Description:
It's hard to believe that the Great White Way has now suffered through 20 years of abuse from the legendary off-Broadway revue Forbidden Broadway. Since June 1981, the formula has been the same: take the most familiar and popular numbers from Broadway shows, add wickedly hilarious lyrics by creator Gerard Alessandrini and spot-on impressions by talented performers, and put the audience in stitches. Obviously, parodies of specific people (Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Julie Andrews) and specific shows (The Lion King, Les Miz, Ragtime) can get dated quickly, but because so many of the original performances are preserved on recordi
It's hard to believe that the Great White Way has now suffered through 20 years of abuse from the legendary off-Broadway revue Forbidden Broadway. Since June 1981, the formula has been the same: take the most familiar and popular numbers from Broadway shows, add wickedly hilarious lyrics by creator Gerard Alessandrini and spot-on impressions by talented performers, and put the audience in stitches. Obviously, parodies of specific people (Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Julie Andrews) and specific shows (The Lion King, Les Miz, Ragtime) can get dated quickly, but because so many of the original performances are preserved on recordings, Broadway fans should recognize most, if not all, the references. This 20th-anniversary edition includes highlights from the first five volumes (though the medleys have been slightly truncated for this 74-minute recording), making it an excellent introduction for novices, plus seven previously unreleased tracks that longtime fans won't want to miss, including some old targets (Sarah Brightman) and some new ones, such as Martin Guerre ("Look, I'm Martin Guerre / And I confess, this show's a mess, just like my hair") and Liza Minnelli's 1999-2000 comeback show. Those who think of Broadway and its stars as sacred institutions might be offended by Forbidden Broadway, but fans who recognize the all-too-human foibles of their favorite music and stars will find that laughing at them doesn't mean they love them any less. --David Horiuchi
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Manufacturer: Drg
Release date: 30 July 2001
EAN: 0021471262629 UPC: 021471262629
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