Forbidden Broadway: Do Stars Love or Hate Being Satirized?

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 7:28pm

Hello. I enjoyed watching "Forbidden Broadway: SVU" during my recent trip. I wonder if the "targets" of their various shows love or hate being made fun of. Any insights? One of my favorite ones was "Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back". In it, Patti LuPone conducts a master class, with Glenn Close and Madonna as students. Just wondering..... from Roman in Austin, Texas...T.O.P.L.F.

Posted: 3/19/06 at 8:15pm

i'm sure they get a few chucles and snickers out of it.

is SVU the one w/ "wickeder" in it?
i've never seen it, but i've heard the music, and wickeder is deff. my favorite along with "be depressed" (be our guest).
oh yea...and the "at the end of the show" from les mis.

[crzyrocket]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 8:23pm

I'm sure many of them have a sense of humor and enjoy the spoofs. Gerard Alessandrini has mentioned that the more he loves a show, the easier it is to spoof.

Roman, Patti LuPone's Master Class spoof is absolutely hilarious. One of my favorites. There's a great picture of Ms. LuPone with her FB counterpart on the Forbidden Broadway site.

Posted: 3/19/06 at 8:36pm

i would love to be the "victim" of being spoofed in forbidden broadway. it would make me feel like i really made it!
actually i would love to be in forbidden broadway! LOL!

[Corine2]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:00pm

Gerard's spoofs are all with love.


The show is leaving on the 29TH to tour. Nine weeks without FB,
What will I do???

There should be a Forbidden Broadway addicts self help group.

(I have seen FB over 50 times in the past 20 plus years. I have seen every version but 1) Updated On: 3/20/06 at 09:00 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:15pm

I'm not sure Elaine Paige would have loved the spoof that was done on her in "Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back"? "Maria Callas: "a three foot Norma Desmond?.... I ask you?" from Roman in Austin, Texas... T.O.P.L.F.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:17pm

Being mocked on FB is more or less a sign that you've "arrived". Once or twice I've wondered whether they were being mean-spirited or taking it too far, but I don't think they actually were. That was just me and my sensitivity.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:25pm

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" -Oscar Wilde

[cturtle]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:31pm

corine, are you going to be ok? i'm very concerned for you well-being during those 9 weeks.

[Allison5580]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:33pm

I actually asked Patti LuPone this one time when I was talking to her. She said that it was kind of an honor, as someone else on here mentioned. Even if you're being "made fun of" or satirized, they're selecting you out of everyone else to impersonate. And some of the audience members may have never heard of this person or that person, but once they see "Forbidden Broadway" they grow curious. So, all-in-all, it's a good thing!

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:36pm

Also? Patti should be honored because the Patti LuPone "I Get Out a Kick Out Of Me" parody is, IMO, one of the FUNNIEST that Forbidden Broadway has ever done.

"IbegtodiffawithyaBilly!"

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 9:47pm

I would think it would be a signal that they had "made it." It's all done in good fun. I especially liked "Beauty's been decreased."

[Phantom487]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 10:44pm

In the original production back in the ealry 80's, there was no spoof of Carol Channing, until she CALLED Gerard and asked for one! And needless to say she got it!

I have heard a lot of stars say that its a honor to be in spoofed in the show. It's a sign that they have "made it in the business". I've never heard of any one being actually offended. It's all done in good fun.
Updated On: 3/19/06 at 10:44 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:11pm

That's funny, when I saw it, it looked more like a group of people who were bitter about Broadway stars... in fact there were more "ouchs" than laughs.

[alterego]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:23pm

I heard that when Nathan Lane saw the show (back when he was doing FORUM) he fell about laughing at everyone else but sat stoney faced when he was being sent up.

[Mark Loves His Scarf]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:30pm

LOL that's funny about Nathan Lane. I don't think the stars mind being made fun of. I love FB. Carol Channing said that she thought they didn't make fun of her as bad as the others, lol. Their Liza Minelli bit is hilarious. And their Lion King.

But I will always favor their rendition of Adam Pascal. "Daphneee-hee-hee-hee-he-hee-he!" Beautiful. I wonder what he thinks of it.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:31pm

I read somewhere that Sondheim loves the spoofs on his shows, particularly "Teeny Todd," which may be one of the funniest songs I've ever heard.

[alterego]

Posted: 3/19/06 at 11:38pm

Sondheim told Alessandrini to make all the send ups meaner!

[Corine2]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 12:01am

I will be fine. I have not seen it in almost 8 weeks.
HEE! I do need to see it once more before it leaves.

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:24am

I don't know why Idina and Kristin should be upset. The whole context was pretty close to the truth. Since they parted in 2004, you haven't seen them together or heard one utter the other's name. Nice on stage chemistry, that's all :P

[mrkringas]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:04pm

Actually Elaine Paige played the spoof of her on her Radio 2 show the other week.... so she must be a good sport after all!

I love the Masterclass one and Chita-Rita, I Hate Ben and We Can Never Get Back Our Reward! Brilliant.

[Phantom487]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:14pm

Liza Minnelli wouldn't come see the show. Here is a quote from an interview with the shows producer, John Freedson...

Freedson said, "Liza Minnelli has never been to the show. She has been a staple of the show for 20 years. She knows of us and she runs into the girl who has played her many times and says, 'I hear you're doing a great version of me this year.'

"And Kristine (Zbornik) will say, 'Why don't you come?'

"And Liza will say, 'Oh, no, I don't think I want to.'

"Julie Andrews has never come to the show. And Gerard is a huge fan of Julie Andrews. Streisand has not seen it."

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 1:15pm

The Ragtime one is my FAVORITE - never fails to make me chuckle, even on the subway at 7AM. I find the more I like a show, the funnier I find their parody.

Though my favorite line has to be from their Joseph send up - "Any Hunk Will Do" where they talk about "and bare your nipples, box office triples" - that's a scream.

I'm hoping when they come back they'll have some new ammo with the spring shows opening.

[Flahooley]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 3:14pm

I think the real genius behind the spoofs are that I can see and listen to them , laugh at the person or show being spoofed, and end up loving the person or show even more.

I know that the spoof of BIG took a little of the sting out of actually seeing the show.

[NBC]

Posted: 3/20/06 at 5:03pm

I was there once when Carol Channing was in the audience, and she laughed quite a bit at Christine Pedi's spoof of her. They were talking after the show, so it didn't seem like there was any ill will at all!