FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Celebration Comes to Birdland Nov. 23

On Monday, November 23 at 9:30 pm, Jim Caruso's Cast Party the weekly event held at Birdland, 315 West 44th Street (bet 8th & 9th Ave) will open with a special celebration / book release party for "Forbidden Broadway: Behind the Mylar Curtain". Creator Gerard Alessandrini will be performing along with Nora Mae Lyng, the show's other original cast member; as well as some of FB stalwarts Michael West, Christina Bianco, and Gina Kreiezmar, with longtime pianist David Caldwell. The regular open mike will follow the performances. There is a $10 cover and a $10 food and drink minimum for this evening Cast Party. Reservations are strongly suggested, call 212-581-3080. http://castpartynyc.com/

"Forbidden Broadway: Behind the Mylar Curtain" written by Gerard Alessandrini with Michael Portantiere, is receiving wonderful reviews. The loving, hilarious, no-holds-barred history of the award-winning musical revue has delighted critics and audiences in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and all around the world for three decades, spoofing shows from Broadway - the hits, the mediocre and flops and stars from the legends to the new wanta-be's. The book offers a backstage, behind-the scenes look at the evolution of the show in its 20 incarnations. The hilarious lyrics, zany parodies, and recollections told by the creator / writer / director, Gerard Alessandrini. $24.99 ISBN: 978-1-55783-743-1 8.5" x 11" 288 pages Hardcover Hundreds of color and B&W photos and illustrations throughout Published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, an imprint of Hal Leonard. The book is available at books stores and online throughout the country and at these events.

Forbidden Broadway, the award-winning hit Off-Broadway satirical revue, ran for over twenty-five years. It was created and written by Gerard Alessandrini and directed by Alessandrini and long-time collaborator Phillip George, opening on January 15, 1982 at Palsson's Supper Club. The show brilliantly spoofed the show tunes, leading ladies and gentlemen of the Great White Way, characters and plots of contemporary and current Broadway musicals. It also targeted famous Broadway composers, directors, choreographers, authors and producers. The four-person show, with two men and two women has released eleven albums, as well as one entitled Forbidden Hollywood. A theatrical who's who have paraded through the fabulous costumes of these productions, that ultimately have run in a number of venues. There have been numerous rewritten versions, parodies and editions, that have run almost continuously for 25 years with productions both in and outside New York. In 2006, Mr. Alessandrini and the show were awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre. The 25th Anniversary production: Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening won the 2008 Drama Desk Award for outstanding revue. The final incarnation, Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, ended its run at the 47th Street Theatre in New York on March 1, 2009.

Gerard Alessandrini is the multi-talented award winning American playwright, actor, parodist, and theatre director. He is best known for creating the award-winning off-Broadway musical theatre revue "Forbidden Broadway." Boston born, he grew up in the suburbs and later graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. He started his theatre career as an actor in summer stock, regional theater, and dinner theater, as well as worked Off Broadway. In late 1981, Alessandrini, in collaboration with Phillip George, created a musical parody revue featuring spoofs of songs from Broadway musicals on which he had been working. He can be heard on five of the "Forbidden Broadway" cast albums, as well as the soundtracks of Disney's Aladdin and Pocahontas. Gerard has also written for television. He is the recipient of a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre, an Obie Award, six Drama Desk Awards (including the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the Drama Desk Special Award), an Outer Critics Circle Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards, as well as the Drama League Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.

Some future events celebrating the publication of the book during the next two months are: Monday, December 7, 2009 8:00 PM Broadway Close Up: Gerard Alessandrini, Creator of "Forbidden Broadway" at Merkin Concert Hall (Kaufman Center) 129 West 67th Street (bet Broadway & Amsterdam) NYC; Tuesday, January 12, 2010 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle 1972 Broadway NYC. Book signing and performances - Free & open to the public. More information TBA