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 Cleans Up Its Act Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act is the fifth incarnation of Gerard Alessandrini's "Forbidden Broadway", his popular off-Broadway musical revue spoofing "the best of Broadway". All the parody lyrics were written (as always) by Gerard Alessandrini. This version was co-directed by Alessandrini and his long-time collaborator Phillip George. George had up till then only been credited with "Musical Staging" and as "Assistant Director". George also contributed many of the more successful ideas and dialogue sketches to the more recent "Forbidden Broadway" editions. The show played in the basement of Ellen's Stardust Diner, and the