Opening Too Soon Is ‘Forbidden’

The high point of “Forbidden Broadway Christmas” at the Theatre in Old Town is “Have Yourself a Money Little Christmas.” It has that sly “Forbidden” sting as Danica Connors sassily zings:

You can always buy your gifts on credit

If your cards allow.

And who knows? You might just pay them back somehow. . . .

Unfortunately it’s the only song that’s sure of its tone. Gerard Alessandrini’s “Forbidden” parodies have been wildly successful because he knows his targets so well. He is less certain now, in what clearly is an in-progress piece.

He begins by attacking the commercialization of Christmas and closes with a sappy number that wishes every upcoming show well. In between, the four-person show meanders from “Forbidden Broadway” faves to Christmas material of embarrassing unevenness.

* “Forbidden Broadway Christmas,” Theatre in Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 6 and 9 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 31. $22-$27. (619) 688-2494. Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes.