June 5, 2025 • 37 mins
Cosmo Brown (played by Donald O'Connor) in MGM's 1952 classic Singin' in the Rain asks a fundamental question: "Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?" It's something that the cast and crew of Forbidden Broadway understand intimately, as they blend their love of theatre with the universal desire to share laughter with others. This Off-Broadway revue has been around since the 80s, parodying musicals new and old, showcasing not only a deep appreciation for the craft, but an understanding of why it's important and the level of work it takes to pull off. The most recent iteration of the show, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song, is currently touring North America, recently stopping in Detroit for a weekend of hilarity.
In this most recent episode of The Box Seat Babes podcast, host Brian Kitson, along with guests Ryann Ferguson and Jo Bailey, explores what this revue has to offer! Which numbers stood out to them the most? What parody made them crack a smile? How impressed were they with the level of talent on the stage (spoiler: very)? Listen as they break down all the highs and lows from Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song, if the show has mass appeal outside the realm of Broadway lovers, and if they would catch this show again next time it arrives on Broadway in Detroit!
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For more Broadway coverage, visit Box Seat Babes
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of the Box Seat Babes podcast.
(00:04):
Today we're discussing the touring production of Forbidden Broadway, which recentlystopped at the Fisher Theater here in Detroit.
But before we jump into what you can expect from this revue please like, follow, andsubscribe to Box Seat Babes on all social media platforms at Box Seat Babes.
Spoiler warning, if you are planning on seeing Forbidden Broadway on its tour and do notwant any spoilers, please pause this episode now and come back to us once you've seen it.
(00:25):
If still with us, get ready for the wackiest night of theater you might ever witness.
Joining me today are some special guests, one of which you might recognize from ourKimberly A Kimbo episode, Ryann Ferguson and a box seat babe newbie, Jo Bailey.
Thank you so much for joining us today, you two.
Thank you for having me.
Glad to be back.
Jo, we're gonna start with you just because Ryann's an old hat at this.
(00:49):
I want to know what is your theater Broadway background?
Like you've joined us on a few shows now, well not here, but like out in the world.
What is your experience with Broadway been before this?
so I, this is so embarrassing.
I grew up watching a lot of Cats with my grandma.
um that VH, yeah!
(01:14):
The VHS tape is just broke at this point.
Um, but I did that.
I did a lot of Jesus stuff when I was younger.
So I was in a lot of like the Christmasy musicals they would put on.
And then in school I did theater.
up until about 10th grade and then I kinda slowed down a bit and got more into other artavenues but yeah, it's been kind of a big staple in my life.
(01:43):
Never really left.
I still love shows, especially the slime tutorials on YouTube.
Love those.
hashtag we do not condone anyone doing slime tutorials, but if you do know where to findthem, let us know.
No.
But let's go back to cats then real quick.
So how much do you love cats and how much did you love the 2019, 2020 Taylor Swift versionof cats?
(02:06):
Okay, so I'm gonna say this right now as somebody who's wearing an Eras exclusive crewneck, okay?
I love Taylor Swift.
Okay, hate me all you want.
I don't care.
It's fine.
I didn't watch it because I knew it was going to be awful.
I refused to watch it.
didn't, didn't they like not CGI out the nipples or something?
Or like Judi Dench's wedding ring?
(02:27):
Like I don't want to see Jason Derulo's nipples.
I don't want to see that.
Actually, you could just not.
Also, I don't like Jason Derulo.
I'm not, no, I'd rather get out that busted old VHS tape and try to make it work againsomehow.
am not, nuh-uh.
Mm-mm.
was a choice.
It was a choice.
The whole remake was a choice.
(02:49):
So funny story about Cats, the new musical.
I have a dear friend who sometimes goes to the shows with us.
Shout out to Marti.
When COVID began, we started doing Broadway Wednesdays where we'd get together and we'dwatch a Broadway musical.
And she was so in love with Cats that we were renting it so much.
I was like, we're just going to buy it off of Amazon because you love it so much.
(03:11):
And so I own Cats digitally to watch whenever I want.
And have I watched it in years?
No, I actually haven't.
but that was like her pick.
Every three weeks she picked Cats and we would go back to that.
And love her for that.
She loved it very much.
Cats is, whoo, it's in a journey.
So I'm glad that you got your start.
came this far and now you're here with us to talk about Forbidden Broadway.
(03:34):
I am, I am.
Ryann, have you ever heard of Forbidden Broadway before?
No, you texted me about it and I had to Google it.
That sounds about right.
Jo, how about you?
ah No, I got the information that Ryann got when she Googled and texted you.
So...
So I think that we can all say that this is like not a very well-known show uh in theslightest uh But forbidden Broadway's actually been around since like the 80s I want to
(04:04):
say which is crazy to me.
It's an off Broadway show That's kind again.
It's called the revue because it's going over and kind of poking fun at a lot of the showsThat are big at the time.
Oh, yeah 1987 was the first time forbidden Broadway has Was in production and now it's atouring show
And ours was specifically kind of geared towards Stephen Sondheim and the musicals that hehas put out.
(04:28):
So West Side Story, Gypsy, all those things.
Ryann how familiar are you with Stephen Sondheim?
Um, you know, for someone who's seen a lot of his shows, not familiar, they startedtalking about him and then as they were rolling out the shows, was like,
There's a lot of shows.
(04:48):
before.
I know!
And they just kept going and going and I was like, how does this man write so much?
It's kind of like Hamilton.
He's just running like he's riding out of time.
Nope, riding like he's running out of time.
ah Jo, did you know about Stephen Sondheim?
Please tell me you have.
I knew about Stephen Sondheim, but I always forget exactly what he's wrote and how manyhe's wrote until it's like presented to you.
(05:14):
It's like one of those things where you're like, you know he's done everything under thesun, but then when you see it all, you're like, yeah, yeah, he did do that, yeah.
Yeah, mean, he's done like West Side Story is one of my favorites.
I love West Side Story.
That's such a classic.
Have never seen it live.
So I feel like that's a travesty.
Recently saw Gypsy on Broadway.
(05:35):
mean, Sweeney Todd.
Ryann knows that I've seen Sweeney Todd six times, five times over the past year.
Twice in Broadway, the rest locally here.
uh I mean, there's some big shows.
And I think that most people are probably familiar with him the most now from Merrily WeRoll Along, which is where this show of...
Forbidden Broadway is kind of named after, know, Merrily We Stole the Song, which is kindof the premise of what this show is.
(05:59):
But Jo, I want you, because you're the newbie here, so welcome, kind of give like yoursynopsis of like what Forbidden Broadway, Merrily We Stole the Song is kind of about.
gosh.
I know it's hard, we're throwing you on the spot.
Ryann can jump in any time.
Please feel free, feel free.
I actually don't know how to swim, so.
ah
(06:19):
I mean, so like the show is kind of not a show, right?
Yeah, it's more of like just a bunch of songs making fun of other songs and kind of, Iwouldn't even necessarily say making fun of, it's just highlighting interesting things
that have happened surrounding those and things that are just like, well, this is prettyobvious and it's pretty comedic because life's a joke.
(06:47):
So.
I mean, you're right about that.
Ryann, what's your take on this show?
General thoughts before we kind of dive into it.
I thought...
Listen, I think we all know um I'm a fan of the comedy shows.
I am.
I love me a good joke.
I think it's like just light enough ah where the comedy really like...
(07:15):
It's that simple comedy that just gets the laughs.
Like, I mean, I don't think there was more than like three minutes without somebody atleast in the crowd laughing.
We had that one guy that was kind of off to our front and left who was just having thetime of his life.
You heard him over everybody.
uh But I mean, this show really is kind of just it's clips of songs, like every song, itreminds me a lot of um the Book of Mormon where like every song is related to another
(07:48):
Broadway song, but it's you're all kind of twisting it a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
know, everything's a little bit off, everything's a little bit funny.
ah The only one that's really coming to mind right now from Brita Broadway that I canreally think of, because it just took my breath away for the wrong reasons, but maybe the
right reasons, was Wicked, where it was just like defying, you know, defying the age ofElphaba, which was just, I was absolutely gagged for so long with that one.
