Interview: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY's John Freedson Discusses the Satirical Show, Coming to the Fox Performing Arts Center, in Riverside.

The side-splitting parody known as FORBIDDEN BROADWAY comes to the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, California, for two shows only on Saturday, March 12, 2016. For those who have never had the pleasure of seeing a version of the show or listening to one of the albums, this is the opportunity to experience what is likely to be a howlingly funny few hours of entertainment.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY ALIVE AND KICKING (as the current version is called) is a revue consisting of Gerard Alessandrini's scathing homage to Broadway's biggest shows and brightest stars. Shows that the cast roasts in the current tour include THE BOOK OF MORMON, ONCE, LES MIZ, and THE LION KING, among others.

Producer John Freedson has been associated with the show for most of its 30-year history and has produced the Special-Tony®-Award-winning New York and touring versions since 1994. He has also directed FORBIDDEN BROADWAY and its West Coast counterpart, FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD, for which he has won the Jefferson Award for Best Direction. He co-produced eight FORBIDDEN BROADWAY CD's for DRG records and, long ago, starred in the Off-Broadway and Boston productions.

Broadway World recently conducted an email interview with Mr. Freedson about FORBIDDEN BROADWAY ALIVE AND KICKING and what the audience can expect.

Broadway World: How do you [and Gerard Alessandrini] get your ideas - do they suddenly pop into your head when you're seeing a show or listening to the cast album, or you do analytically look at a show, seeking the aspects that are susceptible to humor?

John Freedson: I would say it's a little of "all of the above." Gerard and all of us on the team are very tuned in to the "buzz" surrounding the shows. Gerard loves to see the shows very early in their runs, and forms his own opinion. He's obsessed with the music and lyrics, and gets the cast albums the moment they're available. He reads all the "online chatter" about what the insiders are saying. He talks to our own cast members, who are generally members of the Broadway community themselves, and know a lot of the inside gossip that's not even out there on the web. And then he reads all the press. Then somehow, that distills down into a little kernel of an idea through Gerard's unique and "twisted" sense of humor. Often, the humor comes directly out of the over-hype that a particular show or star is getting. The minute that Gerard senses that a show's ego is getting inflated, he knows exactly what to do. A couple seasons back, when Matthew Broderick was starring in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, Gerard immediately came up with "Nice Show if I Could Sing It" and then just ran with it. When Ricky Martin was starring as Che in EVITA, he knew that the parody would have to be "Livin' Evita Loca" after Martin's big hit. Once he has the "hook", the rest of the number often writes itself from there.

BWW: Forbidden Broadway has done some hilarious, but biting pieces. Your Chita versus Rita piece not only pokes fun at them, but also at the propensity of some folks to confuse two people merely because they share the same native language. The same album implies that you think Patti Lupone mumbles and that you think Andrew Lloyd Webber sounds like Mickey Mouse. Do you worry about the group's humor offending its targets?

JF: Forbidden Broadway's take on its targets has always been one of great affection and admiration. There's no greater fan of Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno, or Patti LuPone than Gerard and our company. Because I think they understand the spirit with which this ribbing is generally given, most of our targets have come over the years again and again to see what we are going to do to them. A few years back, when a Patti LuPone spoof was singled out in the New York Times as one of the highlights of that year's edition, we got flowers and a note from Patti saying, "Thanks for my great reviews!" In some ways, it's like the old celebrity roasts from the 70s, done by friends, as good-natured fun. But in this case, the roast rhymes as well! Stephen Sondheim comes every year, and his one bit of advice to Gerard about Gerard's parody of Sondheim's work is: "Keep it mean!" Often, he'll look over our lyrics, and give a suggestion, if the rhyme scheme doesn't exactly match Sondheim's original rhyme scheme. On any given evening in New York, You never know who's going to drop by: Glenn Close, to Angela Lansbury, to (HAMILTON creator/star) Lin-Manuel Miranda.

BWW: When the show tours, you are performing for people who are geographically separated from New York, meaning that they're less likely to have seen the plays and musicals that you parody. Do you do anything to make sure that the audience understands the humor?

JF: Ahhh--We're very sensitive to this. We are aware that there is a huge difference between the rabid attention to the minutia that some New York insiders have, and that people around the country, who aren't poring over all the gossip have. But you know, a good portion of our audience, even in New York City, are people that have come from around the country, and around the world, and it's very important to us that everyone get every joke. So, when this material is being developed, we try to create it broadly enough, and have the lyrics be self-explanatory enough, that every audience member will get every joke, and no one will be scratching their head looking at their neighbor. Further, once we take the show out of the city, we eliminate some of the most inside bits (which often date very quickly anyway), and check to see what shows are currently touring around the area. We are very happy that shows like MATILDA, ONCE, BOOK OF MORMON, and PIPPIN have been touring extensively over the past couple of years, and that classics like LES MIZ, THE LION KING, MARY POPPINS, PHANTOM, and even BEAUTY AND THE BEAST continue to tread the boards. In addition, the show is performed vey broadly, and with great relish, so like any good parody, even if you miss a reference or two, you're having such a good time, you're on to the next joke right away.

BWW: I'm no expert on copyright law, but, as I understand it, "parody" is a "fair use," but using copyrighted material to satirize something else can get writers into trouble. Do you do anything to protect yourself in case you should stray away from "parody"?

JF: Yes -- you know it's changed over the years. 30 years ago, when we were first doing this, there had not been the Supreme Court case on fair use, and so we were much more timid in asking permission from the composers and lyricists, before even starting to write the spoofs. After the 2 Love Crew/Roy Orbison Parody/fair use Supreme Court decision-- I believe it was in 1993, or so, we relaxed a little bit. We still pay the same royalties, but now we write first, pay later.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY ALIVE AND KICKING will play at the Fox Performing Arts Center for two performances, both on March 12, 2016, at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.) and 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). Ticket prices range from $28.50 to $38.50, plus fees and tax. Tickets are available at http://www.riversidelive.com, through Ticketmaster, at the box office, or at 1-800-745-3000. The Fox PAC is located at 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, about 120 miles from San Diego, 70 miles from parts of the San Fernando Valley and West LA, 57 miles from Long Beach, 55 miles from Palm Springs, and 45 miles from Anaheim.

More information on FORBIDDEN BROADWAY ALIVE AND KICKING is available at its web site, http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com/ .

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