The latest edition of Gerard Alessandrini’s Forbidden Broadway, which had originally been announced for Broadway, has delayed its Off-Broadway arrival by a week.
As previously reported, the newest edition of the musical parody, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole A Song, will play Theater 555. Previews will now begin August 30, a week later than originally scheduled. Opening night is now set for September 19. The delay has been made so that the entire cast will be available for the start of rehearsals.
The production also announced that tickets for all previews are priced $30. After opening tickets will be $79, with premium seats available for $99. Visit Theater555.venuetix.com.
The cast will be led by Chris Collins-Pisano and Jenny Lee Stern with musical director Fred Barton on piano. The remainder of the cast and creative team will be announced shortly.
Created, written, and directed by Alessandrini, with musical staging by Gerry McIntyre, Merrily We Stole a Song will parody current Broadway shows, including Hell’s Kitchen, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, The Wiz, and the recent Merrily We Roll Along. Attendees can also expect sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose, Jeremy Jordan, and the the 2024 Tony Awards as well as selections from Alessandrini’s recent Forbidden Sondheim.
In an earlier statement Alessandrini said, “I am thrilled that this latest
incarnation of the show that I had been preparing for more than a year,
can now open Off-Broadway, where Forbidden Broadway has felt at
home for over 40 years. The exciting new Broadway season has inspired
me to create a barrage of theatrical zingers, and I’m thrilled to have
the opportunity to present this edition in New York after all.”
The series debuted in 1982 at New York’s 130-seat Palsson’s Supper Club. The revue has gone on to play in over 200 cities around the world. The show has spawned multiple iterations with Alessandrini continually updating the material to reflect Broadway’s current slate; a few evergreens remain. For his work on Forbidden Broadway in all its forms, Alessandrini and the show received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre and several Drama Desk Awards. Alessandrini's spoof of Hamilton, entitled Spamilton, played New York and continues to tour the country.
Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole a Song played several performances at Manhattan's Green Fig Cabaret Theater in November 2023.
The show is produced by John Freedson, Harriet Yellin, and Eric Krebs.