(08:13):
I think it's really cool too that they continuously update it.
So from 87 to now, completely different.
Still holding true to the same through point line.
I love shows like that.
uh What's the other one that does that?
Moulin Rouge, don't they update as well?
(08:34):
They have updated, absolutely.
they, um, from Broadway to tour, they changed some of the songs, I believe, and they addeda few different pieces.
They really wanted to make it more appealing to a general audience, which this does verywell.
I mean, I'm looking at the list.
They, they, you know, spoof Cabaret, The Outsiders, & Juliet, Six, Back to the Future.
(08:57):
Like these are all shows that are currently on Broadway.
They currently have tours going around.
Um.
I've seen many of these.
so like, again, that was, it was really kind of cool to see those spoofs for you.
ah For me, not for you, but Jo, how was some of the spoofing for you maybe not having seensome of those shows?
Cause you know, like we talked about like the outsiders and I told you during anadmission, that was one of my favorite shows when I went to Broadway, but you haven't seen
(09:22):
that musical.
So like for you, maybe you didn't have that same power.
Yeah, I think what did it for me was when they did the comparisons to what the Outsiderswas like when they did the blank plus blank equals blank thing and that was like, okay, I
read the book, I saw the movie, I know the Outsiders.
And then when they put all that together, went, I don't even, I feel like I don't need tosee the musical because of the way that they played it and like, support theater, go see
(09:48):
it if they're playing it.
But I just feel like the way that they had it played out, I was like, yeah.
That makes a lot of sense, but it was really interesting seeing those takes on musicalsthat I haven't seen.
And I mean, it's been ages since I've seen Cabaret, but obviously I've seen the thingswith the MC going around.
(10:10):
So them poking fun at those was very entertaining.
shout out to Orville Peck.
love him.
I need to go see him in the...
We love Orville Peck.
uh Ryann, do you feel like there maybe was more to appreciate from the show if you hadn'tseen those musicals?
Or do you feel like you maybe, having not seen them, you still could appreciate it quite abit?
(10:30):
I still appreciate it.
mean, like Jo, I think a lot of the shows that they were poking fun at are things thateven if you haven't seen, you've seen enough through social media to like get the gist of
the shows.
So there was nothing like In Forbidden Broadway where I didn't know exactly what they wereparalleling, even though I haven't like in person seen the shows.
(10:56):
And what I like what they did is that they had some of those new shows, but then they alsohad some of those classic ones like Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, like ones that
people have either had a chance to see or have seen clips of or know the other, like,these have had movies, these have had, you know, community productions.
ah I mean, Ryann, one of the first times we went to a show, you were talking about TheLion King and how it was absolutely one of your favorites.
(11:21):
And then they make fun of that there, but it's also a show that like, I haven't seen, butI know Lion King from Disney.
And so it kind of appeals to those wider audiences.
So everyone kind of has something that they can appreciate for this.
I also didn't.
that song that they did with the Lion King 2 was so on point.
(11:46):
It was about uh how the head pieces are so heavy and how they're all like in pain 24x7from new wear.
That was good.
That was really, really good.
As someone that has been in theater, Jo, probably can appreciate that quite a bit.
oh
some of like, I remember doing um like, Arts Nick and Old Lay, so just some like oldershows that weren't even necessarily musicals, and the hoop skirts that they make you wear
(12:15):
are insane.
Like, why am I wearing 15 layers of skirt?
Who's gonna see the other 14?
I just, I get it.
did costumes in high school, just, you know, devil's advocate here, because it looks good.
I mean, but let's like even take it back to that first song, which was actually a parody.
(12:38):
I didn't realize until I was researching it that it was a parody of guys and dolls aboutdon't block the aisle.
ah Ryann's Ryann just her life was just flashed before her eyes.
god.
I didn't realize that until just now either and I've done that show.
That was one of the ones we did costumes for.
Yeah, because they tell you in that one as well, you can't block the aisle, like, becausethey use the aisles.
(13:01):
No, I know exactly what song it's referencing now too and I'm like, my god.
Wow.
that me was like one of the most hilarious parts because it was so like meta with likehaving the guy who was an actor, obviously we all knew he was an actor, but having him
kind of the aisle and climb over people and get the audience involved in that, I was like,this is not like your traditional Broadway show where you're just sitting and watching.
(13:24):
You are a part, or they're trying to make you a part of the show as much as possible.
Did you like the kind of interactions, Jo?
Absolutely, I love things that get people engaged.
Like don't get me wrong, this is so basic and that's fine.
I have watched Hamilton on Disney Plus way too many times, so I don't mind sitting aroundfor a few hours just listening to things and not talking.
(13:50):
But I love doing something that doesn't make the audience feel like they're just there.
I like something that makes them feel included and like they're also a part of the showand that.
It's so inclusive and I love it so much.
Because it really is an experience unlike any other.
when we were at the part, like you mentioned, where they were kind of calling out of like,this show and this show equals what?
(14:14):
In my head, I was like, you're not supposed to talk.
Like, in my head, was like, don't shout out the answer, because like you're, in Broadwayshows, you're not supposed to interact.
You are sitting there and you are viewing something and you're just like a passiveparticipant in that.
And then they're like, no, we want you to shout out the answers, because if you don't,this part doesn't make any sense.
guy yelled out and they were like yeah I was like oh we can talk okay and I didn't want tobe wrong
(14:40):
of like, um like Rocky Horror Picture Show, you know, almost like where you go to one ofthose shows and you're supposed to be a part of the audience interactions.
You're supposed to yell, you're supposed to throw.
I went to my first showing ever this past October.
So like I was a newbie to it and did not realize.
my God, Ryann.
such a big staple in my hometown.
We literally do it every year and the entire town comes out and dresses up.
(15:04):
my God.
it sounds like we have to take Ryann to do this this year.
Yeah, we're gonna put on some fishnets and go watch some Rocky Horror.
Fishnets?
Ryann, how was it for you with the audience interaction?
(15:25):
you've been to quite a few shows with me, very traditional shows, both community,professional, Broadway.
What was that like for you to have a little bit more interaction than maybe we're used to?
It threw me off at first.
uh mean, like, I mean, like you guys said, I was sitting there as people were talking andI was like, are we, are we supposed to be doing this?
(15:47):
Like, it almost felt like I was going to get in trouble at first, but the more that theydid it, like the, the more fun it got, I really like the idea too, that they like, because
you're so close to the stage, like they kept picking on people, like in the front.
And I thought that was really fun, especially with like how expensive tickets are thesedays.
(16:07):
I was like, what a fun way to get people like there and in those seats because like, thenyou know, you're like guaranteed an interaction.
sure.
I do think I wonder if the lights were done a little differently too.
So recently we got to do a tour of um the Fisher Theater and we learned on the VIP tourthat most shows all they can see is the gold plates at the back of the theater because
(16:35):
that's all the light is bouncing off of.
Everybody else is just blocked but they were interacting and picking out specific peopleand I said those lights have to almost be different.
Like they have to be staging a little different so they can see you.
Well, I think that also goes to how the stage was set up itself and how pared down it was.
Everything that they were doing, it was a very bare stage.
(17:01):
And I think you could see that with the lighting too, minus the few spotlights that they'dshow.
It wasn't fully lit up either.
It's so interesting to me because it wasn't exactly like community theater, but it wascommunity theater-esque.
Does that make any sense?
Like it was like, there was like almost streamers and like there was like, and it was justthe four of them and then the gentleman on the piano, but like it was, there was not much
(17:26):
going on on stage other than like pure talent.
You know what I also want to talk about?
How quickly they were doing those quick changes.
That was insane.
As somebody who had to do quick changes, where is it?
Where are you putting all of that?
Blew my mind.
a behind the scenes because that like they would literally walk back there and walk rightback out and I was like in a whole different outfit and I'm like how did you just go from
(17:53):
like a pantsuit to an evening gown that quickly?
Yeah
Yeah, with wig changes, with like, like I know sometimes I've watched videos and thosewigs are not easy to put on, let alone changing a whole outfit.
Yeah.
let alone making sure they don't fall off during some of the moves as well.
