Pinoy performers poke fun at themselves in 'Forbidden Broadway'

Aiza Seguerra, Cherie Gil, Nyoy Volante, and Jett Pangan are just some of the guest celebrities who will poke fun at themselves in Upstart Production's staging of Gerard Alessandrini’s "Forbidden Broadway."

 

The multi-awarded off-Broadway comedy will be staged in Manila this summer. Running for almost 30 years, it is the longest-running musical revue in New York.

 

The play is a parody show of the most famous Broadway musicals of all time, including “Les Miserables,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats,” and “Mamma Mia.”

 

Alessandrini began writing musical parodies of Broadway shows as a child. In 1982, the then unemployed actor assembled some of these into a nightclub act, and “Forbidden Broadway” was born. With several editions through the years, the show gives "an informal and very funny history of the American musical theater."

 

Since its debut at Palsson's Supper Club on New York's Upper West Side, “Forbidden Broadway” has been known to leave its audience in stitches, as Upstart Productions co-founder Joel Trinidad attests to. 

 

"I've been a fan of the show for years, having seen many different incarnations of it several times in New York," says Trinidad. 

 

The theater veteran immediately grabbed the chance when his wife, Upstart Productions co-founder Emerita Alcid, found out online that the rights were available.

 

Featuring beloved songs from the most popular Broadway musicals with hilariously clever new lyrics, “Forbidden Broadway” pokes fun at the shows themselves. Despite this, the comedy is a hit, even with its victims.

 

"Most of its victims (stars and casts) make a point of stopping by to see what Gerard Alessandrini has done to them," says the play's official website. See: http://forbiddenbroadway.com/

 

Apart from the victims and theatergoers, even those who’ve never experience Broadway can enjoy the play, said reviewers. "Even if you've never been within 1000 miles of Broadway you'll still love Forbidden Broadway!" says Boca Raton News. 

 

Will it click with Pinoys?

 

But will the musical click with those Filipinos who may not be into Broadway musicals?

 

Trinidad thinks that won’t be a problem. He notes that “Forbidden Broadway” is very accessible, because there are lots of jokes which don't even require the audience to be familiar with the subjects.

 

"The show is crafted in such a way as to be funny even if you aren't familiar with the shows or people being parodied. Anyone who has a good sense of humor will enjoy the show. And we all know that Filipinos have a great sense of humor—just look at some of the people we've elected into office," he says.

 

On the idea that Broadway isn't the most popular form of entertainment, he shares that perhaps non-theatergoers see a Broadway musical as "some kind of bizarre exhibition, where people talk in really loud voices and then suddenly burst into song for no reason."

 

Trinidad, however, says good musicals, like all art, are just another way to express human emotions. "But unlike a painting or a poem, the art is unfolding right at that moment, before your very eyes, and the audience is actually a part of that experience. There's nothing like the energy of live theater, of being a part of that moment, where the performers and the audience feed off each other," he says.

 

Trinidad says that Filipinos can look forward to awesome singing, powerful acting, evocative choreography, and a lot of laughs. "We've got theater's best performers and a bunch of amazing guest celebrities who also like to poke fun at themselves. What more could you want from a show?" he asks. –Carmela G. Lapeña/KG, GMA News

 

“Forbidden Broadway”’s cast is composed of Liesl Batucan, Caisa Borromeo, OJ Mariano, and Lorenz Martinez. The show will run at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza (6819 Ayala Avenue, Makati City) on May 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27, 2012.

 

For more information, visit http://upstartproductionsinc.com/