‘Gutenberg! The Musical!’ a musical comedy gem

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’: Andrew Rannells & Josh Gad. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!
Book, music & lyrics by Scott Brown & Anthony King
Directed by Alex Timbers
Through January 28, 2024
James Earl Jones Theatre
138 West 48th Street
(212) 239-6200, www.gutenbergbway.com

By David NouNou

Absurdity at its best.

The movies gave us the mismatched pairings of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, the theatre gave us Lane and Broderick, and now the musical theatre has blessed us with Gad and Rannells. The mismatched pair of the 2011 heavenly musical The Book of Mormon have joined forces again to give us Gutenberg! The Musical! The title and the concept screams absurdity.

Bud Davenport (Josh Gad) and Doug Simon (Andrew Rannells) from Nutley, New Jersey have seen one too many Broadway musicals. They are now on a mission to write their own musical. They did a quick Google search on Johannes Gutenberg and couldn’t find much on him, so they decided to take an “historical fiction” approach. This means making things up to construct a musical. The setting is the medieval town of Schlimmer, Germany. Gutenberg had a wine press, which he converted to a printing press, so the masses could be educated. The possibilities for this new musical are endless. After all, isn’t this how musical comedy works?

Bud and Doug both sold all the possessions they owned to rent out a theatre to audition the musical they wrote for backers. This would enable backers to see the show and give them a contract to put this musical on Broadway. Bud wrote the music, Doug wrote the book, and they both wrote the lyrics. In addition, they are also going to play all the parts. Their idea of saving costs for this audition is to wear different hats that has the name of each character they are portraying.

The merriment is in their excitement of telling us, the “potential backers,” how they constructed their musical and how we should envision it. Schlimer is a rat-infested town which sounds absolutely abysmal, hence the set being sparse. The two play a multitude of characters which is customary for a musical to have a huge cast. It is the breakdown of the scenes and the “theatrical jargon” they use makes it all absolutely priceless.

All this might and should sound absurd to you, but in the hands of this dynamic duo, Gad and Rannells, you are with them every step of this ridiculous journey. Thanks in large part to Scott Brown and Anthony King who wrote the book, music, and lyrics to Gutenberg! The Musical! which seems like a page out of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, in this case taking a horrible idea for a musical and turning it into a gold mine. They are brilliant in showcasing how, in many cases, musicals can go so horribly wrong and still end up on Broadway.

Back to Gad and Rannells—what a terrific duo.  Years of working together on The Book of Mormon has given them expert timing in clowning and finishing each other’s thoughts and sentences. Their energy is boundless and their timing is better than that of a Rolex watch.

Director Alex Timbers has once again shown what a genius he is. From complex musicals like Moulin Rouge and Beetlejuice to comedian Alex Edelman’s one-man show Just for Us earlier this year or David Byrne’s American Utopia, Mr. Timbers keeps a watchful eye on everything. From sets and costumes, to dialogue, to score, to editing the material, which most directors nowadays forget to do, he is a perfectionist. He has tapped into Gad’s and Rannells’ chemistry, which shoots off fireworks.

For these troubled times, Gutenberg! The Musical! is the perfect antidote, to forget the world outside, and be happy in the world of musical absurdity.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 18, 2023
Reviewed at October 17, 2023 press performance.

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’: Andrew Rannells & Josh Gad. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’: Andrews Rannells & Josh Gad. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’: Andrew Rannells & Josh Gad. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’ Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’: Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells. Photo: Joan Marcus.