And uh going along those lines too, Jo, like you mentioned, they're quite active on stage.
(18:17):
They're dancing.
use of the entire stage and they made sure every corner, if there was more than one ofthem, they all had your attention.
All of them, every time your eyes are darting, it was absolutely just, with the minimalistbackground that they had, it really put the focus on the art itself and it was just
absolutely so incredible to watch three people take an entire stage and demand yourattention.
(18:44):
Absolutely.
I think that I want to address that too, because I'm going to throw myself under the bushere a little bit.
I did not know what to expect before going into this.
And I guess I didn't necessarily expect Broadway level performance.
I was thinking, was like, OK, we're kind of poking fun at it, but it's not going to belike they're belting these songs.
(19:07):
And there was plenty of times where I was turning to RJ, and I was like, she just hit thathigh note that a lot of Broadway actresses
would struggle to hit.
I mean, just like the wicked one where she hit that note like Cynthia Erivo and I waslike, damn.
Okay, girl.
(19:27):
but, but truly they were they were very, very talented.
I mean, one of the guys I can't think of which one, but he reminded me a lot of the guyfrom Beetlejuice, the musical.
It's him.
Are you thinking Justin or Alex?
Alex, thank you.
I was like, Alex, I like Alex.
If those are Justin who's done it, you're probably doing great, babe.
You're probably doing great.
(19:48):
Love you, good job.
But you know the one with the beard?
He kind of reminded me of him because he had the same voice and same like gusto and theseare like high quality performances and I was like this is not what I was expecting from a
show like Forbidden Broadway that didn't have a lot of press and there wasn't like therewas a press but like we never heard of this before and like we've all been into some level
(20:11):
of theater to some point and this has been going since around since 87 we should behearing about this.
Yeah, like for us to not that we're like the end all be all but for people who do have abackground in it to like be like, I don't know this.
We got three levels of Googling going on.
Like, and for them to have that talent, like I'm going to agree with you.
(20:31):
I really wasn't sure what to expect.
I wasn't expecting it to be as strong as it was.
And the fact that it was made it that much better because they were able to do all of the
the vocal, just everything, their vocal capabilities along with the way that they werecontorting their bodies for comedy.
(20:55):
It's astounding to be able to do all of that at the same time.
Like the MC hitting those notes and getting those twangs just right, that will foreverlive rent free in my head.
That was just absolutely incredible.
And then the costume changes while he was doing that.
Blew my mind, blew my mind.
Oh my God, I got goose pimples.
It was so cool.
It was so cool.
(21:16):
I think there's something to be said too about how all four of them have very distinctvoices, so you're almost covering the entire ground and like no one sounded exactly like
the other person.
Like they all had very unique voices and I really appreciated that because I thinksometimes in shows like you get that almost where like people will sound very similar
(21:41):
because they're singing the exact same way.
And I liked that this show didn't have that.
And I think on top of that too is that they all had really good like mimicking abilitiesof like for comedy relief, which a lot of people see this is so like when you go to see
Wicked, there's some people who try to mimic Kristen Chenoweth for like to match her wherethey were mimicking to like for the comedy, but they're actually like were really good
(22:09):
mimicking.
And that's hard to like not only hit those notes, but to be able to mimic them and be ableto throw your voices in different ways.
The one gentleman did Daniel Radcliffe to a tee and I was like, that could be DanielRadcliffe sitting there on stage.
Jo Cutts so excited.
over to me and was like, my god, it's like he's Daniel Radcliffe.
Yup.
do that?
(22:30):
because it was like the mannerisms and the body language and the voice too.
And I was like, this is, I mean, this is a level of talent again that you do not see in alot of shows.
I do wonder, and I'm gonna ask both of you, do you think it's because they get the freedomto be silly about it instead of having to be a serious show as like a merrily we roll
along like a wicked?
Yeah, I mean, that argument could be made.
(22:53):
You're fine, go ahead.
No, you started it, didn't
was just saying, no, I mean, that argument can be made.
That argument could be made was my whole statement.
Okay, Jo, I'm throwing it to you now.
I think that when you are allowed that freedom to kind of, I feel like they were allowedto interpret it how they saw it versus how the director saw it.
(23:19):
And I think being able to have that input as well and have that trust with your directorto know that I know my role, I know all of the people who have played this role before me,
and to be able to put your own twist on all of that, I think it does allow for
more just definitely being in a strict role I feel like it doesn't allow you you feel kindof stuffy like you're wearing those 15 layers of skirts but you know everybody knows it I
(23:49):
didn't know that homegirl had an evening dress on underneath a pantsuit underneath anevening dress underneath a cocktail dress underneath another pantsuit like it's just so
yeah
And again, it speaks to their talent.
when that one person walked out, like it was singing like Patti LuPone.
(24:10):
And I was like, that's just crazy.
Cause like Patti LuPone is one of a kind.
That's like one of the legends that we talk about, you know, or like when the one wasdoing Defying Gravity and sounded like a Idina Menzel, was like, Dina Menzel is somebody
that people aspire to.
And you're acting like it's no big deal.
And so I was incredibly talented.
out that Bernadette Peters impersonation because that was so spot on.
(24:33):
So spot on.
I saw it's funny.
I know Bernadette Peters from the Cinderella movie with Brandy.
Yes.
one.
It is the best one.
is absolutely the best one.
It has one of my favorite songs in it.
No, the one where they're talking about um in my own little corner, in my own littlechair, that is one of my favorite musical songs ever.
(25:01):
We're gonna have to unpack that later.
No, I'm just kidding.
So with that being said, I do have to ask you guys, so this is a very niche comedy.
This is clearly a comedy for people who love Broadway.
Do you think that hurts mass appeal?
Because as you can tell, when we walked in that theater, it wasn't exactly full.
(25:25):
I think that there definitely was a very specific area of people that I was aimed to.
But do you think that this has a appeal to other people?
Jo, I'm going start with you.
I think it does because I think, I mean, with the popularity of Hamilton, think a lot morepeople are getting into theater and they're discovering more things and there's so many
new things for them to discover.
(25:45):
And there's literally decades and decades and decades of musicals for them to get through.
And I feel like being able to have, like going from watching Kiss Me Kate to watchingsomebody make fun of Kiss Me Kate, like I think that's something, it's nice to have a
relief and it feels like a nice relief.
from all of the like, I mean this in the most loving way, okay, I watched Cats so y'allcan bully me, it's fine.
(26:12):
But from like the stuffy older ones that you're used to where everybody wears suits, likea Guys and Dolls type thing, I love Guys and Dolls.
But going from something like that to being able to have comedic relief about it whereit's like, you know, I watched this show and I kind of, this was a little weird and then
they make fun of it in this show.
So I think it has.
the ability for you to express your adoration for a show in another way that you might nothave found an outlet for.
(26:36):
I think that's a beautiful way to put it because there's a few things that you justmentioned there.
You talked about the old shows, which are, some of them are quite stuffy.
You'll never catch me watching Oklahoma.
I'm sorry.
I cannot sit down and watch Oklahoma.
Hear me out, Hugh Jackman's in a variation of Oklahoma and it's.
Well, I'm going do you one better.
So I've seen the music man on Broadway with Hugh Jackman and I recently saw a productionof it in Birmingham Village Players.
(27:01):
And Birmingham Village Players was incredibly better than the Hugh Jackman version.
So I'm just throwing that out there.
maybe I'll try Oklahoma one day.
uh But point is, that I feel like that show doesn't have mass appeal.
I love West Side Story.
Sound of Music is my favorite movie.
I watched Sound of Music six to eight times a year.
(27:22):
That's not a show for everybody.
That's a show for me.
But it showcases the Forbidden Broadway, specifically this version of it, does really goodat showcasing the fact that a lot of these shows are younger.
Like when you look at The Outsiders, that's appealing to wider audience because peoplegrew up on that story.
& Juliet brings pop songs to uh a Romeo and Juliet version.
(27:44):
That's appealing to a lot more people.
And so it's interesting that you say that it does kind of poke fun at some of other ones,but also highlights some of the stuff about the new ones that make them so successful.
Ryann, what about you?
