AJ Holmes, Sasha Hutchings, and More Join FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole A Song

The cast has been announced for the Off-Broadway premiere of Gerard Alessandrini’s FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole A Song, which opens on Thursday, September 19th.

The company will include AJ Holmes (Kimberly Akimbo, Book of Mormon) and Sasha Hutchings (the Kennedy Center’s current production of Nine, Hamilton, Oklahoma!),) who join Chris Collins-Pisano (Jersey Boys) and Jenny Lee Stern (Rocky, A Christmas Story) in the latest incarnation of the show. Fred Barton, Forbidden Broadway’s original 1982 music director rounds out the cast as Musical Director/Pianist.

Previews begin August 30th at THEATER555 (555 West 42nd Street). FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole A Song features brand new takes on the shows that opened in Forbidden Broadway’s absence.  All preview tickets August 30th through September 16th are $30. After opening all tickets are $79, with premium seats at $99.  For tickets visit:  www.Theater555.venuetix.com    FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole A Song is produced by John Freedson, Harriet Yellin and Eric Krebs.

Created, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, with choreography by Gerry McIntyre, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song skewers the latest deluge of Broadway offerings including Hell’s Kitchen, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, Cabaret, The Great Gatsby, Back to the Future, The Wiz, and of course, Merrily We Roll Along. In addition, there will be sendups of Roger Bart, Patti LuPone, Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana DeBose and Jeremy Jordan, among others. This up-to-the-minute version will also  roast the 2024 Tony Awards, and will include some of the most popular numbers from Alessandrini’s recent Forbidden Sondheim.

Gerard Alessandrini says “I am thrilled that this latest incarnation of the show that I had been preparing for more than a year, can now open Off-Broadway, where Forbidden Broadway has felt at home for over 40 years. The exciting new Broadway season has inspired me to create a barrage of theatrical zingers, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to present this edition in New York after all.”

In addition to Mr. Alessandrini, the creative team is  Gerry McIntryre (choreography), Fred Barton (musical director)),  Glenn Bassett (set design) Dustin Cross (costume design), Joan Racho-Jansen (lighting design), Andy Evan Cohen (sound design), Ian Joseph (hair and wigs design), Peter R. Feuchtwanger (production supervisor), Brian Westmoreland (production stage manager) and Michael Cassara (casting).  

The playing schedule for FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: Merrily We Stole A Song is as follows:  Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 3PM and 8PM and Sundays at 3PM and 7:30 PM and Mondays at 7:30PM.  For more information visit Forbiddenbroadway.nyc

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY has been an essential part of the fabric of the New York theatre scene since 1982, when Gerard Alessandrini created the first edition, lampooning the Broadway shows and stars of the day, who stopped by to laugh at themselves alongside the public. In the over 40 years since, Forbidden Broadway has garnered international acclaim and awards that include 7 Drama Desk Awards, an Obie, a Drama League Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and a Special Tony Award along the way.

Biographies

Gerard Alessandrini is the Tony Award-Winning Creator/ Writer/Director of the international hits Forbidden Broadway and Spamilton(the parody of Hamilton.) SPAMILTON enjoyed successful runs in New York, London, Chicago, Los Angeles and all around the world.  As of 2024 Spamilton continues to tour nationally. But Gerard is probably best well-known for writing and directing the many editions of Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood in New York, London, L.A., Tokyo, etc.  Gerard hails from Needham, MA and the Boston area, where he graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. In 1982, he created and wrote Forbidden Broadway, which has spawned 25 editions, 13 Cast Albums and a 38-year run in New York. Gerard was also a member of the original cast of Forbidden Broadway. Television & recording credits include: writing comedy specials for Bob Hope and Angela Lansbury on NBC, Carol Burnett on CBS and special lyrics for Barbra Streisand’s album, Duets Encore.  For PBS, he wrote and directed “Masterpiece Tonight”, a satirical revue saluting Masterpiece Theater’s 20th Anniversary. As a performer, he can be heard on four of the thirteen Forbidden Broadway cast albums and on the soundtracks of Disney’s animated classics Aladdin and Pocahontas.  Other directing credits include: a new production of Maury Yeston’s musical In The Beginning at Main State Summer Theater. At the York Theater in 2020 at The York Theater he created and directed Anything Can Happen In The Theater:  The Songs Of Maury Yeston, a new revue of the music of the multiple Tony Award-Winner. Off Broadway Gerard re-wrote and co-directed a revival of Irving Berlin’s last musical, Mr. President, which he also updated and “politically corrected. “That same year he also directed an evening of his original theatrical songs entitled Tonight We Sing. For NYMF, he co-wrote and directed a musical version of Madame X. Other recent musicals include The Nutcracker Musical (George Street Playhouse) and the lyrics for a musical version of Paul Mazursky’s Moon Over Parador. In 2019, Gerard wrote and directed a new and acclaimed version of Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation, which also enjoyed a very successful run at The York Theater. Currently, Gerard is contributing numerous feature articles on classic films and musicals for the online movie site, Cineluxe.com. In 2024 he wrote and directed Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole A Song. As a Cabaret show it won the 2024 MAC Award for “Best Musical Revue.” Gerard is the recipient of an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, two Lucille Lortel Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drama League. As a frequent Bostonian director/writer, he is also the proud recipient of The Elliot Norton Award, with whom Gerard studied Modern Drama in college. In 2006, Angela Lansbury presented Gerard a Special Tony Award Honorfor “Excellence in Theater”.

Chris Collins-Pisano has been performing with Forbidden Broadway since 2019. He has appeared Off-Broadway in Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation, the MAC Award-winning revue Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole a Song, and in touring productions around the country. Other credits include the national tour of Elf and Friends! The Musical Parody Off-Broadway and Jersey Boys at the Cape Playhouse.@leaningtowerofpisano

AJ Holmes credits include the Broadway productions of The Book Of Mormon and Kimberly Akimbo. Off-Broadway: Yeah, But Not Right Now (Soho Playhouse). National Tours include: Dr. Frank in Young Frankenstein. Television credits: Fosse/Verdon and South Park. As a Composer: StarKid Productions (Twisted, A Very Potter Musical). One half of 2/3rds of a Threesome. www.aj-holmes.com

Sasha Hutchings is currently playing Our Lady of the Spa in the Kennedy Center’s production of Nine.  She has performed on Broadway in the original production of Hamilton and is featured in the Disney+ Hamilton film.  Sasha has also appeared on Broadway in Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Rocky, Motown and Memphis. She played Laurey in the national tour of  Oklahoma!. Sasha stars as Hope on Run The World (STARZ). Additional TV: Demascus (SXSW premiere), Fosse/Verdon, Blue Bloods, and SMASH. @sashahutchings

Jenny Lee Stern is a Forbidden Broadway veteran having appeared in the original companies of Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking, Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation, Spamilton ,and Forbidden Sondheim. She’s been seen on Broadway in Rocky and A Christmas Story and toured the country as “Mary Delgado” in Jersey Boys. @pinneddownpinup