‘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.

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‘POTUS’: Vanessa Williams & Julie White. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE
Written by Selina Fillinger
Directed by Susan Stroman
Through August 14, 2022
Shubert Theatre
225 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), https://potusbway.com

By David NouNou

Did you ever wish you could go to the theatre to see a ludicrous farce that will leave you at times laughing hysterically? No hidden messages here, no agendas, a minimal plot that is so absurd that you don’t care; you just want to laugh because the times we live in are so stressful. Such a play exists. It’s called POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.

It is difficult to discuss the plot because it is so convoluted. You have to go see it for yourself to make sense of it. No need to tell you any more than what the title of the show states. Now, there’s no particular president or first lady in this show. Loosely based on our recent American history, the characters are really amalgams and composites of presidents and first ladies and West Wing staff. Playwright Selina Fillinger cleverly lets you decide for yourself who you want them to be, and that makes the show all the more enjoyable.

As you know, no president can run the country by himself; it’s the women behind the scenes that keep him alive. In this instance there are seven women working very hard to accomplish their mission. There is the president’s wife, Margaret (Vanessa Williams); Chief of Staff, Harriet (Julie White); Press Secretary, Jean (Suzy Nakamura); White House Correspondent, Chris (Lilli Cooper); the president’s out-there, outrageous sister, Bernadette (Lea Delaria); office assistant, Stephanie (Rachel Dratch). Of course, there is always a beautiful mistress, Dusty (Julianne Hough). These women really work very hard at their jobs and the fun of the play is how they interact with each other. By the end of Act I, you are exhausted from the machinations and laughter.

I will admit Act II kind of meanders and loses a bit of footing because how can you sustain an absurdist farce after your hand has been revealed? Act II plays more of a clean-up for the mess that was created in Act I. I’m not trying to be evasive, elusive or mysterious. In a farce the less you know, the surprise element becomes extremely funnier.

There’s not one but seven funny ladies up on the stage working their butts off to make us laugh. Also let me caution you that you will be hearing a lot of coarse language, so prepare your ears. This isn’t a show to get offended by—just go with it and enjoy it.

Vanessa Williams is still gorgeous; she has elevated her status from the quintessential real-life Miss America to the fictitious Mrs. America, and can still deliver dialogue with aplomb like she did for years on TV’s “Ugly Betty.” Julie White is the consummate pro,  and so good at what she does, she could be the next president. Julianne Hough is a real talent. Forget her stint on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” because Ms. Hough is both a beauty and can truly act. Rachel Dratch of “Saturday Night Live” fame and Lea DeLaria— their characters are so over-the-top, they are hysterical, and in lesser hands they would be ridiculous. Lilli Cooper and Suzy Nakamura have the hardest parts, for they are the serious women, but they do manage to get their share of laughs. They are deftly directed by the ever-ingenious Susan Stroman. Kudos to all the ladies who make us laugh, and to Beowulf Boritt for the clever revolving set that represents the different rooms in the White House.

On another note to leave you with, in these days of alternate truths and facts and alternate universes, such an event might not be so improbable. As an alternative, it can’t be any worse than what we went through in the past few years with the previous administration. Sit back and enjoy an alternative reality, written and directed by women and acted by a very funny all-star ensemble of smart and sassy women.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 2, 2022
Reviewed at April 30, 2022 press performance.

‘POTUS’: Vanessa Williams & Rachel Dratch. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POUTS’: Julie White & Suzy Nakamura. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Julianne Hough, Lea Delaria & Suzy Nakamura. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: The cast. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Lilli Cooper. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Rachel Dratch & Julie White. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Lilli Cooper, Rachel Dratch & Vanessa Williams. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Julie White. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Suzy Nakamura. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

‘POTUS’: Vanessa Williams. Photo: Paul Kolnik.

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‘METEOR SHOWER’: Amy Schumer stars in this disappointing ‘comedy’ by Steve Martin. Photo: Matthew Murphy

METEOR SHOWER
Written by Steve Martin
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Through January 21, 2018
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.meteoronbroadway.com

By David NouNou

Thank God the show has star power. If it wasn’t for that, there isn’t a single reason why anyone would want to see this wisp of a marginal “comedy.” Even if you are a Steve Martin fan, you’ll find this 80-minute babble fest as a head-scratcher and ask “did he really write this”? You have to really stretch to find a plot here. Other than one-liners strung together, you’ll be grateful that it is only 80 minutes long.

