Broadway’”; two later editions earned him additional Drama Desk nods for Outstanding Lyrics in 1997 and 1999.
“I’d never have believed that ‘Forbidden Broadway’ would end up on the street that we love — and love to lampoon,” said Alessandrini in a statement.
Casting and the production’s full creative team will be announced.
“Forbidden Broadway on Broadway” is being produced by Broadway & Beyond Theatricals (Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang and Tracey Stroock McFarland) in association with John Freedson and Harriet Yellin.
