Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits

NORTH COAST REP DELIVERS THE FABULOUS FUN
OF FORBIDDEN BROADWAY’S GREATEST HITS
Created & Written by Gerard Alessandrini
Performances Beginning Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Running Through Sunday, May 22, 2022
Directed By William Selby

Solana Beach, Calif. – North Coast Repertory Theatre is celebrating unforgettable musical legends with a wildly funny send-up of The Great White Way. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY’S GREATEST HITS parodies beloved musicals including Chicago, Phantom, Wicked, Fiddler and many more with wit, charm and hysterical lyrics. This brilliant satire pays loving tribute to some of the theatre’s most cherished stars and songwriters. Endlessly entertaining, this show has endeared itself to audiences the world over. Early ticket sales have been booming, so make reservations now to avoid disappointment.

William Selby* directs and acts with Cathy Barnett*, Trisha Rapier* and Edward Staudenmayer* in FORBIDDEN BROADWAY’S GREATEST HITS. Elan McMahan is the Musical Director and Pianist. The Creative Team includes Marty Burnett (Scenic Design), Matthew Novotny (Light Design), Dustin Cross (Costume Designs), Elisa Benzoni (Costume Consultant), Aaron Rumley (Sound Design), and Philip Korth (Covid-19 Compliance Officer/Props). Stage Manager is Cindy Rumley*.
*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association. For photos, go to www.northcoastrep.org/press.

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY previews begin Wednesday, April 20. Opening Night on Saturday, April 24, at 8pm. There will be a talk back on April 29th, with the cast and artistic director. It will play Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm with Sundays at 7pm through May 22nd. (See Schedule below). North Coast Repertory Theatre is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, CA 92075. Tickets: Previews – $54 (including Friday previews at 2pm & 8pm), Week Nights/Wed. & Sat. Matinees – $60; Sat. Eve. & Sun. Mat. $65; Sun Night – $57. Seniors, Students, Military & Educators – $3 off admission.

BIOS:

GERARD ALESSANDRINI (Creator, Writer, Director) Spamilton: (Creator/ Writer/Director): New York, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, National Tour. Forbidden Broadway (creator/ writer/ director): 25 editions all over the world. Also Forbidden Hollywood (writer/director), Madame X: The Musical (NYMF) (co-writer/director), The Nutcracker & I (lyrics), Maury Yeston’s review Anything Can Happen in New York. Television: special material for Carol Burnett, Angela Lansbury and Bob Hope. Film: “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas” (vocals). Recordings: 12 Forbidden Broadway cast albums, Forbidden Hollywood & Spamilton cast albums. Special Lyrics: Barbra Streisand Duets 2. Awards: Drama League Lifetime Achievement Award, Obie Award, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, 7 Drama Desk (2 Best Lyrics, 2 Special Achievement, 3 Best Musical Revue), and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.

WILLIAM SELBY (Director/Performer) Bill performed for many years in the Off-Broadway smash revue, Forbidden Broadway, and has directed 19 productions of the show across the country, including the 2012 Ovation Award winner for ‘Best Musical’ in Long Beach, CA. Also Off-Broadway (as performer): The Daring Duo (Bridge Theatre), Nerds (NY Musical Theatre Festival), Forbidden Hollywood (Triad), Juba (Vineyard), The Apple Tree (York). NY Workshop: Finding Nemo for Disney (Mr. Ray/Gill). Regional: Bernadette in the Gateway and Ogunquit Playhouse co-productions of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Broadway World Award nomination), Luther Billis in South Pacific at the Ivoryton Playhouse (Broadway World & CT Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor), Barrymore, The Presidents (with Rich Little), Hot n’ Cole, The All Night Strut. He comes to North Coast Rep direct from Sarasota, FL, where he was appearing in the revue, Laughing Matters, Vol. 6, with Florida Studio Theatre. He performed three other revues there in the past, along with a most joyous production of Bright Star, playing Daddy Cane/Stanford.

