James Ambler photo
“Gutenberg! The Musical!”
with Jeremy Shamos (Doug),
left, and Christopher
Fitzgerald (Bud).
Dear Bud and Doug: The backer’s audition of your new project “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” which you are presenting to a room full of Broadway producers most nights through Dec. 31, was a smashing success. Who knew that a musical about the life of the inventor of the printing press could have so many laughs? And while adding the theme of the Holocaust might not be historically accurate, I agree with Doug that it gave the show real gravitas. Before I invest, let me give a few notes.
“Gutenberg! The Musical!”
with Jeremy Shamos (Doug),
left, and Christopher
Fitzgerald (Bud).
And while Doug’s book about the villainous monk who destroyed Gutenberg’s press fits the Broadway formula perfectly, you need to shrink this period epic down. Do you know how much lasers cost? A huge cast won’t have the charm (or, ahem, salaries) of your two natural performers who play dozens of roles helped only by baseball caps with character names like “Old Black Narrator” and “Another Woman” written on them.
Your chorus line, which proved that two actors and a cloakroom full of hats can stand up to anything choreographed by Susan Stroman, was one of the most resourceful feats of stagecraft I’ve seen Off Broadway.
It has been years since the musical theater was known for overblown historical epics with titles ending in an exclamation point (let alone two!). What’s more common these days is the mocking, silly musical that self-consciously references the old clichés of Broadway, you know, the kind of thing you seem to do in between numbers when you define fancy show business jargon like the charm song or metaphor. (“When you say one thing and mean something else, but you’re not lying.”)
After you make the transfer (I think you’re next in line at the Gershwin after “Wicked”), keep those superb comic writers Scott Brown and Anthony King on staff. And the same goes for your director, Alex Timbers, who kept a quick pace and stayed out of the way of the cast. Doug (Jeremy Shamos), your goofy, irresistible sweetness matches perfectly with your tightly wound friend, Bud (Christopher Fitzgerald), who delivers one monster of a rock ballad, “Tomorrow Is Tonight,” at the end of the first act.
Now, Bud and Doug, I know you’re nervous, but don’t worry about it. Tony voters will love those frozen smiles and that canned banter. Even if your show isn’t the most original thing on Broadway, just remember that a little charm can go a long way.