Familiar Satire From a Strong ‘Hollywood’ Cast

The crackerjack cast of “Forbidden Hollywood” at Hermosa Civic Theatre can’t hide the fact that this satirical revue, like many of the aging movie stars it lampoons, isn’t getting any younger.

Born at L.A.’s Coronet Theatre in 1995, “Forbidden Hollywood” was an attempt by Gerard Alessandrini to apply his wicked wit, famous from his “Forbidden Broadway” revues, to the movies.

It looks as if the only movies that truly interest Alessandrini, however, are musicals, especially if adapted from the stage. Much of “Forbidden Hollywood” is devoted to that genre. Yet hardly any new movie musicals are being made. So Alessandrini goes back decades to find subjects to satirize--which guarantees some pretty stale jokes.

Does anyone care that the late Gene Kelly danced better than he sang in the 47-year-old “Singin’ in the Rain”? This is the subject of an entire number in “Forbidden Hollywood.” Likewise, Alessandrini addresses such red-hot topics as the lighting filters in the movie version of “South Pacific,” the casting of Audrey Hepburn and Barbra Streisand in the “My Fair Lady” and “Hello, Dolly!” movies, a second Streisand scene in which she gripes about the treatment of female directors, the wide-screen techniques used in “Oklahoma!,” “Mary Poppins,” even the aging Marlene Dietrich’s nightclub appearances.

A cutting-edge dissection of contemporary Hollywood this is not.

Even most of the more recent material is several years old. References to animated movies stop with “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas” and a single line that “ ‘The Lion King’ is here.” One can only dream about what Alessandrini might do with “Mulan” or “The Prince of Egypt.” Four-year-old takeoffs on “Forrest Gump” and “Ghost” are still there.

A few sketches make token stabs at fresher commentary about nonmusicals. A “Titanic” sketch is fairly funny, as is a rowdy analysis of Sharon Stone as a star of westerns. Yet a number that tries to take apart Cameron Diaz, Keanu Reeves and Melanie Griffith suggests they’re all part of the same wave of stars.

In the single most wrongheaded sketch, “Saving Private Ryan” is Alessandrini’s example of how modern Hollywood prefers blood and guts to, yes, musicals. “Ryan” was probably picked because so many people have seen it, but any mindless, violent blockbuster would have made Alessandrini’s point more effectively; “Ryan” is usually cited as an example of the rare breed that actually justifies its level of violence.

Cheers anyway to the four super celebrity caricaturists (Eric Lee Johnson, Mark-David Kaplan, Susanne Blakeslee, Gina Kreiezmar), pianist John Randall and the wild costumes by Alvin Colt and wigs by Elena Breckenridge. The production is the second in the South Bay Playhouse series sponsored by the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities.

* “Forbidden Hollywood,” Hermosa Civic Theatre, Pier Avenue at Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach. Tonight-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $30. (310) 372-4477. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.