Little Orphan Annie (the engaging Sarah Rex) stretches her arms skyward in triumphant stage joy. You think she’s going to belt out the song “Tomorrow” from the much-revived 1976 musical that bears her name.
Based on a popular Depression-era cartoon strip, musical Annie appears in “Forbidden Broadway” in a cartoonish red dress, white socks, Mary Jane shoes and Shirley Temple wig. She’s all smiles as you expect her to sing: “When I’m stuck with a day that’s grey and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin.”
Instead, Annie drops her arms, slumps over, drags on a cigarette and sings: “I’m 30 years old tomorrow, and I haven’t worked since I sang Annie – when I was 10.”
This is what a musical parody looks and sounds like. Nobody escapes. Not Annie. Not Maria. Not Little Red Riding Hood. Not Jean Valjean. Not the current Queen of American Musicals, Idina Menzel. She’s satirized as Idina, the obscene queen of howling by Lauren Shealy, who has the pipes to do it.
“Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking!” makes you laugh instinctively, think twice, and relish the art of parody. The amazing thing is – you don’t mind, not even if the creator and the performers make fun of your favorite musical, song or performer.
The brilliantly witty “Forbidden Broadway” runs two more months in Denver. It plays cabaret style in the Garner Galleria Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. If you love musicals in general, smart scripts in particular and flawless professional performances, try to see this regional production before it wraps up March 1.
“Forbidden Broadway” has been through dozens of iterations since it began in 1982. Creator/lyricist Gerard Alessandrini wrote a modest musical parody revue 30-some years ago and has refreshed the piece ever since. The goal is to spoof whatever is currently on Broadway and take a second, satirical look at what fascinates American audiences.
In the current edition, “Alive and Kicking,” expect to see excerpts from “Pippin,” “Les Misérables,” “Avenue Q” and “Joseph,” all recently seen in local productions. In addition, “The Book of Mormon,” “Wicked” and all things Sondheim get a drudging.
Like all parodies, if you know the original material, you’ll get the satire. Lead-in music and goofy costumes give away each work as the revue zooms by. Alessandrini’s lyrics turn things upside down, but sometimes the butt of the joke is costuming (“Lion King”) or today’s hyper-technical sound effects (spooky amplification for “Phantom”). Dueling divas, Chita and Rita, snarl their rivalry for the movie role of Anita in “West Side Story.”
In a nice touch, Ethel Merman (Rex), the spirit of Broadway past, wanders through the evening, nixing performers who need amplification and shows that depend on technical tricks. Ethel adds yet another satirical layer to an already heady mix.
Now movie versions of “Into the Woods” and “Annie” are piling up mixed reviews and millions of dollars. How syrupy sweet will “Tomorrow” be?
My favorite song from “Woods” is already a parody.
“Agony,” sung by the two Prince Charmings is a brilliant leap of creative imagination. In this one tune, Sondheim sends up the idea of the quest for “Happiness.” As the song goes, “it’s always just out of reach.”
jreynolds@durangoherald.com. Judith Reynolds is a Durango writer, art historian and arts journalist.
If you go
“Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking!,” a musical parody revue, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, through March 1. Tickets start at $25, online at www.denvercenter.org or (303) 893-4100.
