Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit

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Forbidden Broadway
Special Victims Unit
Music Various
Lyrics Gerard Alessandrini
Book Gerard Alessandrini
Based upon Broadway Parodies
Productions 2004 Off-Broadway

Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit (Forbidden Broadway: SVU for short) is the ninth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's hit off-Broadway musical revue; it played at New York's 47th Street Theatre. This version opened on December 17, 2004 at the Douglas Fairbanks Theatre in New York, and is currently playing at New York's 47th Street Theatre. Recently the "Forbidden Broadway" series entered its twenty-fifth year (and counting) running off-Broadway. The show was conceived, created and written by Mr. Alessandrini and is currently co-directed by Mr. Alessandrini and Phillip George. Mr. George also contributes some of the parody ideas & sketches.

The show continues the series' tradition of spoofing contemporary Broadway shows, this time including shows like Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hairspray, Wicked, Avenue Q, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage, and Bombay Dreams. They also do a very funny spoof of the Tony Award Show. Stars are spoofed too, including Billy Joel, Hugh Jackman, Julie Andrews, Stephen Schwartz, Brooke Shields, Beach Boys, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth and Harvey Fierstein. Popular subjects for ridicule in this show include the use of puppets in virtually every show, Law and Order, British direction on the American Broadway, the rise of musicals made up of hit songs from a particular singer or group, Wicked's loss to Avenue Q in the 2004 Tony Awards and the PBS special, Broadway: The American Musical.

As the show opens, we see the traditional parody of Little Orphan Annie, depicting the actress playing Annie way out of her prime and bitter about the failure to see a sequel made. She is suddenly shot, and a woman in the audience is shocked. Jerry Orbach and B.D. Wong of Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, respectively, show up to report that the shot was no accident; it was a bust of yet another lousy Broadway show. The woman is devastated, and the three sing a song mourning the lack of good shows on Broadway. From there, the parodies fly.

Contents

[edit] Cast

The original cast of FB: SVU is as follows:

  • Ron Bohmer
  • Jason Mills
  • Megan Lewis
  • Jennifer Simard
  • David Caldwell (piano)

These personalities are also featured on the show's accompanying album of the same title, the eighth volume in the series. The album also features a guest appearance by FB veteran Christine Pedi.

[edit] CD Tracks

The tracks on the soundtrack are listed below, with the song they parody and the original composer.

  • 01 The Crime Scene

Thirty Years Old Tomorrow ("Tomorrow", Charnin- Strouse)

On Broadway ("On Broadway")

  • 02 Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit (rewrite of Forbidden Broadway, Volume 2", Alessandrini)
  • 03 Bombay Wet Dreams

The Lullaby of Bombay ("The Lullaby of Broadway", Charnin- Strouse)

Hooray for Bollywood ("Hooray for Hollywood")

  • 04 You Gotta Get a Puppet ("You Gotta Get a Gimmick", Sondheim)
  • 05 It Sucks to be Us ("It Sucks to be Me")
  • 06 Thoroughly Perky Millie ("Thoroughly Modern Millie")
  • 07 Movin' Out ("My Life", Joel)
  • 08 'Night Mother

("That's Amore")

("Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me")

  • 09 Welcome to the Tonys ("Welcome to the Sixties")
  • 10 The Boy Who's Odd

("I Go to Rio")

("Everything Old is New Again")

  • 11 I Love Patti ("I Love Paris")
  • 12 Das Mel Brooks Song ("Haben Sie Gehört das Deutsche Band?", Brooks)
  • 13 Wickeder

Glad that You're Popular ("Popular", Schwartz)

Defying Chenoweth ("Defying Gravity", Schwartz)

  • 14 No Leading Lady Tonight ("Luck be a Lady Tonight", Loesser)
  • 15 Forbidden Assassins ("Unworthy of Your Love", Sondheim)
  • 16 Julie Andrews Hosts PBS- The American Musical: The Next Hundred Years

("Do- Re- Mi", Rodgers- Hammerstein)

("Fun, Fun, Fun")

  • 17 I Am My Own Cast ("Wilkommen", Kander- Ebb)
  • 18 Mamma Mia- "Dancing Queen"
  • 19 Fiddler with no Jew

Direction ("Tradition", Bock- Harnick)

Cashmaker ("Matchmaker", Bock- Harnick)

("Sabbath Prayer", Bock- Harnick)

  • 20 Harvey Fierstein as Tevye ("If I Were a Rich Man", Bock- Harnick)
  • 21 Bernadette Peters in Gypsy ("Rose's Turn", Styne- Sondheim)
  • 22 Ethel Merman & Friends ("There's No Business Like Show Business", Berlin)
  • 23 Encore: La Cage Aw Full

La Cage Aw Full ("La Cage Aux Folles", Herman)

The Golden Age ("The Best of Times", Herman)

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

  • liner notes of Forbidden Broadway: SVU soundtrack