Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab

Forbidden Broadway Goes to RehabIt can be hard to know when a roast is well done, and extremely difficult to know when it’s overdone. Taking it away from the heat too early leaves it weak and flimsy, and leaving it in too long makes it tough. But a perfectly cooked roast is flavorful and juicy, just like Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, the long-running roast of the Great White Way.Gerard Alessandrini’s parody of Broadway focuses on the seemingly trendy habit of checking into rehabilitation centers, the seemingly trendy decision by many major players in Hollywood. Parodying the melodies of currently running Broadway shows, Forbidden Broadway skewers commercialism, stunt casting and just about everything else artists can thumb their noses at.The current lineup includes spoofs of the internet’s enabling of theatrical obsession and Disney’s presence on the Great White Way, as well as poking fun at several big-name stars such as the fearsome Patti LuPone and, of course, Daniel Radcliffe’s famous nude scene in Equus (cleverly set to the strip routine in Gypsy.The cast consists of four remarkably talented actors who effortlessly switch from skit so skit with barely a moment’s pause. Gina Kreiemar’s Patti LuPone was particulary amusing, singing about how “everything’s coming up Patti,” while her parody of Mary Poppins was spot-on. As Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter, Jared Bradshaw garnered great laughs from the audience while singing, “Let me Enter Naked.” Michael West performed disarmingly accurate imitations of Mel Brooks and Harvey Fierstein, and Christina Bianco, a tiny but tremendous stage presence, performs remarkable impersonations of Kelli O’Hara and Kristin Chenoweth.Viewing this rendition of Forbidden Broadway was a particularly bittersweet experience, because it is the last rendition. After years of skewering the good and bad on the Great White Way, the show is closing on January 15, 2009, leaving this critic to wonder: who will keep Broadway in line now?