The seriously silly show, Guttenberg! The Musical!, is currently spending time onstage in the cozy confines of Playhouse on Park. The West Hartford theatre company is an ideal venue for this busy two-hander that has two terrific actors giving their all to a musical that often lets them down.
Created by Anthony King and Scott Brown, Guttenberg! The Musical!, premiered off-Broadway in 2006 and had a brief run on Broadway in 2024. This musical spoof is about two aspiring (not too talented) playwrights, Bud Davenport (Jeremiah Michael Ginn) and Doug Simon (John Wascavage), who decide to perform a backers’ audition for their extravagant musical about Johann Gutenberg, the German inventor of the printing press. The naïve but boundlessly enthusiastic creators can’t afford a full cast so they play dozens of roles as the story plays out. A running gag throughout has the actors switching baseball caps labeled with the character they are playing (Guttenberg, Drunk, Rats, Boot Black, etc.). Like the show itself, this gimmick runs out of steam well before the final curtain. This is the kind of revue that would work far better at a breezy 80 minutes without intermission. Running time at the Legacy is a full two hours including a break.
Both Ginn and Wascavage, however, are a dream team who almost make you believe this nonsense could work better than it actually does. They have terrific chemistry together, not bad vocals and never seem to tire of repeating the foolish gags. They are an endearing duo who truly seem to enjoy each other’s company so we enjoy them, too. The songs are fairly interchangeable but I did appreciate the writers rhyming “obtuse” with “grape juice”. And throughout, there are several call-outs to popular musicals including a sly, funny wink at “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked”. Both men are tireless in trying to be as entertaining as possible, but there’s only so much to do with material like Guttenberg! The Musical!.
Director Sasha Bratt does a good job of moving the show along as much as possible, and Music Director Miles Messier is a very accomplished accompanist for the proceedings. Arthur Wilson provides a nifty scenic design as well as character revealing costumes for the actors. Kyle Stamm’s lighting gets shadowy and distracting whenever it attempts to change scenes but otherwise is serviceable. No idea who is in charge of the fog machine, but it is used constantly and exhaustingly. You may feel like that machine by curtain.
Guttenberg! The Musical! continues at Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford, Connecticut through February 8. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: 860.523.5900 x10 or visit: www.playhouseonpark.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
