GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! Reviews

DTLI Consensus: Though the laughs come fast and furious, this musical isn’t quite worthy of its two exclamation points.

6 mixed (including the NYT), 3 positive, 3 negative.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/gutenberg/

Updated On: 10/12/23 at 10:45 PM

Here's my review. I did not really like this production, but it's ok, I guess.

Gutenberg Review: We all could use some wine afterward.

Even with Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, this musical does not bring out the comedic gold that this duo possesses.

★★☆☆☆

Some would call this the onstage reunion we’ve been waiting years for, as Gad and Rannells have not been on stage together since 2012. Sadly, that does not quite fit with this particular show that opened at the James Earl Jones Theatre today.

Gutenberg has had a long history before landing on Broadway. Frankly, though, why does this musical even exist? The show is about two artists, Bud (Josh Gad) and Doug (Andrew Rannells), who have written a musical about Johannes Gutenberg. The guy who invented the printing press and how he got to that point. However, the story by Scot Brown and Anthony King is told as if we were in a small space. Gad and Rannells play all the parts while explaining the story as if the audience were rich producers who could give the show a life. To be honest, it’s kind of hard to envision a workshop presentation when you are in a thousand-seat theatre.

Do not get me wrong, Gad and Rannells are funny as hell. Anybody would kill to see this comic duo on stage together. Their onstage chemistry is remarkable, and their comedic timing is impeccable. However, this work, in particular, is not it. Now, were there some funny parts of the show? Yes, but I certainly was not laughing as hard as other people were. If you want to enjoy this show, you might want to have a drink or two so that you can laugh it all up during the show. I surely needed a drink after seeing this.

I must say, the ability of Gad and Rannells to wear ten or more hats on their heads is impressive, especially as they are the stars of the show. Each hat has a different character name, played and sometimes swapped by the pair. In the theatre business, it’s a big challenge to memorize and portray all the parts of a show. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that the story is dull and, in some cases, creepy. One example is when Gad puts on a hat that says “Anti-Semite” and holds a red flower. At that point, I wondered, what in the world am I watching right now?

The set is designed by Scott Pask, who presents us with a stage that looks like one of those multipurpose rooms we see in old school buildings. Does it work with the concept? Sure. Just what a community theatre project needs!

The show is directed by Alex Timbers, who does a decent job of interpreting two artists who want to make their Broadway dreams come true. I would like to mention that the frequent sideways marching between scenes became increasingly annoying as the night went on.

I will conclude with this: at the end of the show, Gad and Rannells lead a song called “We Eat Dreams” and have the audience sing in response, “We Eat Them Too.” Out of the blue, a special guest, wearing a hat that says “Producer,” walks up on stage and gives the pair a contract. The night I attended, the special guest was none other than Nikki M. James. So, this night was a true Book of Mormon reunion. If you want to see a great comic duo on stage, then see the show just for them, otherwise, you would be better off seeing a different musical comedy that does not need two big names to sell tickets.

Updated On: 10/12/23 at 10:56 PM

Sutton Ross said: "His name is AndrewRannells."

Oh my! Autocorrect snuck up from behind! Fixed it! Thanks for pointing that out Sutton!

Sara Holden's review in Vulture seems pretty spot-on:

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-gutenberg-the-musical-broadway.html

sppunk said: "Any discounts for this? Want to see in 2 weeks, it’s more than a half empty theater and I can’t find anything."

It looks like it had been available at TKTS, but I don't see any discount codes at the usual places. The trend now seems more people wait until the last minute to buy; so maybe they are waiting to see if people will pay full price?

sppunk said: "Any discounts for this? Want to see in 2 weeks, it’s more than a half empty theater and I can’t find anything."

At one point I think BISCUITS! was the code I think. I ended up getting $59 balc seats straight from the box office. No issues with the view and loved the show so much! I will be going back

It’s on TDF but just for Wednesday. If all else fails I’ll buy the day before at the box office. The entire mess is mostly unsold and like 3/4 premium seats still listed.

Village Voice review says it's at times like an extended SNL sketch, but it's giddy and well played.

Interestingly, it puts the show in the context of other musicals and movies about two male friends writing bad songs.

https://www.villagevoice.com/review-gutenberg-the-musical-makes-it-to-broadway/

Interestingly according to this talk Josh Gadd would have done Forum directed by Alex Timbers had he committed to a year-long run, but he wouldn't do that for family reasons as he lives in LA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWaKZS8o9y8

Every person doing the cameo is meant to stick to a script that is four lines long, some people have decided to improvise or go off script, some following the instructions exactly.