Nothing’s ‘Forbidden’

Young Chang

Doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done.

No one is immune from the ever-irreverent spoofing that is

“Forbidden Hollywood.”

“Everyone is fair game,” said actor Eric Lee Johnson, one of four

cast members in the Gerard Alessandrini musical revue. “But it’s all

done lovingly. It’s always done with a wink.”

“Forbidden Hollywood” follows the success of Alessandrini’s

“Forbidden Broadway,” which has been satirizing theater and garnering

rave reviews for two decades. Last year, the show enjoyed a run at

the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

This time, Alessandrini’s target is “Hollywood.” The show will run

at the Center through Sept. 22 at Founders Hall.

“A third of the show is charm, a third is the lightening speed at

which we do the costume changes and a third is the element of

surprise. It’s a parade of stars -- a who’s gonna be next,” said

Johnson, who shares the four-sided spotlight with Eric Gutman,

Kathryn Kendall and Leisa Mather. “It’s not listed on the program,

what we do.”

After finding out that Daily Pilot theater reviewer Tom Titus had

already told Newport-Mesa readers on Thursday about the show’s

spoofing of everything from “Moulin Rouge” to “Titanic” to even “Gone

with the Wind,” Johnson confirmed that he performs in a Michael

Jackson sequence.

“He isn’t necessarily famous for making a lot of films,” the actor

said. “But he’s a part of the Hollywood mystique ... just the

freakiness of who he is and how he behaves. It’s not just the movies

people make, but their personal lives. They might be known for their

money and for being weird. He’s fair game for that reason.”

Kendall, who also preferred not to give away the segments she acts

in, noted that the speed of costume changes and the fact that four

people are whirling in and out of numerous roles is challenging.

“Once the show’s started, we’re running,” said the performer.

“It’s more about how the show is structured and that we do play all

these people. You would think there’s an army back there changing our

clothes, but there’s really just two people.”

Both performers agreed that the coziness of a four-person cast

adds to the challenge of having to jump in and out of personalities,

but also to the camaraderie of an ensemble show.

“I actually prefer doing something that’s a small ensemble work

like this,” Johnson said. “It looks like it’s simple, but it’s not.”