SPOOFING THE GREAT WHITE WAY
Cast of ‘Forbidden Broadway’ to hit Popejoy stage on April 7
Kevin B. McGlynn was made for theater. As a student of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, he was trained with a goal of reaching Broadway.
For the last 26 years, McGlynn has been part of the cast for “Forbidden Broadway.”
“I joined the Boston cast in 1996 and I’ve been able to travel the country and the world with this group,” he says. “I consider it my permanent temp job. We don’t go on national tours. We will tour a few dates at a time. That leaves me time to do other things while I’m there.”
The cast of “Forbidden Broadway” will make a stop at Popejoy Hall at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7.
“Forbidden Broadway” is a satirical roast of over 30 Broadway hits featuring outrageous costumes, silly spoofs of the songs you know by heart and madcap impressions.
The new spoofs are of “Hamilton,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Wicked.”
The show received a special Tony Award as well as a Drama Desk Award.
The original version of the revue opened on Jan. 15, 1982, at Palsson’s Supper Club in New York City.
Gerard Alessandrini is the mastermind behind the project as he conceived, wrote and directed it.
Typically, the revue is performed by a cast of four with a piano – usually two men and two women, with a fifth actor able to portray a teenage character.
Versions of the show have been seen in more than 200 cities in the U.S., as well as London and Tokyo.
In 2024, after four decades of performances off-Broadway, a Broadway version of the revue is planned to be staged for the first time.
“I’m not going to be part of the Broadway show,” McGlynn says. “They are doing auditions for it right now and the timing is not right for me.”
McGlynn plays multiple roles in the production.
He does a short stint as Billy Flynn from “Chicago,” as well as Rafiki from “The Lion King.” He also takes the stage as Trey Parker in “The Book of Mormon” and Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“Over the years, the characters I’ve portrayed have grown,” he says. “The show obviously changes and each time it does, I’m older and get to play a different character.”