You get it
A ‘Forbidden Broadway’ producer discusses the show’s South Florida return.
South Florida’s sophisticated audience gets more from the producers of ‘Forbidden.’
“Forbidden Broadway” is fond of bringing funny to South Florida.
The revue that has been parodying Broadway musicals since 1982 is landing twice here in the next couple of weeks: Dec. 26-31 at Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and Jan. 4-5 at Aventura Arts and Cultural Center. But that’s not why the staff and cast enjoy SoFlo. It’s the Broadway-literate audience.
“When we go to [South Florida], it’s such a savvy crowd we put a little bit more of the New York show in there,” says John Freedson, the producer of the “Forbidden Broadway” 30th anniversary tour. “If we’re playing Sheboygan, Wisc., or some small town in the Heartland, like in Iowa or something, we have to make sure everyone gets every joke. So we just do ‘Cats,’ Les Miz,’ ‘Lion King,’ ‘Mamma Mia.’ But when we come to a place like Boston or L.A. or [South Florida], a lot of them are … fairly sophisticated audiences. It’s a particularly thrilling edition we’re bringing down there.”
The troupe will skewer the highs and lows of recent seasons on the great White Way, including takes on “Porgy and Bess,” “Anything Goes,” “Spider-Man,” “Book of Mormon,” “Once” and “Wicked.”
“It’s good because this season we had a lot of good, big stars,” Freedson explains. “Big stars on Broadway are like sitting ducks to us.
“You’ve got Ricky Martin in ‘Evita.’ And then, they brought up this Argentine actress [Elena Roger], because they desired authenticity — but she can’t sing. Mat- thew Broderick is a big star on Broadway in ‘Nice Work if You Can Get It.’ They brought back ‘Annie’ for the 10th time.
“It was great. The material set itself up.
“You guys are getting brand-new stuff, things that just went into the New York show in September.”
“Forbidden Broadway” will play the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., in West Palm Beach through Dec. 31. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 1:30 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday; 7 and 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31. Tickets start at $39 and are available at 800-572-8471 or Kravis.org. Performances at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center are 8 p.m. Jan. 4 and 5. Tickets cost $39 and are available at 877-311-7469 or AventuraCenter.org. The Aventura Center is located at 3385 N.E. 188 St.