CATHY BARNETT (Performer) is delighted to return to North Coast!  She has toured nationally and internationally in productions of both Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood.  Cathy is a professional actress and voice-over artist based in Kansas City, Missouri, where she has appeared in numerous productions including The Producers, Sweeney Todd, The Addams Family Musical, Hairspray and Grey Gardens.  She most recently portrayed Minnie Pearl in the Kansas City world premiere of Johnny and June, a Johnny Cash tribute concert.  She voices the Hallmark greeting card character, “Maxine,” and brought her to life in the new live musical, Maxine’s Christmas Carol.

TRISHA RAPIER (Performer) is thrilled to return to be making her North Coast Repertory debut with Forbidden Broadway. Trisha’s Broadway and National Tour credits include: The Boy from Oz starring Hugh Jackman (Liza Minnelli u/s and performed), Sister Act (Sister Mary Martin of Tours, Mother Superior u/s and performed) The Who’s Tommy (Mrs. Walker u/s and performed), and Forbidden Broadway/Hollywood (Barbra Streisand, Marlene Dietrich, etc.) Some Off-Broadway credits include: The World Goes ‘Round, Sessions (Mary), Lorenzo (Anna Grahl), Her Song at Birdland, Shout! The Mod Musical, Nerds:// A Musical Software Satire (Myrtle), NEWSical (Trisha), Golf: The Musical (Trisha) and Forbidden Broadway. Trisha’s favorite regional credits are Diana in Next To Normal, Rose Stopnick in Caroline, or Change, Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty, Eva in Evita , Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls , and Agnes in Agnes of God. She can be seen on Cartoon Network’s “Delocated.” She is a UCLA graduate and the recipient of the Carol Burnett Award and the Spotlight Award of the Los Angeles Music Center. Trisha is currently working on a one woman show celebrating the music and careers of Linda Ronstadt, Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. www.TrishaRapier.com

EDWARD STAUDENMAYER (Performer) recently reopened Broadway in Girl from the North Country. He was starring in the National Tour of Anastasia as Vlad Popov when the theaters shut down in March 2020. Broadway: Wonderland, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Tours: Phantom of the Opera, Anything Goes (Helen Hayes Nomination) Beauty and the Beast (National Theater Award Nomination), Joseph…, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Other: 28 years with Forbidden Broadway (3 Cast Recordings) Spamalot (Vegas), Spamilton, South Pacific, A Room With A View, Children of Eden, Bye Bye Birdie, 1776, Exactly Like You, The Great Ostrovsky (Barrymore Nomination), Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, 9 to 5, Newsical, The Nutcracker and I, On The Twentieth Century, Noises Off, Jane Eyre, Gigi, The Producer’s, Cats (Hamburg). Also “MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch” and upcoming feature film “A Thousand and One.”  UCLA Graduate where he received the Carol Burnett Award. AEA, SAG, AFTRA, AGVA member.

ELAN MCMAHAN (Musical Director/Pianist) is pleased to make her NCRT debut. She has been an active part of the musical scene in San Diego for over 30 years. Her work is regularly heard on many local stages, including The Old Globe and Moonlight Stage Productions. She has received three Craig Noel Outstanding Musical Direction Awards from the San Diego Critics Circle, most recently for Moonlight’s 2017 production of In the Heights. Elan holds music degrees from Brigham Young University and the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. She is an associate faculty member at MiraCosta College.

CINDY RUMLEY* (Stage Manager) Credits include: Desperate Measures, Dancing Lessons, Another Roll of the Dice, All in the Timing, Holmes & Watson, A Funny Thing…, How The Other Half Loves, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Spitfire Grill, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Way Downriver; William Faulkner’s ‘Old Man’, Chapatti, Side By Side By Sondheim, Freud’s Last Session, Mandate Memories, Dames at Sea, Two By Pinter, and Visiting Mr. Green with North Coast Rep. Cindy holds an M.F.A in stage management from UC Irvine.