Forbidden Broadway

Caisa Borromeo, Lorenz Martinez, OJ Mariano, Liesl Batucan and Joel Trinidad

Upstart Productions’ staging of Forbidden Broadway recently ended its run over at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium located at the RCBC Plaza. This musical that spoofed Broadway’s greatest hits had its cast of Liesl Batucan, Caisa Borromeo, OJ Mariano and Lorenz Martinez zoom through numerous song numbers accompanied by equally numerous costume changes. What basically is a musical revue originally envisioned for just a dinner theater was transformed into a hilarious trip through Broadway culture and a dose of social satire by the show’s director Joel Trinidad.

Right from the start when Forbidden Broadway had its press launch, I got dismayed when I learned that I wouldn’t be able to attend the press preview. Luckily, the show had a three weekend run which meant that there would be other chances for me to see it. And thanks to music director Onyl Torres, he was able to give me a heads up enabling me to catch what was probably the most sought after performances during its entire run. It turned out that the guest performer on this night was no other than Ms. Lea Salonga herself. The guest stars who were supposed to perform just one number per show served as one of the most awaited moments in the entire musical since it was supposed to be a surprise: the audience was supposed to have no idea who was performing what on a certain night. But some of the guests spilled the news themselves when they invited people to go on the date when they would perform so the element of surprise didn’t happen at all.

Forbidden Broadway is one musical that had no plot at all. All that is required from the audience is to pay attention and listen closely to the songs in order to get the wit and the humor of the lyrics written by Gerard Alessandrini. Some of the songs, especially God, It’s High which is a spoof of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables really had me laughing since I got the essence of the song with OJ Mariano practically begging to make the song lower by changing its key. For someone who doesn’t know basic music theory or the concept of key signatures, this song would be a hard sell. Speaking of music theory, I noticed that the Andrew Lloyd Webber songs that were included in the show had their melodies changed drastically. It was only in the rhythm, the phrasing and the overall structure of the songs (and also the character’s costume) that made them recognizable. I told Joel after the show that I think that Webber allowed Gerard Alessandrini to use his songs with the condition that he had to change the music and not present them in their original form. While the songs about the songs themselves were hits for me, the portions poking fun on Broadway personalities were a miss. And the main reason was I didn’t get the cultural reference at all. Yes, Liesl was brilliant with her Liza and Barbra but I failed to get the joke. I guess that I didn’t know the two personalities enough in order to appreciate those particular numbers.

Lea Salonga being mobbed by fans

Lea Salonga, on the other hand, probably didn’t need to deliver jokes since her presence alone made up for the price of admission. Lea is no stand up comedian and she’s more associated for portraying tragic and flawed characters on stage. So seeing her defiantly wicked (pardon the pun) in singing a spoof of Defying Gravity was a huge treat in itself. She sang the original version during The Legends and the Classics concert but she was generally reserved there unlike here in Forbidden Broadway where she let it all out and became as un-Lea Salonga as she could be. I don’t know if she meant it to be, but for me she actually spoofed herself which made everything priceless.

Joel Trinidad and RAd

Probably the biggest surprise of the show for me was pianist Dingdong Fiel who did something extra which I didn’t expect at all. I’ve known him for some time now and he always seemed so serious and devoted to his craft. Too bad that I can’t divulge what he did and those who were able to catch the show would know what I was talking about. Thanks once again to Onyl Torres and Mr. Toots Tolentino for giving me the opportunity to watch Forbidden Broadway. It was fun and refreshing to see Liesl, Caisa, OJ in a different light and it was also nice to get acquainted with Lorenz as well. I look forward to future projects by Upstart Productions.