-The Gem

6.

CH/Itiry

Gem Theatre

LOS

From the time Adam was lured by the forbidden fruit, man has succumbed
to temptation. Often it proves worthwhile, as it does when "tasting"
Forbidden Hollywood at the Century Theatre.
The musical revue, performed in cabaret style, spoofs blockbuster movies
and screen stars. The satires, both broad and entertaining, really capture the
glitz and glamour of Hollywood with offerings that appeal to the classic
movie buff as well as the contemporary moviegoer.
The quartet of actors — Whitney Allen (a recent graduate of the
University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program); Mark-David Kaplan;
Gina Kreiezmar; and Lance Roberts (who opened the Gem in the original
cast of The All-Night Strut) — capture, both physically and vocally, a wide
range of stars. With each skewer of satire, they seem to have as much fun as
the audience. The lyrics are clever; the costuming is outrageous.
This is a temptation to give in to; do not forbid yourself this taste of
Forbidden Hollywood.
-- Reviewed by Seymour Manello
Editorial Assistant

ifi is Beautiful director/writer/star
_oberto Begnini, Sophia Loren,
;wyneth Paltrow and Whoopi
'oldberg.
You have to constantly keep it
•esh. Hollywood changes every day,"
tid Freedson, who was raised in
.eading, Pa., the son of a businessman
-id a psychologist.
He originally wanted to be a doctor
r a concert pianist. While his medical
;pirations fell to the side, his passion
)r music continued into high school,
here he continued to wow audiences
•a pianist.
Freedson, the great-grandson of a
,bbi, so loved music and singing as a
,i-iid that his father, Sam, remarked,
\. cantor. We are going to have a can-
ir in the family." In fact, Freedson
calls feeling inspired himself as a bar
.itzvah boy at Temple Ohev Shalom.
\Tow that I think back on it, I realize
was another stage experience," he
id, laughing.
When he held the role of nephew
:_rick in the musical Mame on a
tading community theater stage, he
.me to the realization that the stage,
)t the bimah, was the place for him.
"Being on the stage and hearing the
autifill music from the full orches-
a, and feeling the lights and hearing
e audience respond to the play —
together. That was a defining
7nent for me. I knew this was what
wanted to do," he said.
Freedson followed his passion to
ew York where he continued to act
I the stage. He also had voice-over
trts — as a talking dinosaur and a
trrot — for commercials and other
tdeavors, a talent that led him to a
trt in the animated film Aladdin.
.- hat was a really good gig," he said.

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But realizing that he didn't want
others to control what he did as he
aged, Freedson opted to go behind the
scenes, directing and producing the-
ater.
"I seemed to be good at directing,
in part because I understand directing
from an actor's perspective," he said.
"But also, I was 30 and I was think-
ing, 'Ten years from now, do I want
my fate controlled by other people?'"
Now, in the producer/director's
chair, he is particularly pleased with
the venue at the Century Theatre.
Although he loved being on the Gem's
stage with Forbidden Broadway, he
adores the restored theater's 1903
attachment.
The theater space for Forbidden
Hollywood includes cabaret-style seat-
ing for 200 that was decorated to
look like the Coconut Grove in its
heyday. "It is the most beautiful
space we have done the show in,"
said Freedson. "I wanted it to feel
like a Hollywood musical revue from
the 1930s."
Freedson has high hopes for the
show's success in Detroit. He plans to
stay for the first several weeks of the
production's run to make sure all is
well before moving on to open the
show in another city.
"We had a lovely time here last
time and I am thrilled to be back," he
said. 1-1

"CUTE CAST, FUN SHOW"
* * *

Lawrence DeVine, Detroit Free Press

Century Theatre

THE SMASH HIT MUSICAL
SPOOF OF THE MOVIES!

"HILARIOUS!"

'CRITIC'S CHOICE' Los Angeles Times

GRAND OPENING APRIL 14, 1999!

3 .13 963-9800

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Forbidden Hollywood runs
Wednesdays-Sundays at the
Century Theatre, 333 Madison
Ave., Detroit, through Aug. 29.
Call for showtimes. $24.50-
$29.50. (313) 963-9800.

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Atte43ic Reviews iN
j1 ■ 1 emtertaimsfieNt

Detroit Jewish News

4/30
1999

103