Gutenberg! The Musical!
Have you ever sat through a middling, unfocused and probably should have been cut from the telecast skit while watching Saturday Night Live? Well then I have a show for you. Gutenberg! The Musical! is all that, and sometimes less, at Broadway prices.
Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells play Bud and Doug in this two man show. Both are nerds who decide to collaborate writing a Broadway musical. Neither has experience or talent but the show must go on! They rent the James Earl Jones Theatre to stage an industry reading for potential investors. Not the worst idea for an insider’s skewering of the creative process.
The pair write a show about the 15th century inventor of the printing press. His name is featured in the title. Why was he chosen? There is scant information about him online so the material can be whatever they want. They described the show as historical fiction also known as “fiction that’s true”. A funny line appears now and then.
Due to limited funds they cannot perform the musical with a full cast so the two perform every part. Trucker hats with printed names let us know who the people are. Antisemitic flower girl is the edgiest. The printer’s love interest is Helvetica. “History tells us in olden times there were a lot of poor wenches,” we learn. Mr. Gad sings a song about her not being able to read.
The problems with the show are many. Long stretches of filler, no real attempt to create any semblance of story arc and overused ideas (the hats, repeated joke targets) bog this comedy down to a fairly dull, roll your eyes while wanting to laugh exercise in theatrical tolerance. I cannot recommend this underwhelming and overpriced revue to anyone.
All that said, both men are appealing performers who work very hard to put over this featherlight concoction. Both originated the leads in The Book of Mormon many moons ago and they have natural – and nicely opposite yet complimentary – chemistry. The audience was madly in love with them. Perhaps someone can write these gentlemen a musical miles closer to their level. Broadway theatergoers will likely flock to see them again based on the reception I witnessed.
In case you miss this show, here is my favorite joke. In the second act a reprise of a song is heard. These theater hucksters inform us that this particular moment is employing a “motif”. A motif is “when you use the same piece of music over and over and it’s not lazy”. That made me laugh amidst this sluggish slog of a wannabe smart and not silly enough show.
Gutenberg! The Musical! is running at the James Earl Theatre through January 28, 2024.