Do you think that there's appeal to a mass audience?
Do you feel like this is a very niche show that is struggling to find its audience?
I think it is struggling just a little bit from a marketing standpoint as well.
(28:10):
But I think, you know, so many of like there is the younger generation that's getting intothe new shows, but so much of the I feel like Broadway population are these older people
who are so comfortable with the sit down and watch older versions.
um And I don't think they're as open.
(28:32):
to things like this.
And I think that that's where the show struggles.
ah Is that, do I think that they would love this show?
Yes.
Do I think that based off of reading the description, they would go see it?
No.
So it's absolutely funny you say that, because I don't know if I mentioned it in the Gypsyepisodes that we just did, but when RJ and I went to see Gypsy on Broadway, we were the
(28:53):
youngest ones there.
It was the last show that we were there.
It was like a Wednesday afternoon.
We went to the show and I sat next to this.
So RJ sat on the outside.
I sat in the middle because of course.
oh And I sat next to this little old couple.
in the middle of the first act, a little old lady turns to me and I'm talking like, old.
(29:13):
And she goes, this is what true Broadway is, isn't it?
And I was like, yeah, absolutely.
And not that Gypsy isn't great, but it's a dated show.
It's it's the kind of show my grandmother would love to see.
We love to see it because we got to see Audra McDonald, which, chef's kiss, she'sbeautiful, she's wonderful, she's talented.
(29:34):
But outside of that, there's not like probably a mass appeal for Gypsy.
And so I do think that there is that struggle of like,
If you don't love Broadway, you're probably not seeking out the show because whileBroadway Detroit has a wonderful marketing team, love Amber, we love everybody that's
there.
I think that it's just one of those shows that you have to love Broadway to probably seekit out.
(29:55):
Yeah.
oh
see, if I hadn't brought this up to you, neither one of you would know about
No.
No.
definitely something that is uh kind of, it does struggle with.
But about the humor, Ryann, how would you describe the humor?
like, do you feel like it's like low bar?
Do feel like it's high bar?
Do you feel like it's a mixture of both?
Like what is kind of like, how do you tease apart the humor to what the show is?
(30:15):
Is it a Book of Mormon?
it's definitely, it's no Book of Mormon.
It's no Book of Mormon.
But I think it is a good mixture of both.
I think there's some jokes that are really like on the nose and like obvious and thenthere are a lot that like are very like innuendo based or like kind of hidden in the dance
(30:36):
moves or kind of just like sprinkled in the lyrics but they brush over it so quickly thatif you're not like actively listening
you're going to completely miss it.
And like, but I almost kind of like this, this type of humor better than, um, what wasthat show we went and saw, uh, at Meadowbrook where it was about the, two, the couple that
(31:00):
writes the, what was it?
The angel next door.
And they had like a lot of very similar jokes, I think in that show as well.
Um,
But I liked the levity of this show a little bit more than I liked it in that show.
And I think that does lean itself to why it's a revue because I think it can just be onejoke after another without having to have a plot, and you can just laugh and enjoy that.
(31:29):
Mm-hmm.
Jo, would you kind of agree with that description of the humor?
Yeah, I think there's enough jokes where you don't have to know the ins and outs ofBroadway, the who's who to understand it.
And then there's some jokes like Ryann was saying where like, you're going to pick up onit if you know the little jokes.
Like if you know little bits about shows here and there, you're like, I know what that'sfrom.
(31:52):
And I do think that that also should make it appeal to a wider market too.
Just like.
having all those different types of jokes the way they're portrayed, like Ryann wassaying, some of the dance moves even were kind of like little nods to things.
having different ways to tell a joke, I think was very impressive to have that in there.
(32:16):
I definitely agree with like the you can appreciate it more if you know Broadway becausethere was one point where they were making fun of a Stephen Sondheim aspect of shows.
But Ryann and I both looked at RJ because for those who don't know, it was in one of ourvery early podcasts.
RJ was in Sweeney Todd and in the show he, he plays Beadle and he snaps the neck of abird.
(32:39):
And there's, there's a reference to like killing a bird.
And Ryann and I both turned and looked at RJ at the same time.
Which I think like for somebody who doesn't know like some level of Stephen Sondheim, thatjoke wouldn't necessarily make sense.
Like you might be laughing, but like we found it hilarious because we had not only thatpersonal connection with Stephen Sondheim, but because we knew of the work of Stephen
(32:59):
Sondheim to have that reference.
Us and that one guy again in that corner who was having the fucking time of his life, likehe enjoyed it.
He got that.
We got that.
um But I think that Ryann and I were able to almost appreciate it more because
because we had that connection with somebody who had been in a Stephen Sondheim show.
And I can see Ryann's nodding her head here.
(33:21):
Oh, as soon as they brought up Sweeney Todd, I immediately was like staring at RJ like,mm-hmm.
Yeah, absolutely.
Because again, we got to have, it was like almost an inside joke for people who knewBroadway.
So Jo, final verdict, giving it a score, A through F, what would you give ForbiddenBroadway, Merrily We Stole a Song?
(33:43):
Overall, I would...
B minus only because...
The talent was absolutely insane.
I think talent alone, it deserves just like whatever higher than A is, are thevaledictorians, salutatorians?
I don't know.
I didn't do the math and science.
(34:03):
I did theater and played soccer.
But I think like Ryann was mentioning with the marketing of it earlier, and it is a hardshow to market.
So to their credit, it is a very hard show to market, but I would have to give it a Bminus overall.
Okay, Ryann, how about for you?
I think I'd go solid B.
(34:24):
I'd go solid B for very similar reasons.
Very similar reasons.
Listen, I don't do the plus and minuses.
This is only my third one.
I'm not...
No, you can...
You do you.
gonna give it an A-.
So I'm actually gonna go ahead, I'm gonna do a step up.
I do think that this show appealed to me just because this is not my full-time job foranybody who doesn't know.
(34:46):
I'm a psychologist, I do this for fun on the free time, but it is a job.
And there's a lot of shows that I see.
And there's some weekends where I see three, four, five shows a weekend, and they're allpretty much, even if they're comedy, they are straight shows.
And this one,
was kind of like a breath of fresh air among all the ones that I see because you didn'thave to be, you didn't have to dress up.
(35:09):
You didn't have to be straight laced.
You didn't have to quietly giggle to yourself.
Or in case of Ryann and I, try not to look at each other in the eyes because we'reprobably gonna lose control.
uh And you got to just kind of, anybody who wanted to join at whatever level they were,you could.
And I think this is why I making that comparison with um Book of Mormon, is that thatshow,
(35:32):
You can be anybody and show up to Book of Mormon and have a good time Where you maybewon't show up to Kimberly Kimbo, no matter who you are and have a good time
Ryann, would you see this again?
definitely.
Jo.
yeah, absolutely, and a heartbeat.
I would too, I think this is one that as long as it's touring in Detroit, this is one I'mgonna go see.
It's relatively inexpensive, comparatively to some of the other tickets.
(35:56):
uh I mean, come on, those tickets uh for Book of Mormon were $150 a piece, you know, andthat was just mezzanine.
Like sometimes shows are a little bit inaccessible with the price tag, but a show likethis can appeal to that wider audience of people who maybe can't afford $150 for a ticket
because they have to put food on the table, you know?
(36:16):
So again, but a hundred percent see this would love to see this blow up a little bit moreI'm gonna be sharing as much as I can about this show because I think the world needs to
know about forbidden Broadway ah But truly this was this was an exceptional time and I'mso glad that the two of you went with me So Jo and Ryann, thank you so much for going.
Thank you so much for being here tonight.
I greatly appreciate it Before we wrap up You're so welcome before we wrap up
(36:43):
Jo, Ryann, is there any shout outs that you have?
I know that Jo mentioned maybe having a shout out or two.
I've only done one podcast before and I didn't know if it was the same.
I wasn't sure.
ah I do own a small business, so if anybody's looking for any earrings, jewelry, I dobracelets, necklaces, I do custom orders as well.
You can find my socials at FemmeGems, that's F-E-M-M-E Gems, and at ShopFemmeGems.com.
