Matt Polk photos
	Christiana Craig-Dukes as "Annie."
	MORE COVERAGE The dean of of Pittsburgh set designers, came out of retirement for the "Forbidden" stage. 'Forbidden Broadway' Where: CLO Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District When: Open run, Thurs.-Fri. 7:30 p.m.; Sat. 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m.; 1 p.m. matinees last Thurs. of each month. Tickets: $35-$37, discounts available; 412-456-6666.
	Parodying "Les Miz" are, from left, Marcus Stevens, Christiana Craig-Dukes, Joe Domencic and Christine Laitta.

How do you follow a sweet, nostalgic, long-running musical revue like "Forever Plaid"?

If you're Pittsburgh CLO, you do it with a smart, parodic, long-running musical revue named "Forbidden Broadway."

And your makeover mania extends beyond the stage to rotate the whole Cabaret Theater 90 degrees, creating a space that is broader than it is deep, bringing the cabaret tables -- of which there are now one-third more -- closer to the stage and splitting the theater seating onto the sides.

CLO chief Van Kaplan and his associate Jason Coll are determined that those who enjoyed "Forever Plaid" during its 17-month run (some on many visits) will find something different but equally entertaining with "Forbidden Broadway" -- and that all those Pittsburghers who haven't yet been to the Cabaret will finally discover this relatively new addition to the Cultural District.

"Forbidden Broadway" is Gerard Alessandrini's witty, endlessly evolving spoof of Broadway shows that has been a persistent phenomenon off-Broadway for more than 23 years. (The Post-Gazette has reviewed its many different editions at least seven times.)

The numbers use Broadway's own melodies to skewer what's most laughable about even the most loved shows. Indeed, Alessandrini's brilliant lyrics prove that it takes a lover to know the funniest way to the comic jugular.

Kaplan believes "Forbidden" is a Pittsburgh natural. "The CLO has produced musicals for 60 years; Pittsburgh is a musical theater town; nowhere else will people better appreciate the humor and get the affectionate ribbing and hilarity. We've built an audience for this show.

"Even if you haven't seen, say, Hugh Jackman, you're going to get the lampooning. Even if you haven't seen 'Lion King' or 'Phantom,' you know about them. And if you couldn't get a ticket to see 'Wicked' while it was here, well, our 'Wicked' number is hysterical. There's even a billboard on Penn Avenue with the two stars of 'Wicked' duking it out."

To direct, Kaplan hired William Selby, who has acted in and directed "Forbidden" productions in New York and many other cities. He and Coll found a Pittsburgh cast: Christiana Craig-Dukes, Joe Domencic, Christine Laitta and Marcus Stevens, with J.D. Daw and Carla Delaney as understudies and Deana Muro as accompanist.

Then came the hard part, to choose from the literally hundreds of "Forbidden" numbers accumulated over the years. They came up with 20-some, chosen for Pittsburgh, but the nature of the show is such that they plan to add new material, especially when touring (or CLO?) shows demand to be parodied.

Coll is convinced they made good choices, the performers are funny, and there's great energy and wit in the lyrics. He points out the show's name is already known here, partly because it was lovingly lifted by Don Brockett's "Forbidden Pittsburgh."

The show offers a "bazillion costume changes," and the new design of the space under Cletus Anderson responds to audience preference for cabaret tables rather than theater style seats or high tops.

Sitting in behind Cafe Zao and the Cultural District box office, underneath a parking garage, with its own long lobby and separate bar, the CLO Cabaret is only hard to find the first time you go.