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'Rude Awakening' for Broadway

By Matt Windman

5:35 PM EDT, October 15, 2007

Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening, the 25th Anniversary Edition of the show which spoofs Broadway shows features Michael West (Harvey Fierstein), Jared Bradshaw (John Travolta), and Valerie Fagan (Tracey Turnblad character) lampooning "Hairspray" (both the show and the film) . (Newsday/Ari Mintz)

Few, if any, theater reviews survive for posterity. And few, if any, musical revues survive in their entirety. But "Forbidden Broadway," the long-running Off-Broadway spoof of Broadway musicals, is likely to live on years from now as an unflinching social history of Broadway via Gerard Alessandrini's lyrics and parody concepts.

"Rude Awakening," the revue's newest edition, takes shots at last year's big attractions like "Spring Awakening," "Company," "Grey Gardens," "Curtains," "Mary Poppins" and so on. We can particularly sense Alessandrini's concern with the popularity of "Spring Awakening," which is subject to vicious ridicule, as well as the reality TV "Grease" revival and the premature return of "Les Miz."

In the first "Spring Awakening" sketch, two confused adults waddle through the audience looking for their seats, only to find that they purchased "onstage seating." They nauseously react to young Wendla's search for sexuality with "It's Demented, It's Depressing, It's Disgusting," to the tune of Cole Porter's "Delovely." Later on, young Melchoir does not unveil a microphone by removing his jacket, but by unzipping his trousers.

The wide range of theater celebs impersonated by the talented quartet cast include Meryl Streep, Ethel Merman, Beth Leavel, David Hyde Pierce, Christine Ebersole, Idina Menzel, Bob Martin, Cheyenne Jackson, Raul Esparza and even Ariel the Mermaid. The Esparza parody is particularly brilliant, where he sings "Being Intense" (tune of "Being Alive") before watching the Best Actor Tony be carried away. If you watched the 2007 Tonys, you will recall Esparza's look of shock when he lost to David Hyde Pierce.

Times have changed since "Forbidden Broadway" began. And its self-referential, satirical style has been misappropriated by Broadway itself, in shows like "The Producers," "Hairspray," "Xanadu" and endless others. Alessadrini even goes as far as accusing "Spamalot" of stealing "The Song That Goes Like This" from "Forbidden Broadway."

But as long as there are Disney musicals and other schlock to skewer, "Forbidden Broadway" will certainly have a place. As its 2006 Tony honor recognizes, this is far more than a comedy show, but an institution of lighthearted, brilliant theater criticism.

47th Street Theatre, 304 West 47th St, 212-239-6200, $60-65. Mon-Tues 8:15pm, Wed 2:30pm, Fri 8:15pm, Sat 4 & 8:15pm, Sun 3:30 & 7:30pm. Open Run.