| 1. Los Angeles To San Bernandino Stop For Water |
| 2. San Bernadino To Barstow-End Of The Jorney/Santa Barbara To Los |
Farewell to Steam,Various Artists,Legacy,Pop,Popular Music,Sound Effects
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Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000584UL Release Date: 2001-02-13 |
Tracks:
- Forbidden Broadway 2001: Another Op'nin, 'Another Show
- Futuristic Stewardess/Usherette: Come Fly With Me
- Judi Dench: Why Can't The English?
- Trouble In New Tork City: Trouble
- The Music Man Revival 2001: Till There Was You
- Cole Porter: You're The Top/From The Moment On
- Kiss Me, Kate Revival 2001: Wunderbar
- I Hate Ben - Marin Mazzie: I Hate Men
- Cheryl Ladd In Annie Get Your Gun: There's No Business Like Show Business
- Miss Saigon Farewell: Why God Why?
- Saturday Night Fiasco: Stayin' Alive
- Gwen Verdon & The Fosse Dancers: I'm A Brass Band/Steam Heat
- Liza Minnelli 2001/Alan Cumming in Cabaret: Wilkommen
- Let's Run Times Square Again: Let's Do the Time Warp Again
- Ethel Merman & Elton John: I've Got Rhythm/Old Fashioned Wedding
- Beauty's Been Decreased: Beauty And The Beast
- Being Lupone: Being Alive
- Sondheim's Blues: Buddy's Blues
- Streisand's Farewell Tour: Happy Days Are Here Again/Mame
- Les Miz 2001 - Edith Piaf/Milord
- Aida - Amneris Intro: Every Story Is A Love Story/Heather Headley/It's Cheesy: Easy As Life
- Elaborate Sets (Aida Cont.): Elaborate Lives
- Angela Lansbury: I Don't Want To Know
- The Full Monty: Let It Go
- 76 Hit Shows: 76 Trombones
- Bows-Ta-Ta Folks: Another Op'nin, 'Another Show
- Joseph And The Amazing High 'C': Any Dream Will Do
Customer Reviews:
As Always, Hilarious.......2007-05-03
Spoof Odessey worth the laughs!.......2002-04-14
Particularly strong is Track 16, "Let's do an old fashioned show tune," featuring Elton John and Ethel Merman duking it out over AIDA, which Merman says is "putting everyone here through hell." Likewise, Track 15, "Let's Ruin Times Square Again," tickles my funny bone. Also wonderful are the satires of Beauty and the Beast, Angela Lansbury, and the Full Monty; Gerard Alessandrini's done a tremendous job with these! In addition, this CD's introductory song is much stronger than those on the previous volumes of Forbidden Broadway. It really sets the tone for the best parts of this recording.
Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, the first half of the CD is a bit thin, which is why I give this recording 3 out of 5 stars: Even though it entertains me, there's a lot I have to skip over. For example, the Liza Minelli spoof annoying (though, I admit, a little funny), and in the Music Man revival satire, their Robert Preston impersonator sounds *nothing* like the original. (In earlier recordings, the actors *did* sound like the people they claimed to be.)
The good news is that the CD has 30 tracks in all, so even though there are 13 that I dislike, I just love the rest... I do recommend it!
better to be "Lost in Space".......2001-12-31
While I agree with some of the other reviewers that there is some nice work, I don't know that Saturday Night Fiasco and Sondheim's Blues are sufficient to carry the rest of the tracks. Not much seems new or worse yet, important. Disney isn't new, nor is Les Miz. And while pointing out what is stale and pedestrian on Broadway was amusing on the last couple of releases, this Forbidden Broadway spoof clearly has joined the list of stale and pedestrian.
While there is some nice material on this disc, I really didn't laugh out loud, and that is why I have always bought these in the past.
If Alessandrini reduces the show to the same complaints of the same shows and then replaying lightly tweaked versions of past numbers, Trouble and Alan Cumming in Cabaret specifically, then he has himself is on the becoming a revival - and we know what he thinks of revivals.
The repeats might even be acceptable if there was something fresh in the perfomance, but both were done much better on their respective discs. I think Danny Gurwin is a great comedian, but he doesn't shine in either of these numbers. We also need a recording with no Ethel Merman or Liza numbers - give them a rest already. And why bring back Streisand with such a poor imitation? The earlier Barbara's were dead on vocal impressions as well as speech patterns. If you aren't going to improve on it, then don't drag it back out.
