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Forbidden Broadway
18-Oct-2007
Written by: Janet Pope
Rude Awakening, currently playing at the 47th Street Theater in NYC, is celebrating its 25th year parodying Broadway shows and its stars
The ever changing show features four talented singers who dance, act and mimic their way through at least a dozen shows and a dozen characters each. Janet Dickinson, Jared Bradshaw, Valerie Fagan and James Donegan are Broadway veterans, whose creative talents seem endless.
The show is filled with musical lyrics that spoof Disney's over-population of Broadway, as well as the presence of "fluffy" shows like "Grease" and "Jersey Boys." Inevitably, the shows which contain both depth and talent are given awards and then it seems, promptly closed due to a lack of profits.
Creator, writer and co-director Gerard Alessandrini, after a quarter of a century, is still pumping out lyrics that ring both a true note, as well as a funny bone. The audience on the night I saw the show was literally doubled over with out loud laughs. Most of the humor was obvious to everyone, but there were a few times that I felt like I was missing the inside joke because of plays I hadn't seen yet.
The Little Mermaid, played by Janet Dickinson, laments the loss of her legs as she always dreamed of dancing on Broadway. The use of the revolving stage for Les Mis was hysterical, as the actors swirled around robotically. Valerie Fagan as Eponine sang, "On My Phone" a take off of "On My Own," which would make a great Sprint commercial, but was actually lamenting the time she spends on the back of the stage with nothing to do but text. Very funny stuff. The best moment of the show was when Ethel Merman (Fagan) appeared from the back of the theater, yelled to the Phantom of the Opera (Donegan) to sing out and then dived into a rousing duet. I also especially liked the tribute to A Chorus Line -- "Kiss Clichés Goodbye," which sums up what this show is not -- a cliché. What it is, is especially funny, innovative and a great night of entertainment.
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