Set in 1993 in Ojai, California, Corky (Amy Schumer) and Norm (Jeremy Shamos) are awaiting the arrival of their guests Gerald (Keegan-Michael Key) and Laura (the wonderful Laura Benanti—whom they never met before—for cocktails to watch a meteor shower. Corky and Norm are the boring couple and Gerald and Laura are the aggressive couple who are going to stir things up between Corky and Norm or as they say “bring them down.” That is the entire plot of the show.

What happens in the ensuing 80 minutes is a lot of psychobabble that was big in the 1990s, getting in touch with your feelings and apologizing to each other for not respecting that feelings were hurt. The gimmick here is that they do the same scene with four different endings. Each time Corky and Norm advance their timidity until they overpower Gerald and Laura. Another way of looking at this is that Gerald and Laura are not real and only the invention of Corky and Norm fantasizing about finding themselves through other people by finding their strengths and weaknesses during a meteor shower. Wow, they had a lot of free time in Ojai to delve into such earth-shattering problems.

Amy Shumer has a larger-than-life persona. I give her credit for wanting to stretch her acting chops, but the poor thing has nothing to bite on to make her character be realistic. Keegan-Michael Key has played this role of the belligerent narcissist with better material in his award- winning Comedy Central show “Key and Poole.” Jeremy Shamos strains for credibility. The lone survivor is Laura Benanti and is she luscious when she is seducing not only the people on stage but the audience as well.

Published December 7, 2017

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‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: Nick Kroll & John Mulaney. Photo: Joan Marcus

OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY
By Nick Kroll & John Mulaney
Directed by Alex Timbers
Through January 8, 2017
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), http://ohhellobroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Fans of Nick Kroll (“The Kroll Show” on Comedy Central) and John Mulaney ( former “Saturday Night Live” writer and star of “The Comeback Kid” on Netflix) will find lots to laugh about in this 95-minute saga of geeky 70-somethings Gil Faizon (Mr. Kroll) and George St. Geeland (Mr. Mulaney) and their 40-year friendship, but Oh, Hello On Broadway is definitely an acquired taste. This odd couple relies heavily on the supposed irony of old New York and the offbeat to pack in both fans of Comedy Central and the millennial crowd, most of whom are probably way too young to remember much of what’s being satirized here, from the middling music of Steely Dan to Ed Koch, Richard Dreyfuss, Alan Alda, and the Manhattan of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Following a successful off-Broadway run last year, the comedy duo has brought the show to Broadway to the delight of their cult following. This is a show one either “gets” or doesn’t. To “get” the humor, it helps to be a true New Yorker, for how else can one relate to jokes about trying to make eye contact with the Orthodox Jews working at B&H Video on 34^th Street? Or zingers about NY 1, diner food and Zabar’s?

These two “legendary bachelors,” clad in corduroys and old-man makeup, share a rent-controlled Upper West Side apartment, but their $75-a-month rent is being increased to $2,500.  George, a failed writer, and Gil, a wannabe actor, are about to become homeless. Much of the humor sends up the theater, from “True Upper West” (don’t ask) to a Jean Paul-Sartre “No Exit” sign to the hodgepodge set, which supposedly includes hairdryers and props from the 2005 production of Steel Magnolias. From references to Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays to Tennessee Williams and his “sister,” Serena, it’s all in good, silly fun. However, other arcane jokes, such as “Au Bon Pain is French for ‘breakfast at LaGuardia’, ” are head-scratcher humor indeed.

The first half hour is genuinely amusing, but the show starts running out of steam when Gil and George reenact their cable-access TV show “Too Much Tuna.” However, the mock TV show gives a wonderful excuse for a different guest celebrity each night (Alex Brightman of School of Rock was the guest the night I reviewed this, and past guests have included Seth Meyers and Alan Alda). Whether one “gets” the show’s humor or not, one cannot ignore the fact that Mr. Kroll and Mr. Delaney have a marvelous chemistry together as a comedy team. The actors, both in their 30s, rely a bit too heavily on old-man stereotypes and insider jokes, but they get laughs regardless, and have a winning gift for improv and highbrow pratfalls.