(37:10):
And these earrings I made, I did make these.
And where can they find you on social media if they want to follow you?
ah I am on Facebook and Instagram.
All of the links are on my website.
perfect.
And Ryann, where can our fellow Broadway babes find you?
I am only on Instagram right now, but uh feel free to give me a follow.
(37:36):
Absolutely.
So thank you again for joining us, everybody.
Look out for future shows based off of Sunset Boulevard covering The Wiz, coveringTitanique ah And again, we can't wait till our next show with you.
So thank you guys for joining us here in our back seats.
Till next curtain call.
Welcome back to another episode of the Box Seat Babes podcast.
(00:04):
Today we're discussing the touring production of Forbidden Broadway, which recentlystopped at the Fisher Theater here in Detroit.
But before we jump into what you can expect from this revue please like, follow, andsubscribe to Box Seat Babes on all social media platforms at Box Seat Babes.
Spoiler warning, if you are planning on seeing Forbidden Broadway on its tour and do notwant any spoilers, please pause this episode now and come back to us once you've seen it.
(00:25):
If still with us, get ready for the wackiest night of theater you might ever witness.
Joining me today are some special guests, one of which you might recognize from ourKimberly A Kimbo episode, Ryann Ferguson and a box seat babe newbie, Jo Bailey.
Thank you so much for joining us today, you two.
Thank you for having me.
Glad to be back.
Jo, we're gonna start with you just because Ryann's an old hat at this.
(00:49):
I want to know what is your theater Broadway background?
Like you've joined us on a few shows now, well not here, but like out in the world.
What is your experience with Broadway been before this?
so I, this is so embarrassing.
I grew up watching a lot of Cats with my grandma.
um that VH, yeah!
(01:14):
The VHS tape is just broke at this point.
Um, but I did that.
I did a lot of Jesus stuff when I was younger.
So I was in a lot of like the Christmasy musicals they would put on.
And then in school I did theater.
up until about 10th grade and then I kinda slowed down a bit and got more into other artavenues but yeah, it's been kind of a big staple in my life.
(01:43):
Never really left.
I still love shows, especially the slime tutorials on YouTube.
Love those.
hashtag we do not condone anyone doing slime tutorials, but if you do know where to findthem, let us know.
No.
But let's go back to cats then real quick.
So how much do you love cats and how much did you love the 2019, 2020 Taylor Swift versionof cats?
(02:06):
Okay, so I'm gonna say this right now as somebody who's wearing an Eras exclusive crewneck, okay?
I love Taylor Swift.
Okay, hate me all you want.
I don't care.
It's fine.
I didn't watch it because I knew it was going to be awful.
I refused to watch it.
didn't, didn't they like not CGI out the nipples or something?
Or like Judi Dench's wedding ring?
(02:27):
Like I don't want to see Jason Derulo's nipples.
I don't want to see that.
Actually, you could just not.
Also, I don't like Jason Derulo.
I'm not, no, I'd rather get out that busted old VHS tape and try to make it work againsomehow.
am not, nuh-uh.
Mm-mm.
was a choice.
It was a choice.
The whole remake was a choice.
(02:49):
So funny story about Cats, the new musical.
I have a dear friend who sometimes goes to the shows with us.
Shout out to Marti.
When COVID began, we started doing Broadway Wednesdays where we'd get together and we'dwatch a Broadway musical.
And she was so in love with Cats that we were renting it so much.
I was like, we're just going to buy it off of Amazon because you love it so much.
(03:11):
And so I own Cats digitally to watch whenever I want.
And have I watched it in years?
No, I actually haven't.
but that was like her pick.
Every three weeks she picked Cats and we would go back to that.
And love her for that.
She loved it very much.
Cats is, whoo, it's in a journey.
So I'm glad that you got your start.
came this far and now you're here with us to talk about Forbidden Broadway.
(03:34):
I am, I am.
Ryann, have you ever heard of Forbidden Broadway before?
No, you texted me about it and I had to Google it.
That sounds about right.
Jo, how about you?
ah No, I got the information that Ryann got when she Googled and texted you.
So...
So I think that we can all say that this is like not a very well-known show uh in theslightest uh But forbidden Broadway's actually been around since like the 80s I want to
(04:04):
say which is crazy to me.
It's an off Broadway show That's kind again.
It's called the revue because it's going over and kind of poking fun at a lot of the showsThat are big at the time.
Oh, yeah 1987 was the first time forbidden Broadway has Was in production and now it's atouring show
And ours was specifically kind of geared towards Stephen Sondheim and the musicals that hehas put out.
(04:28):
So West Side Story, Gypsy, all those things.
Ryann how familiar are you with Stephen Sondheim?
Um, you know, for someone who's seen a lot of his shows, not familiar, they startedtalking about him and then as they were rolling out the shows, was like,
There's a lot of shows.
(04:48):
before.
I know!
And they just kept going and going and I was like, how does this man write so much?
It's kind of like Hamilton.
He's just running like he's riding out of time.
Nope, riding like he's running out of time.
ah Jo, did you know about Stephen Sondheim?
Please tell me you have.
I knew about Stephen Sondheim, but I always forget exactly what he's wrote and how manyhe's wrote until it's like presented to you.
(05:14):
It's like one of those things where you're like, you know he's done everything under thesun, but then when you see it all, you're like, yeah, yeah, he did do that, yeah.
Yeah, mean, he's done like West Side Story is one of my favorites.
I love West Side Story.
That's such a classic.
Have never seen it live.
So I feel like that's a travesty.
Recently saw Gypsy on Broadway.
(05:35):
mean, Sweeney Todd.
Ryann knows that I've seen Sweeney Todd six times, five times over the past year.
Twice in Broadway, the rest locally here.
uh I mean, there's some big shows.
And I think that most people are probably familiar with him the most now from Merrily WeRoll Along, which is where this show of...
Forbidden Broadway is kind of named after, know, Merrily We Stole the Song, which is kindof the premise of what this show is.
(05:59):
But Jo, I want you, because you're the newbie here, so welcome, kind of give like yoursynopsis of like what Forbidden Broadway, Merrily We Stole the Song is kind of about.
gosh.
I know it's hard, we're throwing you on the spot.
Ryann can jump in any time.
Please feel free, feel free.
I actually don't know how to swim, so.
ah
(06:19):
I mean, so like the show is kind of not a show, right?
Yeah, it's more of like just a bunch of songs making fun of other songs and kind of, Iwouldn't even necessarily say making fun of, it's just highlighting interesting things
that have happened surrounding those and things that are just like, well, this is prettyobvious and it's pretty comedic because life's a joke.
(06:47):
So.
I mean, you're right about that.
Ryann, what's your take on this show?
General thoughts before we kind of dive into it.
I thought...
Listen, I think we all know um I'm a fan of the comedy shows.
I am.
I love me a good joke.
I think it's like just light enough ah where the comedy really like...
(07:15):
It's that simple comedy that just gets the laughs.
Like, I mean, I don't think there was more than like three minutes without somebody atleast in the crowd laughing.
We had that one guy that was kind of off to our front and left who was just having thetime of his life.
You heard him over everybody.
uh But I mean, this show really is kind of just it's clips of songs, like every song, itreminds me a lot of um the Book of Mormon where like every song is related to another
(07:48):
Broadway song, but it's you're all kind of twisting it a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
know, everything's a little bit off, everything's a little bit funny.
ah The only one that's really coming to mind right now from Brita Broadway that I canreally think of, because it just took my breath away for the wrong reasons, but maybe the
right reasons, was Wicked, where it was just like defying, you know, defying the age ofElphaba, which was just, I was absolutely gagged for so long with that one.
(08:13):
I think it's really cool too that they continuously update it.
So from 87 to now, completely different.
Still holding true to the same through point line.
I love shows like that.
uh What's the other one that does that?
Moulin Rouge, don't they update as well?
(08:34):
They have updated, absolutely.
they, um, from Broadway to tour, they changed some of the songs, I believe, and they addeda few different pieces.
They really wanted to make it more appealing to a general audience, which this does verywell.
I mean, I'm looking at the list.
They, they, you know, spoof Cabaret, The Outsiders, & Juliet, Six, Back to the Future.
