"Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song"
Fisher Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
May 3, 2025
Love it or hate it, musical theater provides ample material for lampooning, lovingly highlighted by "Forbidden Broadway." Started in 1982 by Gerard Alessandrini, the touring off-Broadway show features a simple cast of four plus a pianist in a revue of show tune parodies.
The production has been reiterated many times to keep up with current musicals. It’s latest iteration “Merrily We Stole a Song” – a play on Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” – made a stop in Detroit last weekend with a hilarious and entertaining performance, a true delight for Broadway lovers.
The show stars Chris Collins-Pisano, Katheryne Penny, Jenny Lee Stern and Miles David Tillman, all skilled vocalists and impersonators who kept the energy high and the laughs coming throughout the 90-minute performance, masterfully accompanied by Fred Barton on piano. As alluded to by the title, "Forbidden Broadway’s" latest iteration was Sondheim-heavy, a nod to the songwriter’s recent Broadway resurgence with “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods” and “Company,” which have all had new productions on Broadway within the past five years, as well as an ode following his death in 2021.
Collins-Pisano – already a Daniel Radcliffe doppelganger – leaned into Harry Potter’s role in making “Merrily We Roll Along” a success. While the show flopped in its initial 1981 run, its resurgence starring Radcliffe, as well as Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, broke records and yielded four Tony Awards, including wins for both Radcliffe and Groff, as well as Best Revival of Musical. In his Groff impersonation, Tillman captured the performer’s notorious tendency to spit while singing, which was visible even to the back of the house.
Continuing with the Sondheim-linked impersonators was Stern as Bernadette Peters, famous as Sondheim’s muse, originating roles in his shows, including “Annie Oakley,” “Into the Woods” and “Sunday in the Park with George.” Stern nailed the raspy voice and playfulness. There was also an impersonation focused on Angela Lansbury’s role as Mrs. Lovett, the morally ambiguous pie-baker from “Sweeney Todd,” which captured her charming menace and rich Cockney accent.
My favorite Sondheim performance was the full-ensemble “Into the Words,” a parody of the title song of “Into the Woods” which focused on Sondheim’s challenging, lyric-heavy style. At one point, the cast brought out cue cards and invited the audience to sing along with the tongue-twisting lyrics, highlighting the linguistic feat for Sondheim performers.
Other memorable impersonations included Patti LuPone, Ben Platt, Lin Manuel Miranda and Idina Menzel – “Wicked’s” original Elphaba – in a rendition of “Age Defying Gravity,” lamenting being too old to reprise the role in the musical’s recent film adaptation.
Disney and its successful stage remakes of “The Lion King” and “Frozen” were not immune to teasing. The show poked fun at the heavy neck pieces – designed by Julie Taymor – the performers must wear in “The Lion King,” and joked about “Frozen” being overrated with “Overblown,” a parody of “Let it Go.”
“Saucy Fosse” took a fun crack at "Chicago," noting how Bob Fosse’s choreography cleverly makes you forget the show has no set. There were also digs at jukebox musicals, the many iterations of “Cabaret” and a wonderful opening number parody “Sit Down, You’re Blocking the Aisle,” a wonderful spoof on “Don’t Go Rockin’ the Boat” reminding audience goers of theater etiquette (which perhaps should be the opening for every theater performance).
While I couldn’t fully appreciate the spoofs on the new musicals, which have not yet made their way to Detroit, “Forbidden” gave us a bit of a preview with a guessing game of which previous Broadway shows gave birth to the new ones. Most memorable (for me) was “West Side Story” + “Grease” = “The Outsiders,” which won the 2024 Tony for Best Musical and will make a stop in Detroit next year.
“Forbidden Broadway” is very much a show catered to Broadway nerds. While well-known shows like “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “Annie,” “Chicago” and “Hamilton” are referenced, it also focused significantly on individual Broadway stars spanning generations, which may not be entirely accessible for those familiar with Patti LuPone, but perhaps not Ben Platt (or in reverse). It also leans into the newer shows that only those who have been to Broadway in the last year would fully understand.
As a Broadway nerd, I loved it. While I didn’t catch every joke, I got most of them and learned about Broadway quirks I hadn’t previously been aware of, which was delightful. The energy was high, the talent was phenomenal, and I look forward to “Forbidden Broadway’s” next iteration, or perhaps finding a way to access the past ones.