The shtick in Oh, Hello on Broadway isn’t for everybody, but there’s enough hammy humor here to make the show an offbeat hit.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 14, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on October 13, 2016

‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: John Delaney & Nick Kroll. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: John Mulaney & Nick Kroll. Photo: Joan Marcus

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LA DIVA & HER GHOSTWRITER: Renée Fleming & Jerry O’Connell in ‘Living On Love.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

LIVING ON LOVE
Written by Joe DiPietro
Based on the play Peccadillo by Garson Kanin
Directed by Kathleen Marshall
Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
(212-239-6200), www.LivingOnLoveBroadway.com

By David NouNou

As comedies are very rare on Broadway these days, one has to be grateful for Living On Love, a play that has been rebooted by Joe DiPietro and has the feel of comedies of the 1950s. A lot of those comedies had a paper-thin plotline; not very taxing on the stars that portrayed those characters. The trials and tribulations were set up, but they all sorted themselves out in the end. Their objective was to please an audience. They were usually written for married celebrity couples like Rex Harrison and his then-wife Lili Palmer, and the show would have a large advance due to the marquee star power and usually lasted between six to nine months, or the entire season if lucky. This way, the actors could display their grand living albeit via the stage, the customers were happy seeing stars playing themselves or facsimiles, though some critics may have groused over the skimpy storyline. But best of all, the producers recouped their money and everybody went home happy.

Peccadillo by Garson Kanin (on which this show is based) is such a play. Mr. Kanin wrote it in 1985 but the setting and time is New York City in 1957. The characters in Peccadillo would have been the kind of people he came in contact with; after all, he did work in the theater. He was married to Ruth Gordon and they were best friends with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

In Living On Love, Vito De Angelis, a conductor, known to his nearest and dearest as Maestro (Douglas Sills), a cross between Leonard Bernstein and Steve Martin, is married to La Diva, Raquel De Angelis (Renée Fleming) for over 30 years. Their egos precede them wherever they go. They have both fallen on hard times, meaning they are getting older and their demand is less, so now they are in the process of writing their biographies and have been assigned ghostwriters to assist them. Maestro has a spunky junior editor, Iris Peabody (Anna Chlumsky). La Diva has the fawning writer Robert Sampson (Jerry O’Connell). And the best thing any household can have is a pair of harmonious butlers who have been serving the Maestro and La Diva for over 30 years: Bruce (Blake Hammond) and Eric (Scott Robertson). Needless to say, in the quest to see who finishes the book first, flirtatious goings on take place, with a lot of preening and boasting taking place.

Renée Fleming not only entices her protégé writer, Robert, but the audience as well, with her trilling of various arias from the operas she’s appeared in and what a voice. Ms. Fleming, a multiple Grammy Award winner, is making her Broadway debut. She has the diva down pat, but her inner actress for Broadway has to find its center. Douglas Sills, with a heavy Italian accent as the Maestro, is hysterical with himself as the center of the universe. He knows how to squeeze every line and leer for all it’s worth.

Jerry O’Connell, as the spineless ghostwriter, has the perfect bumbling and cuteness to make Robert believable. Anna Chlumsky, with her perky self-doubt, is the perfect foil to give Mr. O’Connell the spine he has been lacking. Together they would be the adorable younger couple. As the two butlers, Blake Hammond and Scott Robertson are synchronistic perfection; second bananas that steal the show.

Kathleen Marshall’s direction keeps things moving at a fast pace, which keeps the audience alert when the script lags. Living On Love is a nugget from yesteryear; you don’t go to peel off its veneer, you go to enjoy it, have a few laughs and go home relishing Ms. Fleming’s voice and presence, Mr. Sills’ eccentric, over-the-top behavior of a narcissist, Mr. Hammond & Mr. Robertson’s synchronicity, as well as enjoy Mr. O’Connell and Ms. Chlumsky finding their way through the mayhem. All in all, an enjoyable, harmless old-fashioned comedy whose purpose is to be entertaining and diverting for a couple of hours.

