'Forbidden Broadway' to play off Broadway this summer

Titled in full Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song, the show is a production of the long-running revue that parodies musical theatre songs.

UPDATE: Forbidden Broadway was originally scheduled to run at the Hayes Theater on Broadway, but after canceling that engagement, the show will now play off Broadway at Theater 555.

It's not forbidden any more! The long-running parody series Forbidden Broadway will launch its first Broadway show this summer, titled Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song. The show will play at Theater 555 beginning on August 23, and opening night is September 12.

The production was originally scheduled to play on Broadway at the Hayes Theater, but the run was indefinitely canceled before the decision was made to ultimately open it off Broadway.

Launched in 1982 at Palsson’s Supper Club (now the Triad Theater) on the Upper West Side, Forbidden Broadway is a revue featuring spoofs of Broadway songs. Since its founding, Forbidden Broadway has toured to more than 200 cities in numerous iterations, as the show is regularly updated to spoof the latest Broadway shows.

Merrily We Stole a Song will feature parodies of the 2024 Tony Awards and songs from shows in the 2023-24 Broadway season, including The Great Gatsby, The Notebook, Water for Elephants, Hell’s Kitchen, and Back to the Future.

Also featured will be the numerous recent revivals of Stephen Sondheim musicals, including *Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company*, and Merrily We Roll Along.

Merrily We Stole a Song will feature performers Chris Collins-Pisano and Jenny Lee Stern with musical director Fred Barton on piano. Additional cast and creative team members have yet to be announced.

Gerard Alessandrini, the creator of Forbidden Broadway, directs Merrily We Stole a Song. Alessandrini and Forbidden Broadway have earned seven Drama Desk Awards as well as an Honor for Excellence in the Theatre at the Tony Awards.

"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," Alessandrini said in a statement. "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."

Check back for information on Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song tickets on New York Theatre Guide.