Alessandrini suggests that this is one of the best casts he has ever worked with. I don't know what he bases that on, but I beg to differ, either cast with Bryan Batt was significantly better, although they worked with fresh, clever material. Still, those recordings had verocious talent that brought Gerard's stinging wit to life for those of us who can't see every new production of FB.
Maybe it is time to go to off Broadway productions, or to the radio or the movies for some new ideas. Or else promise no references to the Gap, Disney, or Chorus Boys, (way over used on this recording), along with a Merman and Liza free season. Start from scratch. That might give us hope that Forbidden Broadway too might not be dead.
Stretched Thin.......2001-03-26
The opening sequence is forced and unfunny, and clearly in place only to batter the listener with the "2001" theme. Unlike a previous reviewer, I found the Judi Dench parody hysterical, though I question its accuracy.
The "Trouble" parody is, as it always was, incomplete and thin. My dear friend John Kenrick (...) did a better job with it - included the segments of the original song that GA left out, and in a funnier fashion. The Cole Porter parody is marginally amusing, but the Brian Mitchell/Marin Mazzie parody is dead on the mark, and VERY funny.
The parody of Cheryl Ladd remains in the show, although she's no longer in "Annie Get Your Gun" - Reba McIntyre is now in the role. Similarly, he stabs at Alan Cumming, who is no longer playing the Emcee. These numbers, while funny, lack punch. On the other hand, he once again skewers long time target Patti LuPone with an hysterical new parody of Being Alive. I suppose she's innately funnier, after all these years, than Alan Cumming, who is, after all, a relative newcomer.
The Rocky Horror parody is amusing, and the observation that sex has moved off 42nd Street and onto the Broadway stage is not without merit. The Beauty parody is amusing, and apt, but as has already been noted, GA has been clobbering us with the Disnification of Broadway for years now. I suppose he finds some glee in the fading success of this particular show.
I must say that while Gurwin is not the greatest singer, "Sondheim's Blues" is the most brilliant piece I've heard from Alessandrini in years. It's absolutely dead on. The friends I was with had never seen nor heard "Follies" and completely missed the point, but I was in stitches.
The "10 Years More" (which does not appear on this album, but remains in the show) has really begun to wear thin, especially with the closing this year of Cats and Miss Saigon. The Cameron Macintosh British mega-musicals are finally releasing their grip on Broadway, and this isn't as funny any more.
Broadway, despite the naysayers, will never die... and apparently, neither will Forbidden Broadway. I don't think it should - but I do think it needs a rest.
Do the Math.......2001-03-15
Alessandrini is running out of ideas, and is spreading the remaining ones too thin. . Sanitized Time Square - Been there. Disnified Broadway - Done that, and so many times. Asinine casting faux pas, plotless pointless set-monster musicals, and Ethel Merman and Liza. We've heard it all before - and last time, it was funnier.
Now normally when a writer (or director or actor) has truly entertained me on numerous occasions, I'll forgive the odd show that disappoints. This would be the case here except for two things: Alessandrini is in the vicious parody business - he's never spared anyone else Besides, if he's going to actually include couplets like: "If lyrics are no longer witty... Then I don't want to go " he's inviting the pans.
When you hear the AIDA lampoon, you'll be reminded of the dim bulb in Cyrano de Bergerac who taunts the hero with the brilliant witticism: Your nose is very large
Yes, there are a few true Forbidden Broadway tracks on Spoof Odyssey. Dame Judi Dench singing "Why can't Americans do theatre like the Brits?" (with apologies to My Fair Lady), I Hate Ben (with apologies to Kiss Me Kate) and about 1/3 of "Let's Ruin Time Square Again" (no apologies necessary to Rocky Horror which understands how easy it is for good parody to go bad). Oh yes, there is one absolutely true Forbidden Broadway track: TROUBLE - yes, the same Trouble from Volume 3 which was just re-released on the 20th Anniversary compilation - and it's back again with a more hackneyed Robert Preston impersonation and all of 4 words changed. Granted it's one of the better bits, more worthy of rerunning than say, referring to Miss Saigon as Viet-Numb, but oh, he reran that gag too
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Farewell to Steam
Various Artists Manufacturer: Legacy ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000002NT0 Release Date: 1994-09-27 |
Tracks:
- Los Angeles To San Bernandino Stop For Water
- San Bernadino To Barstow-End Of The Jorney/Santa Barbara To Los
Customer Reviews:
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