Poking fun at Broadway

‘Forbidden Broadway’ coming to a close after a parody-filled 10-month run

By Paul M. Banks

Mega-money-making McMusicals have reshaped the downtown theatre district, creating a new tourist zone which is essentially “Times Square Midwest.”

Shows like “Jersey Boys” and “Wicked” have so much financial staying power that they have drastically influenced entire sections of the Loop. Shows dominating the theatre world today often feature expensive costumes, big budget scenery/special effects and little attention to plot details.

This atmosphere is perfect for “Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit,” which does a great job of pointing out how many of these shows specialize in superficiality and shortcuts, sacrificing aesthetic originality and dialogue in the process. Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini, the show will play its final performance at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre on Jan. 27, 2008. The popular Off-Broadway musical revue was awarded a 2006 Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre and recently began performances in Chicago on April 19 of 2007, for a planned 11-week run. A combination of rave reviews and overwhelmingly positive audience feedback prompted a seven-month extension.

Early on, “Forbidden” tells the audience what shows are trashy and boring; but it don’t really tell us specifically why until around the “Saucy Fosse” number. This song does a fantastic job scathing Broadway staples such as Bob Fosse, “jazz hands” and how bowler hats complete the homoerotic uniform. Other hilarious numbers include “Defying Subtlety” from “Wicked” and “Can you feel the pain tonight?” from “The Lion King.”

SVU doesn’t spend much time on subtlety in its satire; this may seem annoying at first, but it is hilariously mandatory once the parody ball gets rolling. There’s a plenty of aesthetically depleted ground for them to cover, and the rapid fire pace hits most of the obligatory targets in just 90 minutes. Its pacing is humorously and smoothly executed, especially the song about hit shows requiring a puppet today. I realized how recycling music of the 1970s (“Mamma Mia” with Abba, “Jersey Boys” based on Frankie Valli, and “Movin’ Out” based on Billy Joel, etc.) is a cheap, easy way to have a ready-made audience without having to create much original music. To me, this practice is to the arts what steroids in baseball are to sports: a quick way to get big results without much concern for integrity.

Creativity seems to go in cycles, so although I may not care to see any of these musicals based on ’60s and ’70s music today, in say, 2034, that might change when “Streets of The Chi,” based on the music of Kanye West, Common, Lupe Fiasco and Soul Ja Boy is produced. It’ll have plenty of drama, but it will also feature an uplifting dance number in “Crank That.” My generation will line up to see it. Musicals may be the most formulaic genre in theatre, but they are also the most lucrative and influential. This predictability turns off many people. It also turns on many more. Four of my all-time favorite television shows — “Family Guy,” “South Park,” “The Simpsons” and “Scrubs” all owe a large debt of creative gratitude to Broadway musicals.

 

“Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit” is currently playing at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, until Jan. 27, 2008. Tickets can be purchased at the Royal George Theatre box office or by calling 312-988-9000.

Q&A with the cast
SVU features a piano and four performers: Kevin McGlynn, Michael Mahler, McKinley Carter and Holly Stauder. They showed me the backstage area where their numerous costume changes take place before answering my questions as a group on stage. I wish I had another 5,000 words of column space because there were so many hilarious and insightful observations I had to exclude from this write-up.

TRC: A few of the songs reminded me of the “Spamalot” power ballad to scathe all musical power ballads, “The song goes like this,” which self-referentially shows up in your second act. What’s the story behind this?
McGlynn: When “Spamalot” first came out, at least two of the reviews in New York said that this show is good, but “Forbidden Broadway” had been doing it longer and funnier. So that’s when we came up with the idea of “they stole the joke from us,” and then when we were singing the real lyrics, we thought why are we singing this, because it’s exactly what we do.

TRC: When I saw “Wicked,” I thought there was an interesting dynamic with the two leads. I thought (or at least hoped) that the two witches had a latent romantic attraction to each other. You guys colorfully express the rivalry between the two actresses. How much of the rivalry is real and how much is artistic license?
Stauder: (After numerous jokes derived from my just stated personal interpretation of Wicked) Yes, there is history and truth to that. Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were best buddies until the Tony Awards, when one of them won and the other one went ballistic.
McGlynn: Gerard Alesandrini is friends with a lot of the composers that he spoofs, and Stephen Schwartz said “I think you could make it meaner.”TRC: Back to the subject of all-female eroticism. What type of reaction do you guys get from the “Fiddler on the Roof” sponge bath bit?
Stauder: (laughing) It goes over really well. My favorite is the delayed reaction. They go “Whoa ... oh …” and it’s like, yes, yes, we are doing that.”
Mahler: We get so many demographics in our crowds, and they all laugh at different places. But they always laugh especially at Fiddler. They will laugh from the opening theme, but some don’t start laughing until the lesbians’ part. But everyone gets something out of it.

TRC: “Les Miserables” is such a famous and popular production, tell me about the reaction you get for your Les Mis pre-intermission medley/entract?
McGlynn: It’s always solid because of all the shows that anyone has seen, it is probably Les Mis.
Mahler: And it’s so iconic, the characters and the situations are so serious that for us to flip it and put it on its head is pretty funny.
Carter: They’ve been doing that number ever since it came out, and it’s stood the test of time.

TRC: How do the actors being spoofed react?
McGlynn: Most people will come to see themselves parodied. You become iconic in your own right when you become parodied. You only hurt the ones you love.

TRC: What if somebody wanted to make a musical about the life, legal troubles and music of R. Kelly?
Mahler: That’s hilarious! He’s already taking care of that himself. That parody is already being written.

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