Great Light Way

But Alessandrini's avoidance of this fate doesn't mean he's smart. Far too often in Broadway, a given song's funniness is derived from its title (the Wicked spoof is called "Defying Subtlety"), or else rests on a gimmick. "Saucy Fosse" is a good name for a Chicago roast, but the funniest thing about it is the pair of enormous fake eyebrows worn by the actress playing Brooke Shields (Dickinson). Gags such as that one might eventually wear on the nerves of those craving serious parody. Yet often when Alessandrini means to develop a more complicated joke — say, about the vertebra-crushing body puppets from The Lion King — the resulting entertainment has more to do with good performers and great Elton John melodies than with humor. In such moments, Alessandrini is guilty of the same sin for which he castigates big-time musical theater: valuing expediency over standards, and sure things over real inspiration.

But that's just bitching — shitting on something nice. Why not go see Forbidden Broadway anyway? It's got problems and it's not deep and you won't learn much, and you might even hate yourself for laughing at its ugliest and most obvious jokes. But you will keep laughing, which is the important thing. And what a cast! They want nothing more than to give you a night of honest fun. Honest fun being the rare commodity it is, you'd be a fool to turn it down. Standards? Fuck standards. If Broadway doesn't need any, why should you?