A Broadway Musical the black-themed musical itself. "The Wiz" proved to be Brown's only success. Following a dismal October–November tryout with Helen Gallagher and Julius LaRosa at the theatre in the Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, the producers fired most of the cast and creative personnel, including director/choreographer George Faison. Gower Champion was called in to rescue the Broadway-bound production with only a month to go, but he feared that the show's defects were too serious to remedy and insisted on receiving a "Production supervised by" credit only. After 14 previews, the Broadway production opened and closed the same night at the Lunt-Fontanne
Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening are: Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening is the 2007 incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's long-running hit Off-Broadway musical revue "Forbidden Broadway", which parodies notable current Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. "Rude Awakening" opened on October 2, 2007 at New York's 47th Street Theatre and closed on March 24, 2008. The show was conceived, created and written by Alessandrini and was directed by Alessandrini and Phillip George. The musicals parodied in "Rude Awakening" include "Wicked", "A Chorus Line", "Les Misérables", "The Little Mermaid", "Grey Gardens", "Chicago", "Spring Awakening", "Jersey Boys", "Spamalot" and "Mary Poppins". The tracks featured on the cast