When Daniel Radcliffe wanted to distance himself from "Harry Potter," he turned to Broadway and stripped naked for a scene in "Equus."

When Manoa Valley Theatre opens its 41st season Thursday night, Radcliffe's bare bottom — and Broadway hits including "Gypsy" and "South Pacific" — will be mocked unceremoniously in "Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit."

The musical parody on the state of theater runs through Sept. 20 and promises to be filled with laughs, if not naked bottoms. Other notable hits being spoofed are "Jersey Boys," "Mamma Mia!" "Mary Poppins," "The Lion King" and "Wicked," among others.

The play runs for nearly two hours with one intermission, and the theater has been configured in cabaret (cocktail table) seating for the production.

"This is all about a lot of poking fun in a lighthearted way," said Guy Merola, who will be spoofing Radcliffe's "Equus" performance. "Our vignette is about how he wanted to break out of the Harry Potter role and, at one point, I take most of my clothes off while singing new lyrics to 'Gypsy's' 'Let Me Entertain You.' Daniel gets naked on Broadway. I get down to my shorts for our show."

Merola calls the show's writing "clever," and says audiences may be a bit surprised at the level of talent on stage.

"It's very funny," Merola said. "Kelly Fitzgerald and Jack Galliano are fairly new to the Islands, and they bring a lot to the table. This is a talented cast to work with."

Kenji Higashihama and Tricia Marciel round out the cast.

"There's no rock star in this show, and that's appealing," Merola said. "It's an ensemble piece. A pianist is our whole orchestra, and everyone has seven or eight costume changes, then you have to adapt to different body languages, different voices and different wigs. I think it's harder than having just one role."

This is Merola's first stage appearance since he performed in "Mystery of Edwin Drood" at Diamond Head Theatre in 2006. The challenge of playing several characters and the allure of a production that takes musical numbers and rewrites them to mock shows are major reasons Merola is back.

"I'm part owner of a computer company, so I have a daytime job that takes some time," Merola said. "... You look at a production like this, and you're talking six weeks of rehearsals, three hours a night, and a show that will run three to six weeks, so you're looking at a three-month commitment. If it's the right vehicle like this, I'd love to get out and do more, but it takes time. This show is filled with clever writing."