(08:57):
Like these are all shows that are currently on Broadway.
They currently have tours going around.
Um.
I've seen many of these.
so like, again, that was, it was really kind of cool to see those spoofs for you.
ah For me, not for you, but Jo, how was some of the spoofing for you maybe not having seensome of those shows?
Cause you know, like we talked about like the outsiders and I told you during anadmission, that was one of my favorite shows when I went to Broadway, but you haven't seen
(09:22):
that musical.
So like for you, maybe you didn't have that same power.
Yeah, I think what did it for me was when they did the comparisons to what the Outsiderswas like when they did the blank plus blank equals blank thing and that was like, okay, I
read the book, I saw the movie, I know the Outsiders.
And then when they put all that together, went, I don't even, I feel like I don't need tosee the musical because of the way that they played it and like, support theater, go see
(09:48):
it if they're playing it.
But I just feel like the way that they had it played out, I was like, yeah.
That makes a lot of sense, but it was really interesting seeing those takes on musicalsthat I haven't seen.
And I mean, it's been ages since I've seen Cabaret, but obviously I've seen the thingswith the MC going around.
(10:10):
So them poking fun at those was very entertaining.
shout out to Orville Peck.
love him.
I need to go see him in the...
We love Orville Peck.
uh Ryann, do you feel like there maybe was more to appreciate from the show if you hadn'tseen those musicals?
Or do you feel like you maybe, having not seen them, you still could appreciate it quite abit?
(10:30):
I still appreciate it.
mean, like Jo, I think a lot of the shows that they were poking fun at are things thateven if you haven't seen, you've seen enough through social media to like get the gist of
the shows.
So there was nothing like In Forbidden Broadway where I didn't know exactly what they wereparalleling, even though I haven't like in person seen the shows.
(10:56):
And what I like what they did is that they had some of those new shows, but then they alsohad some of those classic ones like Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, like ones that
people have either had a chance to see or have seen clips of or know the other, like,these have had movies, these have had, you know, community productions.
ah I mean, Ryann, one of the first times we went to a show, you were talking about TheLion King and how it was absolutely one of your favorites.
(11:21):
And then they make fun of that there, but it's also a show that like, I haven't seen, butI know Lion King from Disney.
And so it kind of appeals to those wider audiences.
So everyone kind of has something that they can appreciate for this.
I also didn't.
that song that they did with the Lion King 2 was so on point.
(11:46):
It was about uh how the head pieces are so heavy and how they're all like in pain 24x7from new wear.
That was good.
That was really, really good.
As someone that has been in theater, Jo, probably can appreciate that quite a bit.
oh
some of like, I remember doing um like, Arts Nick and Old Lay, so just some like oldershows that weren't even necessarily musicals, and the hoop skirts that they make you wear
(12:15):
are insane.
Like, why am I wearing 15 layers of skirt?
Who's gonna see the other 14?
I just, I get it.
did costumes in high school, just, you know, devil's advocate here, because it looks good.
I mean, but let's like even take it back to that first song, which was actually a parody.
(12:38):
I didn't realize until I was researching it that it was a parody of guys and dolls aboutdon't block the aisle.
ah Ryann's Ryann just her life was just flashed before her eyes.
god.
I didn't realize that until just now either and I've done that show.
That was one of the ones we did costumes for.
Yeah, because they tell you in that one as well, you can't block the aisle, like, becausethey use the aisles.
(13:01):
No, I know exactly what song it's referencing now too and I'm like, my god.
Wow.
that me was like one of the most hilarious parts because it was so like meta with likehaving the guy who was an actor, obviously we all knew he was an actor, but having him
kind of the aisle and climb over people and get the audience involved in that, I was like,this is not like your traditional Broadway show where you're just sitting and watching.
(13:24):
You are a part, or they're trying to make you a part of the show as much as possible.
Did you like the kind of interactions, Jo?
Absolutely, I love things that get people engaged.
Like don't get me wrong, this is so basic and that's fine.
I have watched Hamilton on Disney Plus way too many times, so I don't mind sitting aroundfor a few hours just listening to things and not talking.
(13:50):
But I love doing something that doesn't make the audience feel like they're just there.
I like something that makes them feel included and like they're also a part of the showand that.
It's so inclusive and I love it so much.
Because it really is an experience unlike any other.
when we were at the part, like you mentioned, where they were kind of calling out of like,this show and this show equals what?
(14:14):
In my head, I was like, you're not supposed to talk.
Like, in my head, was like, don't shout out the answer, because like you're, in Broadwayshows, you're not supposed to interact.
You are sitting there and you are viewing something and you're just like a passiveparticipant in that.
And then they're like, no, we want you to shout out the answers, because if you don't,this part doesn't make any sense.
guy yelled out and they were like yeah I was like oh we can talk okay and I didn't want tobe wrong
(14:40):
of like, um like Rocky Horror Picture Show, you know, almost like where you go to one ofthose shows and you're supposed to be a part of the audience interactions.
You're supposed to yell, you're supposed to throw.
I went to my first showing ever this past October.
So like I was a newbie to it and did not realize.
my God, Ryann.
such a big staple in my hometown.
We literally do it every year and the entire town comes out and dresses up.
(15:04):
my God.
it sounds like we have to take Ryann to do this this year.
Yeah, we're gonna put on some fishnets and go watch some Rocky Horror.
Fishnets?
Ryann, how was it for you with the audience interaction?
(15:25):
you've been to quite a few shows with me, very traditional shows, both community,professional, Broadway.
What was that like for you to have a little bit more interaction than maybe we're used to?
It threw me off at first.
uh mean, like, I mean, like you guys said, I was sitting there as people were talking andI was like, are we, are we supposed to be doing this?
(15:47):
Like, it almost felt like I was going to get in trouble at first, but the more that theydid it, like the, the more fun it got, I really like the idea too, that they like, because
you're so close to the stage, like they kept picking on people, like in the front.
And I thought that was really fun, especially with like how expensive tickets are thesedays.
(16:07):
I was like, what a fun way to get people like there and in those seats because like, thenyou know, you're like guaranteed an interaction.
sure.
I do think I wonder if the lights were done a little differently too.
So recently we got to do a tour of um the Fisher Theater and we learned on the VIP tourthat most shows all they can see is the gold plates at the back of the theater because
(16:35):
that's all the light is bouncing off of.
Everybody else is just blocked but they were interacting and picking out specific peopleand I said those lights have to almost be different.
Like they have to be staging a little different so they can see you.
Well, I think that also goes to how the stage was set up itself and how pared down it was.
Everything that they were doing, it was a very bare stage.
(17:01):
And I think you could see that with the lighting too, minus the few spotlights that they'dshow.
It wasn't fully lit up either.
It's so interesting to me because it wasn't exactly like community theater, but it wascommunity theater-esque.
Does that make any sense?
Like it was like, there was like almost streamers and like there was like, and it was justthe four of them and then the gentleman on the piano, but like it was, there was not much
(17:26):
going on on stage other than like pure talent.
You know what I also want to talk about?
How quickly they were doing those quick changes.
That was insane.
As somebody who had to do quick changes, where is it?
Where are you putting all of that?
Blew my mind.
a behind the scenes because that like they would literally walk back there and walk rightback out and I was like in a whole different outfit and I'm like how did you just go from
(17:53):
like a pantsuit to an evening gown that quickly?
Yeah
Yeah, with wig changes, with like, like I know sometimes I've watched videos and thosewigs are not easy to put on, let alone changing a whole outfit.
Yeah.
let alone making sure they don't fall off during some of the moves as well.
And uh going along those lines too, Jo, like you mentioned, they're quite active on stage.
(18:17):
They're dancing.
use of the entire stage and they made sure every corner, if there was more than one ofthem, they all had your attention.
All of them, every time your eyes are darting, it was absolutely just, with the minimalistbackground that they had, it really put the focus on the art itself and it was just
absolutely so incredible to watch three people take an entire stage and demand yourattention.
(18:44):
Absolutely.
I think that I want to address that too, because I'm going to throw myself under the bushere a little bit.
I did not know what to expect before going into this.
