Forbidden Broadway, Vaudeville Theatre

Following a hugely successful run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, musical revue Forbidden Broadway is to open at the Vaudeville Theatre this September.

Having caused a sensation on and around Broadway since 1982, it seems only right that this genius production is finding a home in London. The format is simple – beloved musicals and their songbooks  are mercilessly and hilariously ripped to shreds with lyrics altered, stars parodied and writers and directors lampooned. 

This is satire at its sharpest and not a show that pulls its punches, described by The Guardian as "most resembling a theatrical equivalent of Spitting Image, with the grotesques created from acting rather than latex."

Forbidden Broadway’s London incarnation sees West End favourites Matilda, Once, Miss Saigon and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory under the knife.  

A couple of the numbers rely on audiences knowing the Broadway canon and its star performers well enough to be in on the jokes, but with the likes of Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King ripe for the mocking, there is plenty for everyone to laugh at, and old Forbidden Broadway favourites such as Wicked send-up ‘Defying Subtlety’ sit alongside new material beautifully. 

Rave reviews followed Forbidden Broadway’s outing at the Menier and its transfer will likely be no exception. The show’s four strong-ensemble have a wealth of experience between them, with stunning voices and marvellous comic timing. This is one of the funniest shows the West End has to offer.