Murder Ballad extends run by one week

Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking, the comic musical revue that lampoons all things Broadway, has extended its run through to 28 Apr 2013.

The musical revue opened at 47th Street Theatre on 6 Sep 2012, following previews from 24 Jul 2012, and was originally scheduled to close on 6 Jan 2013.

Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking, features Gerard Alessandrini's parodies of Broadway's biggest shows and brightest stars, including Annie, Newsies, Once, Book of Mormon, Spiderman, Evita, Porgy and Bess, Anything Goes, Follies, as well of send-ups of Catherine Zeta Jones, Matthew Broderick, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, among others.

Featured in the cast are Natalie Charlé Ellis, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Lee Stern and Marcus Stevens, with David Caldwell on piano.

This edition is created and written by Gerard Alessandrini, and directed by Alessandrini and Phillip George, with musical direction by David Caldwell, and additional dialogue by Phillip George. The creative team includes ostumes are designed by Philip Heckman, lighting design by Mark T. Simpson and wig design by Bobbie Cliffton Zlotnik. Forbidden Broadway: ALIVE AND KICKING is produced by John Freedson, Harriet Yellin and Paul Bartz, in association with Paul G. Rice, Carol Ostrow, Paxton Quigley, Robert Driemeyer, Jamie deRoy, Lawrence Poster and Tweiss Productions.

Now celebrating its 30th year, Forbidden Broadway started as a small cabaret act at West 72nd Street's Palsson's Supper Club.

Forbidden Broadway was born in 1982, when Alessandrini, a frustrated performer looking for a place to showcase himself and his friends, booked a weekend performance at Palsson's. The cast of five, had no producer or backer, and used costumes from the cast's own closets to spoof stars like Yul Brynner and Ethel Merman. The show quickly expanded to eight performances a week and ran at Palsson's for over six years.

Needing a bigger venue, Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking moved to the 125-seat Theatre East, where it ran until 1994. Since then, Forbidden Broadway was presented at the Triad until 1997, the Stardust Theatre from 1997-2001, the Douglas Fairbanks Theatre from 2001-2005, and the 47th Street Theatre, where it opened in 2005.

The show returned to the 47th Street Theatre in Sep 2012 after a three-year absence.

The show will now end its 27 year run when it plays its final perfo Producer John Freedson said, "The response to our latest edition has been terrific, and there has been great demand for us to extend. Our theatre lease ends March 1, so we must end performances at that time. But I'm thrilled to be able to tack a few final weeks on to the run and give everyone more time to see the show ".

The comic musical revue has been spoofing Broadway shows and stars to the delight of fans of the Great White Way since it first opened on 4 May 1982 at the Palsson's Supper Club.

Forbidden Broadway creator Gerard Alessandrini said: "With the changing of the artistic climate on Broadway, I felt the next couple of seasons might be a perfect time to take a break. I've just put together a new edition that I feel succinctly encapsulates the last couple of years on Broadway and I thought this would be a positive and fun way to end our 27-year run. However, I do hope we might bring Forbidden Broadway back to New York at some point down the road when there will be plenty of new shows and stars to spoof."

The current edition of Forbidden Broadway, called Forbidden Broadway goes to Rehab spoofs South Pacific, In the Heights, Equus, [title of show], August Osage County, Gypsy, Young Frankenstein and 'Sunday in the Park with George,' among others. Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli and Kristin Chenoweth all come under fire as well.

Forbidden Broadway goes to Rehab, directed by Gerard Alessandrini and Phillip George, features Christina Bianco, Jared Bradshaw, Gina Kreiezmar and Michael West, with David Caldwell on piano.

The creative team includes Megan Halpern (sets), Alvin Colt & David Moyer (costumes) and Mark T. Simpson (lighting).