And I guess I didn't necessarily expect Broadway level performance.
I was thinking, was like, OK, we're kind of poking fun at it, but it's not going to belike they're belting these songs.
(19:07):
And there was plenty of times where I was turning to RJ, and I was like, she just hit thathigh note that a lot of Broadway actresses
would struggle to hit.
I mean, just like the wicked one where she hit that note like Cynthia Erivo and I waslike, damn.
Okay, girl.
(19:27):
but, but truly they were they were very, very talented.
I mean, one of the guys I can't think of which one, but he reminded me a lot of the guyfrom Beetlejuice, the musical.
It's him.
Are you thinking Justin or Alex?
Alex, thank you.
I was like, Alex, I like Alex.
If those are Justin who's done it, you're probably doing great, babe.
You're probably doing great.
(19:48):
Love you, good job.
But you know the one with the beard?
He kind of reminded me of him because he had the same voice and same like gusto and theseare like high quality performances and I was like this is not what I was expecting from a
show like Forbidden Broadway that didn't have a lot of press and there wasn't like therewas a press but like we never heard of this before and like we've all been into some level
(20:11):
of theater to some point and this has been going since around since 87 we should behearing about this.
Yeah, like for us to not that we're like the end all be all but for people who do have abackground in it to like be like, I don't know this.
We got three levels of Googling going on.
Like, and for them to have that talent, like I'm going to agree with you.
(20:31):
I really wasn't sure what to expect.
I wasn't expecting it to be as strong as it was.
And the fact that it was made it that much better because they were able to do all of the
the vocal, just everything, their vocal capabilities along with the way that they werecontorting their bodies for comedy.
(20:55):
It's astounding to be able to do all of that at the same time.
Like the MC hitting those notes and getting those twangs just right, that will foreverlive rent free in my head.
That was just absolutely incredible.
And then the costume changes while he was doing that.
Blew my mind, blew my mind.
Oh my God, I got goose pimples.
It was so cool.
It was so cool.
(21:16):
I think there's something to be said too about how all four of them have very distinctvoices, so you're almost covering the entire ground and like no one sounded exactly like
the other person.
Like they all had very unique voices and I really appreciated that because I thinksometimes in shows like you get that almost where like people will sound very similar
(21:41):
because they're singing the exact same way.
And I liked that this show didn't have that.
And I think on top of that too is that they all had really good like mimicking abilitiesof like for comedy relief, which a lot of people see this is so like when you go to see
Wicked, there's some people who try to mimic Kristen Chenoweth for like to match her wherethey were mimicking to like for the comedy, but they're actually like were really good
(22:09):
mimicking.
And that's hard to like not only hit those notes, but to be able to mimic them and be ableto throw your voices in different ways.
The one gentleman did Daniel Radcliffe to a tee and I was like, that could be DanielRadcliffe sitting there on stage.
Jo Cutts so excited.
over to me and was like, my god, it's like he's Daniel Radcliffe.
Yup.
do that?
(22:30):
because it was like the mannerisms and the body language and the voice too.
And I was like, this is, I mean, this is a level of talent again that you do not see in alot of shows.
I do wonder, and I'm gonna ask both of you, do you think it's because they get the freedomto be silly about it instead of having to be a serious show as like a merrily we roll
along like a wicked?
Yeah, I mean, that argument could be made.
(22:53):
You're fine, go ahead.
No, you started it, didn't
was just saying, no, I mean, that argument can be made.
That argument could be made was my whole statement.
Okay, Jo, I'm throwing it to you now.
I think that when you are allowed that freedom to kind of, I feel like they were allowedto interpret it how they saw it versus how the director saw it.
(23:19):
And I think being able to have that input as well and have that trust with your directorto know that I know my role, I know all of the people who have played this role before me,
and to be able to put your own twist on all of that, I think it does allow for
more just definitely being in a strict role I feel like it doesn't allow you you feel kindof stuffy like you're wearing those 15 layers of skirts but you know everybody knows it I
(23:49):
didn't know that homegirl had an evening dress on underneath a pantsuit underneath anevening dress underneath a cocktail dress underneath another pantsuit like it's just so
yeah
And again, it speaks to their talent.
when that one person walked out, like it was singing like Patti LuPone.
(24:10):
And I was like, that's just crazy.
Cause like Patti LuPone is one of a kind.
That's like one of the legends that we talk about, you know, or like when the one wasdoing Defying Gravity and sounded like a Idina Menzel, was like, Dina Menzel is somebody
that people aspire to.
And you're acting like it's no big deal.
And so I was incredibly talented.
out that Bernadette Peters impersonation because that was so spot on.
(24:33):
So spot on.
I saw it's funny.
I know Bernadette Peters from the Cinderella movie with Brandy.
Yes.
one.
It is the best one.
is absolutely the best one.
It has one of my favorite songs in it.
No, the one where they're talking about um in my own little corner, in my own littlechair, that is one of my favorite musical songs ever.
(25:01):
We're gonna have to unpack that later.
No, I'm just kidding.
So with that being said, I do have to ask you guys, so this is a very niche comedy.
This is clearly a comedy for people who love Broadway.
Do you think that hurts mass appeal?
Because as you can tell, when we walked in that theater, it wasn't exactly full.
(25:25):
I think that there definitely was a very specific area of people that I was aimed to.
But do you think that this has a appeal to other people?
Jo, I'm going start with you.
I think it does because I think, I mean, with the popularity of Hamilton, think a lot morepeople are getting into theater and they're discovering more things and there's so many
new things for them to discover.
(25:45):
And there's literally decades and decades and decades of musicals for them to get through.
And I feel like being able to have, like going from watching Kiss Me Kate to watchingsomebody make fun of Kiss Me Kate, like I think that's something, it's nice to have a
relief and it feels like a nice relief.
from all of the like, I mean this in the most loving way, okay, I watched Cats so y'allcan bully me, it's fine.
(26:12):
But from like the stuffy older ones that you're used to where everybody wears suits, likea Guys and Dolls type thing, I love Guys and Dolls.
But going from something like that to being able to have comedic relief about it whereit's like, you know, I watched this show and I kind of, this was a little weird and then
they make fun of it in this show.
So I think it has.
the ability for you to express your adoration for a show in another way that you might nothave found an outlet for.
(26:36):
I think that's a beautiful way to put it because there's a few things that you justmentioned there.
You talked about the old shows, which are, some of them are quite stuffy.
You'll never catch me watching Oklahoma.
I'm sorry.
I cannot sit down and watch Oklahoma.
Hear me out, Hugh Jackman's in a variation of Oklahoma and it's.
Well, I'm going do you one better.
So I've seen the music man on Broadway with Hugh Jackman and I recently saw a productionof it in Birmingham Village Players.
(27:01):
And Birmingham Village Players was incredibly better than the Hugh Jackman version.
So I'm just throwing that out there.
maybe I'll try Oklahoma one day.
uh But point is, that I feel like that show doesn't have mass appeal.
I love West Side Story.
Sound of Music is my favorite movie.
I watched Sound of Music six to eight times a year.
(27:22):
That's not a show for everybody.
That's a show for me.
But it showcases the Forbidden Broadway, specifically this version of it, does really goodat showcasing the fact that a lot of these shows are younger.
Like when you look at The Outsiders, that's appealing to wider audience because peoplegrew up on that story.
& Juliet brings pop songs to uh a Romeo and Juliet version.
(27:44):
That's appealing to a lot more people.
And so it's interesting that you say that it does kind of poke fun at some of other ones,but also highlights some of the stuff about the new ones that make them so successful.
Ryann, what about you?
Do you think that there's appeal to a mass audience?
Do you feel like this is a very niche show that is struggling to find its audience?
I think it is struggling just a little bit from a marketing standpoint as well.
(28:10):
But I think, you know, so many of like there is the younger generation that's getting intothe new shows, but so much of the I feel like Broadway population are these older people
who are so comfortable with the sit down and watch older versions.
um And I don't think they're as open.
(28:32):
to things like this.
And I think that that's where the show struggles.
ah Is that, do I think that they would love this show?
Yes.
Do I think that based off of reading the description, they would go see it?
