'Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song' review — no show is safe from this theatrical roast
Read our review of Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song off Broadway, the latest parody revue in the award-winning series created by Gerard Alessandrini.
Sometimes you just want an unserious, silly night at the theatre with "below-the-belt repartee," where not even Broadway legends Bernadette Peters or Audra McDonald are spared from skewering. Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song if you’re willing to trek from the closest subway to the Off-Broadway Theater 555, creator-writer-director Gerard Alessandrini’s latest installment in his Forbidden Broadway parody revue series, tackling the post-lockdown theatre seasons, might just be your cocktail.
Maybe it’s not my cocktail. I say this as someone who enjoys parodies, but Merrily We Stole a Song veers into self-congratulatory smugness. It's not that I don’t disagree with its comments on the crisis of Broadway biz leaning on cushy nostalgia and high prices (criticism that isn’t new), but these complaints, seemingly lifted from theatre Twitter, can only roll out so long as lyrics before they dry out. It works at times in a conversational format, one example being a two-person sketch that finger-wags at the quasi-biographical Hell’s Kitchen for taking liberties with Alicia Keys’s life story while admitting there’s appeal to the fictionalization. (I would be remiss not to mention that Merrily itself misrepresents another musical, Suffs, as an “all-women” show, erasing its non-binary cast members.)
I don’t want to discount the delights. Among them is the four-person cast — Chris Collins-Pisano, Jenny Lee Stern, A.J. Holmes, and Nicole Vanessa Ortiz — plus virtuoso pianist Fred Barton. They shoot off firecrackers of soaring voices and uncanny or caricaturist impressions of luminaries, with playful shoestring props (designed by Josh Iacovelli) and costumes (Dustin Cross).
As the old adage goes, “Your mileage will vary.” Whenever the revue slumps into an underwhelming bit, it moves quickly enough to the next bit that might weed out a chuckle or a roar. It might be a tall order to expect more than that. But hey, four decades old, Forbidden Broadway is still here.
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song summary
Conceived, written, and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, the Forbidden Broadway series is now 42 years old. Moving at breakneck speed, the installment Merrily We Stole a Song is a 90-minute revue of parody songs spoofing the last few years of New York theatre: new musicals, revivals, jukebox musicals, the Tony Awards, and musical movie adaptations.
Ironically, as noted in the program, Merrily We Stole A Song originally planned a Broadway run that didn’t manifest due to “logistical reasons.”
What to expect at Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song
As per the tradition of Forbidden Broadway, theatre fans will pick up on the homages and roasts of recent shows and references to the Tony Awards. Merrily We Stole A Song's targets include the hyper-brooding The Outsiders, revivals of Stephen Sondheim works like Merrily We Roll Along, the evolution of the Emcee’s casting and acting choices in various productions of Cabaret, the recent remagining of Cats into Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and the low-budget choreography of Suffs. (Gerry McIntyre choreographed this revue.)
During the opening number, you might be in the lucky (or unlucky) row through which an actor comically squeezes. Theatre nerds might have fun with an interactive trivia segment, one of the few times Merrily We Stole A Song successfully strikes a balance between good-natured community and pointing fingers at the audience for the role they play in Broadway's problems.
At my performance, it was noted that the song list is subject to change.
What audiences are saying about Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song
As of publication, the review aggregator Show-Score has 26 reviews averaging into an 82% approval rating. Audience members described it as “Entertaining, Clever, Funny, Great singing, Delightful.”
- “As always, Forbidden Broadway is great fun! Everyone will enjoy it, but it holds special delights for hard core theater buffs. Wonderful voices, peppy staging. A couple of meh songs.” - TheaterBuff on Show-Score
- “There's quite a bit to like if you're a true theater aficionado. Often clever, but not as funny as I had hoped. Not every segment works. Very good cast with an exceptional Jenny Lee Stern.” - Stephen 18 on Show-Score
- “I’m a huge fan of clever parody but this just felt lazy and deeply underwritten! Jokes and pokes were very vague and mean-spirited in ways that didn’t make sense. Good parody has to be as clever as the material it’s making fun of and this sadly wasn’t, which is a shame considering the level of prestige Forbidden Broadway has achieved as an institution. Actors did their very best with what they were given and churned out some good performances. I would’ve loved to see what they could do with richer/funnier material.” - My +1 at the show
Read more audience reviews of Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song on Show-Score.
Who should see Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song
- As a parody revue for insiders, those who have seen the Broadway musicals Merrily We Stole A Song parodies might laugh at the targeted references.
- For the outsiders: Those who have caught little or nothing of the recent Broadway seasons will get a goofy preview of what you can expect.
- Those who follow parody musicals, such as Gerard Alessandrini’s previous Forbidden Broadway and others like the Hamilton-inspired Spamilton, will like this.
- Music nerds will get a kick out of the musical arrangements that spoof singing and compositional techniques.
Learn more about Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song off Broadway
Though its commentary may run dry, Merrily We Stole A Song and its comic cast pluck worthwhile laughs and can satisfy one's thirst for theatre lampoons.
Photo credit: Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song off Broadway. (Photos by Carol Rosegg)
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