On Theater: ‘Forbidden Broadway’ is a fleeting gem

About 30 years ago, I checked out a summer stock production of “Forbidden Broadway” at Saddleback College — and it blew me away. I returned the next weekend with my son and daughter, ages 12 and 6, who’d already undergone a theatrical baptism, and they loved it as well.

That was the last time the program of theater parodies surfaced locally — until last weekend when the professional touring company rocked the house in an all-too-brief visit to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Samueli Theater with the latest of its perennially updated versions, titled “Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking.” Again, I took my son, who’s now 42, and we both enjoyed it immensely.

The routines were mostly familiar (I’ve been collecting “FB” CDs over the last three decades), but that didn’t make them any less funny. The quartet of zany entertainers (one from Orange County) piled one hilarious parody atop another in their roast of Broadway’s (mostly) living legends, updating them as needed.

The local performer, Trisha Rapier, stole the show in the first-act finale when, as part of a backhanded tribute to “Les Miserables,” she warbled Fantine’s agonizing “I Dreamed a Dream” spoof, which included the line “Anne Hathaway didn’t sing my hit song.” Originally it was Neil Diamond, but Hathaway had since won an Oscar for that number.

Her appearance as Idina Menzel from “Wicked” also drew laughs. She was introduced the same way John Travolta referred to the real Menzel at the Tony awards, mangling her name.

Another shining moment came when Gina Kreiezmar, who’s been with the show since 1992, belted out “Liza One Note” as a wigged-out Liza Minnelli. For this rendition, Kreiezmar scrapped all the Judy Garland references and, instead, enjoyed a one-on-one chat with an audience member.

The show’s two male performers, Marcus Stevens and Kevin B. McGlynn, tickled the audience by spoofing a show that had been written as a spoof — “The Book of Mormon.” Bleeps abounded.

Stevens opened the second act with an elaborate lampoon of the show that’s opening at the Segerstrom Center this week — “The Lion King.” Even (especially) the costuming comes in for some splendid satirizing.

McGlynn headlined the closing segment, one of FB’s oldies, “An Actor in New York,” which is a send-up of “Fiddler on the Roof” where “tradition” is replaced by “ambition.” The other three joined in for a rousing finale.

The festivities are bolstered musically by Catherine Stornetta, a remarkable pianist and veteran FB accompanist. Costumes by Alvin Colt and wigs by Carol Sherry are first rate.

The show’s original creator, Gerard Alessandrini, shares directorial credit with Phillip George. Alessandrini has helmed all 15 of the FB incarnations since first hatching this golden egg back in 1982.

Hopefully, encouraged by the response accorded this latest version in the Samueli Theater, “Forbidden Broadway” will return to Costa Mesa for a longer engagement. This is a show that should be seen — and cherished — by theatergoers with a keen sense of humor.