Turning Broadway around on its head
A show about to open in Palmerston North takes the most loved songs from the biggest musicals and pokes a bit of fun at them.
Abbey Musical Theatre director Andrea Maxwell said imagine Annie singing Tomorrow as a 40-year-old, down on her luck, ‘‘wearing the red dress with a cigarette hanging out of her hand’’.
‘‘Suddenly you are faced with this hilariousness.
‘‘It is just so funny taking something so familiar and then turning it on its head.’’
Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is a long running international show that was written in 1982, with more than a dozen rewritings since then.
Maxwell said it is hugely entertaining.
‘‘The show takes all the key numbers out of Broadway shows, so we have got Les Miserables, Wicked, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof.
‘‘The well-known songs are all there wth the words changed.’’
Maxwell said she has been ‘‘blessed’’ with an amazing cast of 11.
‘‘My cast members are the creme de la creme of Palmy theatre.
‘‘There’s Jo Sale, who is just incredible. She is so naturally funny.
‘‘I’ve got Erica Ward, who has got the voice of an absolute angel.
‘‘She’s doing lots, including On My Phone, rather than On My Own, from Les Miserables. Gary Clarke, Tyrell Beck, Sophia Parker.
‘‘All these people just came out of the woodwork and the whole cast is just so clever.’’
Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is being performed at The Auditorium, Centennial Drive, Palmerston North, for seven performances from May 19 - June 3.