No.
So it's absolutely funny you say that, because I don't know if I mentioned it in the Gypsyepisodes that we just did, but when RJ and I went to see Gypsy on Broadway, we were the
(28:53):
youngest ones there.
It was the last show that we were there.
It was like a Wednesday afternoon.
We went to the show and I sat next to this.
So RJ sat on the outside.
I sat in the middle because of course.
oh And I sat next to this little old couple.
in the middle of the first act, a little old lady turns to me and I'm talking like, old.
(29:13):
And she goes, this is what true Broadway is, isn't it?
And I was like, yeah, absolutely.
And not that Gypsy isn't great, but it's a dated show.
It's it's the kind of show my grandmother would love to see.
We love to see it because we got to see Audra McDonald, which, chef's kiss, she'sbeautiful, she's wonderful, she's talented.
(29:34):
But outside of that, there's not like probably a mass appeal for Gypsy.
And so I do think that there is that struggle of like,
If you don't love Broadway, you're probably not seeking out the show because whileBroadway Detroit has a wonderful marketing team, love Amber, we love everybody that's
there.
I think that it's just one of those shows that you have to love Broadway to probably seekit out.
(29:55):
Yeah.
oh
see, if I hadn't brought this up to you, neither one of you would know about
No.
No.
definitely something that is uh kind of, it does struggle with.
But about the humor, Ryann, how would you describe the humor?
like, do you feel like it's like low bar?
Do feel like it's high bar?
Do you feel like it's a mixture of both?
Like what is kind of like, how do you tease apart the humor to what the show is?
(30:15):
Is it a Book of Mormon?
it's definitely, it's no Book of Mormon.
It's no Book of Mormon.
But I think it is a good mixture of both.
I think there's some jokes that are really like on the nose and like obvious and thenthere are a lot that like are very like innuendo based or like kind of hidden in the dance
(30:36):
moves or kind of just like sprinkled in the lyrics but they brush over it so quickly thatif you're not like actively listening
you're going to completely miss it.
And like, but I almost kind of like this, this type of humor better than, um, what wasthat show we went and saw, uh, at Meadowbrook where it was about the, two, the couple that
(31:00):
writes the, what was it?
The angel next door.
And they had like a lot of very similar jokes, I think in that show as well.
Um,
But I liked the levity of this show a little bit more than I liked it in that show.
And I think that does lean itself to why it's a revue because I think it can just be onejoke after another without having to have a plot, and you can just laugh and enjoy that.
(31:29):
Mm-hmm.
Jo, would you kind of agree with that description of the humor?
Yeah, I think there's enough jokes where you don't have to know the ins and outs ofBroadway, the who's who to understand it.
And then there's some jokes like Ryann was saying where like, you're going to pick up onit if you know the little jokes.
Like if you know little bits about shows here and there, you're like, I know what that'sfrom.
(31:52):
And I do think that that also should make it appeal to a wider market too.
Just like.
having all those different types of jokes the way they're portrayed, like Ryann wassaying, some of the dance moves even were kind of like little nods to things.
having different ways to tell a joke, I think was very impressive to have that in there.
(32:16):
I definitely agree with like the you can appreciate it more if you know Broadway becausethere was one point where they were making fun of a Stephen Sondheim aspect of shows.
But Ryann and I both looked at RJ because for those who don't know, it was in one of ourvery early podcasts.
RJ was in Sweeney Todd and in the show he, he plays Beadle and he snaps the neck of abird.
(32:39):
And there's, there's a reference to like killing a bird.
And Ryann and I both turned and looked at RJ at the same time.
Which I think like for somebody who doesn't know like some level of Stephen Sondheim, thatjoke wouldn't necessarily make sense.
Like you might be laughing, but like we found it hilarious because we had not only thatpersonal connection with Stephen Sondheim, but because we knew of the work of Stephen
(32:59):
Sondheim to have that reference.
Us and that one guy again in that corner who was having the fucking time of his life, likehe enjoyed it.
He got that.
We got that.
um But I think that Ryann and I were able to almost appreciate it more because
because we had that connection with somebody who had been in a Stephen Sondheim show.
And I can see Ryann's nodding her head here.
(33:21):
Oh, as soon as they brought up Sweeney Todd, I immediately was like staring at RJ like,mm-hmm.
Yeah, absolutely.
Because again, we got to have, it was like almost an inside joke for people who knewBroadway.
So Jo, final verdict, giving it a score, A through F, what would you give ForbiddenBroadway, Merrily We Stole a Song?
(33:43):
Overall, I would...
B minus only because...
The talent was absolutely insane.
I think talent alone, it deserves just like whatever higher than A is, are thevaledictorians, salutatorians?
I don't know.
I didn't do the math and science.
(34:03):
I did theater and played soccer.
But I think like Ryann was mentioning with the marketing of it earlier, and it is a hardshow to market.
So to their credit, it is a very hard show to market, but I would have to give it a Bminus overall.
Okay, Ryann, how about for you?
I think I'd go solid B.
(34:24):
I'd go solid B for very similar reasons.
Very similar reasons.
Listen, I don't do the plus and minuses.
This is only my third one.
I'm not...
No, you can...
You do you.
gonna give it an A-.
So I'm actually gonna go ahead, I'm gonna do a step up.
I do think that this show appealed to me just because this is not my full-time job foranybody who doesn't know.
(34:46):
I'm a psychologist, I do this for fun on the free time, but it is a job.
And there's a lot of shows that I see.
And there's some weekends where I see three, four, five shows a weekend, and they're allpretty much, even if they're comedy, they are straight shows.
And this one,
was kind of like a breath of fresh air among all the ones that I see because you didn'thave to be, you didn't have to dress up.
(35:09):
You didn't have to be straight laced.
You didn't have to quietly giggle to yourself.
Or in case of Ryann and I, try not to look at each other in the eyes because we'reprobably gonna lose control.
uh And you got to just kind of, anybody who wanted to join at whatever level they were,you could.
And I think this is why I making that comparison with um Book of Mormon, is that thatshow,
(35:32):
You can be anybody and show up to Book of Mormon and have a good time Where you maybewon't show up to Kimberly Kimbo, no matter who you are and have a good time
Ryann, would you see this again?
definitely.
Jo.
yeah, absolutely, and a heartbeat.
I would too, I think this is one that as long as it's touring in Detroit, this is one I'mgonna go see.
It's relatively inexpensive, comparatively to some of the other tickets.
(35:56):
uh I mean, come on, those tickets uh for Book of Mormon were $150 a piece, you know, andthat was just mezzanine.
Like sometimes shows are a little bit inaccessible with the price tag, but a show likethis can appeal to that wider audience of people who maybe can't afford $150 for a ticket
because they have to put food on the table, you know?
(36:16):
So again, but a hundred percent see this would love to see this blow up a little bit moreI'm gonna be sharing as much as I can about this show because I think the world needs to
know about forbidden Broadway ah But truly this was this was an exceptional time and I'mso glad that the two of you went with me So Jo and Ryann, thank you so much for going.
Thank you so much for being here tonight.
I greatly appreciate it Before we wrap up You're so welcome before we wrap up
(36:43):
Jo, Ryann, is there any shout outs that you have?
I know that Jo mentioned maybe having a shout out or two.
I've only done one podcast before and I didn't know if it was the same.
I wasn't sure.
ah I do own a small business, so if anybody's looking for any earrings, jewelry, I dobracelets, necklaces, I do custom orders as well.
You can find my socials at FemmeGems, that's F-E-M-M-E Gems, and at ShopFemmeGems.com.
(37:10):
And these earrings I made, I did make these.
And where can they find you on social media if they want to follow you?
ah I am on Facebook and Instagram.
All of the links are on my website.
perfect.
And Ryann, where can our fellow Broadway babes find you?
I am only on Instagram right now, but uh feel free to give me a follow.
(37:36):
Absolutely.
So thank you again for joining us, everybody.
Look out for future shows based off of Sunset Boulevard covering The Wiz, coveringTitanique ah And again, we can't wait till our next show with you.
So thank you guys for joining us here in our back seats.
Till next curtain call.
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