Gerard Alessandrini (born November , ) is an American playwright,
parodist, actor and theatre director best known for creating the
award-winning off-Broadway musical theatre parody revue Forbidden
Broadway. He is the recipient of Tony Honors for Excellence in
Theatre, an Obie Award, four Drama Desk Awards (including the Drama
Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the Drama Desk Special Award),
an Outer Critics Circle Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards, as well
as the Drama League Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical
Theatre.Alessandrini was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in
suburban Needham, and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in
. After graduating from the Boston Conservatory of Music in , he moved
to New York City. As a young actor in summer stock, regional theater
and dinner theater, he starred in The Fantasticks, Oklahoma and
Carousel, among others. He also worked at the off-Broadway Light Opera
of Manhattan.In late , Alessandrini conceived and wrote a musical
parody revue featuring spoofs of songs from Broadway musicals on which
he had been working for some time. After a few months of weekend
performances starring Alessandrini and a few friends at Palsson's
Supper Club, the show evolved into Forbidden Broadway, which opened on
January , , at Palsson's, directed by Alessandrini. He continued to
appear in the revue, which caught the theatergoing public's attention
after Rex Reed published a rave review and ultimately ran for ,
performances in a number of venues. It has subsequently been rewritten
several times to include parodies of newer shows and ran almost
continuously for years with productions both in and outside New York.
In , the show and Alessandrini won Tony Honors for Excellence in
Theatre. The last incarnation, called Forbidden Broadway Comes Out
Swinging played Off-Broadway's Davenport Theatre in .Alessandrini can
be heard on five of the eight Forbidden Broadway cast albums, as well
as the soundtracks of Disney's animated films Aladdin and Pocahontas.
His directorial credits include Equity Library Theatre's revival of
Gigi and Maury Yeston's show In the Beginning. In , he co-wrote,
directed and performed in the television parody Masterpiece Tonight, a
satirical salute to the th anniversary of Masterpiece Theatre. In ,
some of his sketches were featured in Carol Burnett’s CBS special,
Men, Movies and Carol. He has also written comedy specials for Bob
Hope and Angela Lansbury for NBC.
parodist, actor and theatre director best known for creating the
award-winning off-Broadway musical theatre parody revue Forbidden
Broadway. He is the recipient of Tony Honors for Excellence in
Theatre, an Obie Award, four Drama Desk Awards (including the Drama
Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics and the Drama Desk Special Award),
an Outer Critics Circle Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards, as well
as the Drama League Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical
Theatre.Alessandrini was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in
suburban Needham, and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in
. After graduating from the Boston Conservatory of Music in , he moved
to New York City. As a young actor in summer stock, regional theater
and dinner theater, he starred in The Fantasticks, Oklahoma and
Carousel, among others. He also worked at the off-Broadway Light Opera
of Manhattan.In late , Alessandrini conceived and wrote a musical
parody revue featuring spoofs of songs from Broadway musicals on which
he had been working for some time. After a few months of weekend
performances starring Alessandrini and a few friends at Palsson's
Supper Club, the show evolved into Forbidden Broadway, which opened on
January , , at Palsson's, directed by Alessandrini. He continued to
appear in the revue, which caught the theatergoing public's attention
after Rex Reed published a rave review and ultimately ran for ,
performances in a number of venues. It has subsequently been rewritten
several times to include parodies of newer shows and ran almost
continuously for years with productions both in and outside New York.
In , the show and Alessandrini won Tony Honors for Excellence in
Theatre. The last incarnation, called Forbidden Broadway Comes Out
Swinging played Off-Broadway's Davenport Theatre in .Alessandrini can
be heard on five of the eight Forbidden Broadway cast albums, as well
as the soundtracks of Disney's animated films Aladdin and Pocahontas.
His directorial credits include Equity Library Theatre's revival of
Gigi and Maury Yeston's show In the Beginning. In , he co-wrote,
directed and performed in the television parody Masterpiece Tonight, a
satirical salute to the th anniversary of Masterpiece Theatre. In ,
some of his sketches were featured in Carol Burnett’s CBS special,
Men, Movies and Carol. He has also written comedy specials for Bob
Hope and Angela Lansbury for NBC.
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