Forbidden Broadway Review

I am a fan of the arts-- museums, opera, musicals, improv, and theater in general. So, it is no surprise that my husband and I try and get out to the theater once a month. It is also no surprise that we wanted to see Forbidden Broadway.

Well, we went this weekend! On Saturday night, my husband and I went to see Forbidden Broadway: Special Victim's Unit in Chicago at the Royal George Theater. (Halsted and North)

My bottom line-- It was funny. Really funny. In fact, there were a couple of times that I couldnt stop laughing! But, you need to know theater to enjoy it.... read more...

The concept:
Forbidden Broadway is a 90 minute insiders spoof of Broadway shows. They do 2-5 minute vignenette's on a series of about 20 musicals. They dress up in full costume for each scene and generally take the main song of the show and change the lyrics. (example: Les Miserable.... the standard song is "one year more" and the spoof was "ten years more... (when the hell is this going to end)?"   

Forbidden Broadway... the curtains opened and we were worried... 
Okay, the first 5 minutes were over the top cheesy with Law & Order references, sound effects, etc.  My husband and I wondered where the HELL we were. But, then, the show got going and it was a riot-- from start to finish.

So, what was so funny about Forbidden Broadway?
The spoofs were downright hilarious. They did spoofs on the classics like Le Miz, Phatom of the Opera, and Jersey Boys as well as more modern shows: Spamelot, Hairspray, Mama Mia, Wicked and the Lion King. (Yes, Disney gets slammed) The cast was exceptional with absolutely priceless facial expressions! Really-- they were great. And, the costumes were dynamite. They were in full costume for each vignette. In a matter of seconds, the actors transformed themselves from one character to the next. It was quite impressive how many impersonations they could do in such a short period of time. They were spot on!

A few warnings about Forbidden Broadway
If you arent a broadway goer, dont go. You wont get half of the jokes. Also, sometimes they rip on the choreographer of a certain show or the insider politics of the shows. And, for me (a theater goer), even some of those references were lost.    However, if you like theater--  GO! It is jam packed with 90 minutes of humor... 

Tip:
I have seen the tickets at Hot Tix for several weeks. So, check it out before going. You can get the $55 ticket for $30.