Forbidden Broadway – The Next Generation: Kevin McGlynn Interview By: Niki Kaos

I grew up with a love for Broadway. I was lucky to be part of a school music program that organized field trips to NYC to see those gorgeous musical productions that inspired my lifelong love of music and theater.  (Thanks to Lansingburgh High School!) 

There is something epic and humanly universal that makes the theater captivating. Since the Capital Region is not too far from NYC, and we are lucky to have some amazing theater companies in our immediate area, there are plenty of options for the theater buffs among us. 

And if you love musical theater, there is a treat in store for you at Universal Preservation Hall coming up Thursday, October 5th. Forbidden Broadway – The Next Generation, touring with a close-knit cast who are ready to dazzle us with their quick-witted comedy while paying homage to classic and contemporary favorites from the Great White Way. I caught up with one of the performers, Kevin McGlynn, to learn more about the program and what it’s like to be a part of this unique show.

RRX: What is Forbidden Broadway all about?

KM: It is one of the longest running off-Broadway shows, which parodies all the Broadway shows. It is the melody of the original music with the parody lyrics written by Gerard Alessandrini, who created the show back in 1982. 

He started writing parodies for friends at dinner parties. And then somebody suggested he put an evening together, and it was picked up by a producer and it opened at Paul’s Supper Club, which has changed names many times. Upper West Side, 72nd Street. 

RRX: There’s a coolness about off-Broadway, that has an extra spice to it.

KM: Yes. Absolutely. The first thing that came to mind was The Kathy and Mo Show, which was Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy, and I saw them in this tiny little theater before either one of them was famous. And that’s where you can really go and experiment. And people are more up for it and willing to go along for the ride. 

RRX: Which is cool because it sounds like the creator of this show – his lyrics are so clever that from some dinner parties this concept is born – and it is still going strong today. He must be a witty guy to have people say you should do something with this. So he does. And there are always new shows and classics to parody. He’s like the Weird Al of the Broadway scene.

KM: Exactly. About every year and a half a new version opened of the show. There is a plethora of material. I started doing the show in 1996. 

RRX: Wow! Good for you! Do you do other shows as well? Or is this your main gig?

KM: No (laughs) I call this my permanent temp job. I just finished doing a production of Jersey Boys. And right before that I closed Sound of Music. 

RRX: It must be cool as a musical performer to get to work on these shows. Are musicals your main thing because you love to sing, or is acting more what you love?

KM: I’ve only done a couple of plays, and yes, I do love to sing. And my voice was my bread and butter for a long time. And now I get cast in musicals, and I don’t sing!

RRX: Oh really?

KM: It’s interesting. I started my career wanting to dance. And then I realized I could sing, and that was how I made my living. But I really always wanted to be an actor. Not a singer or dancer who could do a part, but an actor who could sing and dance. 

RRX: So that will be your future chapters!

KM: That has really started to happen now in my career. When I was a kid, I always remember the show Wild Wild West with Robert Conrad. His sidekick was this guy who was in two or three different disguises every episode. I was fascinated with that. And now, in Jersey Boys, I just played six different characters. And in Forbidden Broadway, I’m twelve to thirteen people every night. 

RRX: That’s super cool! 

KM: Yes, we all play anywhere between twelve to fifteen people a night. 

RRX: Holy cow! 

KM: It’s just two men and two women – and we travel together with a stage manager and a costumer. Because the costume changes are so fast that you have to have somebody back there that knows what they’re doing. 

RRX: So your ensemble is working together in an intimate setting, and you are chameleons.

KM: It’s sort of like a Saturday Night Live of musicals. And it’s like the actors’ inner thoughts are coming out instead of the lyrics. 

RRX: With a smaller cast, you get the opportunity to know each other well, so you must really be able to support each other with the fast pace of this production. 

KM: Yes – this literally just happened the other night. We are there to save each other when someone needs it. 

RRX: That’s amazing. Because when you have that positive energy on stage and that comradery, that’s what makes the live theater so exciting and interesting to the audience. It’s not robots. It’s real people taking risks. Memorization, connecting with the audience. 

KM: I always tell these kids coming up now, unless you telegraph to the audience that something went wrong, they don’t know. They are just listening to you going along for the ride. And unless you tell them through your actions or whatever, they don’t have a script in their hand. They don’t know what is supposed to happen. You just keep going and keep doing it. 

RRX: It really is good advice. As a musician, I can relate to that. I know I made all of these mistakes when I perform, but often people don’t even notice them. And if I apologize on stage, it ruins the whole magic of it. Now I know – I keep my mouth shut!

KM: Exactly! When I just did Jersey Boys, the Kid who played Frankie. He was fantastic. It was his first professional show. And opening night, he goes out and he skips four or five lines. It was a pause. 

Nobody in the audience knew it. We all knew it because we had rehearsed it. And he came off stage, and I grabbed him by the shoulders, and I said forget about it. 

RRX: Let it go. 

KM: They don’t know what was supposed to happen. This is your opening night. Keep going with the show and do your job. And he was like, thank you so much. You know, it’s scary. Especially when it’s opening night. 

RRX: Good for you. It sounds like in addition to your own career, you’re a bit of a mentor for people who are part of your crew. It becomes a family when you’re part of a production.  

KM: Absolutely.100%. And I try to tell these kids – open up a 401K. You might not be making money tomorrow. You have to be wise. Nobody wants to work with somebody who’s difficult. You look at programs, you see that people have worked three or four other shows with this director because they all want to work with someone who is talented and who’s easy to work with. They want to have fun in the rehearsal room. 

These are the things that are going to sustain your career, and I’ve been fortunate enough – The owner of the Northshore Music Theater and Theater By the Sea – I’ve done seven shows for them in the last several years. And now they just call me, and I say yes. 

RRX: People going to Forbidden Broadway at UPH are in for a treat! I know you’re bringing Les Miserable. What other musicals will you be roasting as part of the show?

KM: We do Chicago, Annie, Dear Evan Hansen, Moulin Rouge, Marry Poppins, Jersey Boys, an homage to Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno, Beetlejuice, Lion King, Into the Woods, Phantom, Frozen, Hamilton, Wicked, Book of Mormon, Cats and A Fiddler Tribute.

RRX: Wow! So, this is jam packed with a lot of iconic shows. 

Don’t miss Forbidden Broadway The Next Generation at Universal Preservation Hall, Thursday, October 5th. For more information and tickets, visit the UPH website.