By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH — Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is the delightful comic relief that we’ve all been waiting for. Thank you, North Coast Rep for providing this playful romp that might have otherwise been titled Broadway Bloopers or Broadway Barbs.
The extremely talented cast includes director and performer William Selby, Cathy Barnett, Trisha Rapier, Edward Staudenmayer, and pianist Elan McMahan. This ensemble is supremely gifted and has evident synergy on the stage. Regardless of which show they are roasting, they pull it off with aplomb and adoration.
The scope of shows is staggering. All the classics are represented, those dating back several decades featuring Carol Channing, to productions as recent as Dear Evan Hansen. Most theatergoers will be quite familiar with the offerings and will enjoy the way writer-composer Gerard Alessandrini lovingly rebukes Broadway for overcharging naive visitors and patrons.
This reviewer had a few favorite skits including Mary Poppins’ Feed the Burbs, the face-off between Rita Morena and Chita Rivera of West Side Story fame, and especially the lounge lizard, Robert Goulet. Liza Minelli and Barbra Streisand were great fun, and Annie, all grown up, somehow lost her youthful je ne sais quoi. And all of it was entertaining.
Costume changes were completed in the blink of an eye, with credit to Dustin Cross and Elisa Benzoni, and the set was another Marty Burnett piece of artistry. Important to note; Marty has designed over 200 sets for North Coast Rep since 1992 amid his other accomplishments. Kudos! Aaron Rumley, another legendary North Coast Rep fixture, has been stage manager for over 50 North Coast Rep productions. Aaron now is the Sound Designer for the theater.
Each performer comes to this stage with a plethora of awards and experience, but I truly believe what makes the show so entertaining is the chemistry between the performers and the pianist. There is such a feeling of connection and camaraderie coming off of the stage and washing over the audience.
Selby is no stranger to Forbidden Broadway, having performed in the Off-Broadway production for many years. He has also directed the show nationally and picked up the 2012 Ovation Award for “Best Musical” in Long Beach, Calif. Selby has performed and directed coast to coast and many spots in between.
Barnett has also performed in national and international productions of Forbidden Broadway. It comes as no surprise that she has performed in The Producers, Sweeny Todd, The Addams Family Musical, and Hairspray. She has even starred in a new musical inspired by the Hallmark greeting card character, Maxine.
Rapier joins is from Off-Broadway shows including The World Goes ‘Round, Sessions Nerds://A Musical Software Satire, Golf: The Musical, as well as, Forbidden Broadway. Regionally the actor has performed in Next to Normal and The Full Monty. At present Rapier is working on a one-woman show honoring Linda Ronstadt, Liza Minelli, and Barbra Streisand.
Staudenmayer, a UCLA graduate and recipient of the Carol Burnett Award, has Broadway credits to his name, just one, Wonderland, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. The actor has toured in Phantom of the Opera, Anything Goes, Beauty and the Beast, Joseph, and many more. He has spent 28 years with Forbidden Broadway!
McMahan is no slacker! She has played on many area stages over the past 30 years including The Old Globe, Moonlight Stage, and has received the Craig Noel Outstanding Musical Direction Award for In the Heights (2017).
This talented cast is clearly having fun on the intimate North Coast Rep stage as audiences are treated to clever lyrical adaptations of shows that we’ve all cut our theater teeth on! It is nearly unimaginable that four actors and one musician can contain so much talent and survive so many costume changes, but that’s the magic of good theater!
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Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits runs through May 22. Tickets may be purchased online at https://northcoastrep.org/production/forbidden-broadways-greatest-hits/ or by phone at 858.481.1055