THE MAESTRO & LA DIVA: Douglas Sills & Renée Fleming in ‘Living On Love.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

MADCAP MOMENT: (left to right) Renée Fleming, Jerry O’Connell & Douglas Sills in ‘Living On Love.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 24, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 23, 2015

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SAGA OF THE SYCAMORE FAMILY TREE: (left to right) Annaleigh Ashford, Reg Rogers, Elizabeth Ashley, Kristine Nielsen, Mark Linn-Baker, James Earl Jones & Patrick Kerr. Photo: Joan Marcus

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
Written by Moss Hart & George S. Kaufman
Directed by Scott Ellis
Through February 22, 2015
Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
(212-239-6200), www.YouCantTakeItWithYouBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Eccentric, quirky and zany characters in funny comedies are hard to come by these days, but a brilliant revival of the 1936 Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman comedy has just arrived and is setting off fireworks both figuratively and literally. Sure, the plot line is a bit over the top by today’s standards, but who cares when you are in the company of such expert comedic actors? You are here to laugh, have a good time and enjoy the foibles of people who enjoy their life by doing nothing but enjoying life, themselves and each other. It was an elixir to make people laugh for the depression era and it is still a tonic to be enjoyed in our troubled times.

Grandpa Vanderhof (James Earl Jones), head of the household, hasn’t paid his taxes in 24 years and doesn’t feel he should for the government isn’t good at handling money. Penny Sycamore (Kristine Nielson), his daughter, sits and writes ludicrous plays all day long because a typewriter was delivered to her address by mistake eight years prior and she took up playwriting. Penny is married to Paul Sycamore (Mark Linn-Baker); he creates fireworks and explosives for the 4^th of July weekends with his house guest, Mr. DePinna (Patrick Kerr) who moved in eight years earlier.

The Sycamores have two daughters: daffy Essie (Annaleigh Ashford), equally wonderful here as she was in Kinky Boots, makes candy all day called “Love Dreams,” and does all her movements through the art of ballet. She has been training deplorably for eight years to be a ballerina and is married to Ed (Will Brill), her marimba-playing musician husband. The only sane person in this loony bin is the lovely Alice (Rose Byrne). She knows her family is nuts, but she loves them through thick and thin.

Alice is also in love with Tony Kirby (Fran Kranz), who is straitlaced upper crust. She feels her family is way too eccentric to be accepted by his uptight parents: Mr. Kirby Sr. (Byron Jennings), who owns the company she works in, and Mrs. Kirby (Johanna Day). Throw in with this zany bunch Boris Kolenkhov (Reg Rogers), Essie’s boorish revolutionary ballet instructor who has been there for dinner for the last eight years. Gay Wellington (Julie Halston), an alcoholic actress who is auditioning for one of Penny’s plays, but has passed out before the play started; and the ever enchanting Elizabeth Ashley as the Grand Duchess Olga, cousin to the Czar of Russia, who is now working as a waitress at Childs Restaurant (famous chain in the 1930s). This is her day off and since she is an expert blintz maker, it takes her no time to whip up a batch of blintzes for the entire household. Throw in the IRS, G-Men, the police, a couple of kittens, some background snakes, a dinner party set on the wrong date that goes horribly wrong and you’ve got an evening of nonstop revelry.

This revelry is paced by the ever-competent director, Scott Ellis. He has a knack for the madness that ensues and has fine-tuned all his actors to be up to par for the occasion. Kudos should also be given to David Rockwell’s excellent revolving set of the seedy Sycamore home.

When you have the opportunity to spend some time with James Earl Jones, Annaleigh Ashford, Elizabeth Ashley, Rose Byrne, Kristine Nielson, Reg Rogers, Mark Linn-Baker, Patrick Karr, Byron Jennings and Johanna Day, how can you go wrong? None of us will probably ever be invited to the Sycamore household and maybe it’s just as well, but it was a hell of a night watching all their mirth and shenanigans.

GRANDPA KNOWS BEST: Rose Byrne & James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

ECCENTRIC KINFOLK: Kristine Nielsen & James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

MADCAP MOMENT: (left to right) Byron Jennings, Johanna Day, Fran Kranz & James Earl Jones in ‘You Can’t Take It With You.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 3, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on October 2, 2014

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