'Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation' brings myriad of musical parodies to Des Moines

For just over 40 years, "Forbidden Broadway" has been musically spoofing and celebrating the most noteworthy pieces of Broadway history. For the first time in forever, the show makes its way to central Iowa.

"Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation" will blend song and laughs at Des Moines' Temple Theater1011 Locust St., across seven performances from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 with tickets ranging from $20 to $48. The show riffs on dozens of shows over the course of about 75 minutes.

“It’s quite a costume parade. There must be something like 75 costume changes in the show," said Gerard Alessandrini, the creator of "Forbidden Broadway." “We’re sending a top-notch 'Forbidden Broadway' cast to Des Mones... they’re triple threats: comedy, singing and dancing."

This touring performance will spoof shows that Des Moines audiences who have been keeping up with recent Broadway shows will be familiar with. Productions as disparate as "Dear Evan Hansen" and "Beetlejuice" get nods, as do personalities from André de Shields to Santino Fontana.

Alessandrini launched the original iteration of "Forbidden Broadway" in 1982 as a comedic cabaret act that would help him showcase his song and dance talents. Without meaning to, he kicked off an ever-morphing show that has lived through more than a dozen iterations, recorded multiple cast albums and the attention of some of the industry's most prolific figures and even won a Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre in 2006.

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“Someone asked me once, who have you parodied most in 'Forbidden Broadway?' It was probably Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone… and they always came to see their parodies," Alessandrini said.

Composer Stephen Sondheim was a frequent audience member, he said. "Sometimes he would send me the music (to a show of his we'd be parodying) if it wasn’t published yet so we’d get it right. He was always interested in what we did."

In addition to regularly updating "Forbidden Broadway" to keep up with the zeitgeist, Alessandrini is also the director of "Spamilton: An American Parody," the 2016 comedy musical that parodies Linn Manuel-Miranda and "Hamilton" with plenty of references to other Broadway shows.

Despite the bevy of musicals "Forbidden Broadway" is billed around, Alessandrini tries to make the shows enjoyable to anyone, often using his less theater-savvy mother as a litmus test to see how it plays. The fast pace and high number of songs make it a show easy for families to enjoy.

“Children always like it… they love the tunes, they love the singing, they love the costume changes," said Alessandrini. "People think it’s got its own niche audiences and maybe it does, but it’s all very broad."

Tickets and more information about the show can be found at desmoinesperformingarts.org.

Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 'Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation' brings musical parody to Iowa