by Gerard Alessandrini
Straz Center for Performing Arts
Jaeb Theater
Tampa, FL
November 2nd, 2010
What happens when you take four well trained actors; give them clever song parodies to showtunes old and new and put them on a stage for two hours? You have the latest from the Straz Center's Jaeb Theater, Forbidden Broadway. Tucked away in the 268 seat cabaret style theater, the Straz Center presents a fine production for the holiday season.
Since its inception Off-Broadway in 1982, the longest running musical revue of all time delights theater goers in Tampa this year. Forbidden Broadway pokes fun at several modern and classic Broadway shows such as Wicked, Les Miserables, In the Heights, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, Gypsy, Chicago, Cats, Avenue Q, A Chorus Line and many others. Forbidden Broadway lightheartedly parodies showtunes by changing key parts of the songs to make fun of Broadway as a whole, the actor they are portraying or the show itself. The hilarious revue delights, but in it's own way begs the question of the demise of artistry and the proliferation of commercialization on Broadway.
Putting together a cavalcade of songs, along with a multitude of costume changes, is the talented cast of Derek Baxter, Lauren Gemilli, Heather Krueger and Justin Lore. The true ensemble cast, brilliantly brought the best of Broadway to life with their insatiable ability to change styles and garner laughter with their accurate portrayals. Each member of the cast gave satisfying performances with equal amounts of stage time, both as members of a particular show and as solo performers.
Lauren Gemilli kept me guessing as to how she could top herself in her roles as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Anita from West Side Story and Patti LuPone. Derek Baxter's wild performances as Rafiki from The Lion King and Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof are a testament to his range and flexibility as a stage actor. Well done. Adding his well trained vocal register to the production is Justin Lore. Lore's roles as an Avenue Q puppeteer, Stephen Sondheim and the Phantom show Lore's dedication to his craft. Winning my award of the anchor of the production is Heather Krueger. It's one thing to belt out "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, but to get changed and keep the show rolling with "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables was proof positive of Heather Krueger's vocal prowess and stage presence.
(Heather Krueger, Justin Lore, Derek Baxter and Lauren Gemilli in Forbidden Broadway. c/o Strazcenter.org)
As great as the performance was, I felt the subject matter of the play is only geared toward a specific audience and may fall on deaf ears to some. For the die hard Broadway buffs of the world, this is a satiric performance you can appreciate. For the lukewarm theatregoers, some of the references won't translate. If you don't know who Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters or Stephen Sondheim are, you may want to look into it before you get your tickets. But faultlessly performed, the versatile cast put on quite a show.
All in all, I really enjoyed the production of Forbidden Broadway. Being a theatre person and having been fortunate enough to see almost every show playfully parodied, I was able to keep up with the fast moving show. I really enjoyed hearing the classic showtunes from now and then throughout the production.
Forbidden Broadway runs through February 20th at the Jaeb Theater and is sure to see great success from audiences from now and then on. Be sure to get your tickets sooner rather than later for this riotous production. For more information on the show and the Jaeb Theater, please click here. Don't forget to follow us on twitter for the latest on the performing arts community in the Tampa Bay area.
