Forbidden Broadway Delays Off-Broadway Opening

Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song has delayed its off-Broadway opening. Originally set to begin performances at Theater 555 on August 23, the show will now begin on August 30, with an official opening set for September 19. According to a spokesperson for the production, the delay is due to a scheduling conflict.

The show is directed by creator Gerard Alessandrini with musical staging by Gerry McIntyre. Past Forbidden Broadway performers Chris Collins-Pisano and Jenny Lee Stern will lead the cast, with musical direction and piano accompaniment by Fred Barton. Additional casting and creative team members are to be announced.

Alessandrini's targets this year include Hell’s Kitchen, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, The Wiz and Merrily We Roll Along. In addition, there will be sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose and Jeremy Jordan, among others. The show will also skewer the 2024 Tony Awards and include some of the most popular numbers from Alessandrini’s recent Forbidden Sondheim.

The Broadway run was originally scheduled to begin at the Hayes Theater on July 25 ahead of an August 5 opening, with plans to run through November 1, but was indefinitely postponed.

Created in 1982, when it played to Palsson’s Supper Club on 72nd Street, Forbidden Broadway has spawned several editions, gone on to play in over 200 cities around the world and given rise to such classic numbers as “Be Depressed” (sung to the tune of “Be Our Guest), “You Can't Stop the Camp” (sung to the tune of “You Can’t Stop the Beat”) and “Ladies Who Screech” (to the tune of “Ladies Who Lunch”). The show and Alessandrini were awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2006.