History, Hats, and Hilarity
Gutenberg! The Musical! was an entertaining night of theater put on by Theater Latté Da and directed and choreographed by Tyler Michaels King that showcased the comic, musical, and energetic capabilities of the dynamic duo of Tom Reed and Dominic Schiro as Doug and Bud, two best friends who have compiled all their money to rent a theater, band, and lights for a one-night performance of their new production, with the hopes of getting a Broadway producer to offer them a contract. They give us a bit of backstory that they tried a few different musical ideas before getting to this point, including the prequel to The Phantom of the Opera, in which they attempted to answer the question on everyone’s minds: “how did he get that boat down there?” but, ultimately, they landed on historical fiction, “fiction that’s true,” about Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press (because if people primarily want to hear stories that are retellings of books, why wouldn’t they want to hear about the first book?!).
Due to their limited finances, they explain that they are unable to hire a full cast and instead have decided to play all the roles themselves using trucker hats with different character “names,” such as Drunk #1, Drunk #2, Daughter, Rats, Another Woman, to help us get a full picture of their vision. They also make a point of telling us that all musicals need to address something serious, and they have chosen to include commentary on Nazis in their production, which is primarily and hilariously shown through a character hat with the name “Lil Nazi Girl” who is an antisemitic flower salesgirl with very little tie in to any plot development.
While the songs from this musical were not the catchiest or most memorable, they were still very enjoyable and showed off the impressive range of both performers who were excellent at their craft and who kept the energy elevated and the pace flowing throughout the show. The writing by Anthony King and Scott Brown is silly and entertaining, and the jokes, while sometimes simple, were delivered in ways that always seemed to land due to the charm of the performers. And, frankly, watching Dominic Schiro and Tom Reed cycle through their hats to give us a well-rounded cast of characters was farcical enough to keep me amused for two hours. I especially loved watching the duo accomplish the staging and choreography of the ensemble song “Festival,” which was a feat in characterization and physicality. Dominic Schiro was particularly intriguing to watch throughout as many of his mannerisms and vocal range reminded me of Jack Black. I also enjoyed the abrupt ending where both leads placed seven hats on their heads and walking quickly across the stage delivered an epilogue where many of the characters solemnly recited a final thought. As Doug and Bud informed us, this musical was not intended to tie up loose ends into a pretty present, because life doesn’t, but, I can certainly say, its playful mess still felt like a gift.
Performed at the beautiful Ritz Theater, this show just extended their run with an additional six shows, so if you are looking for a night of laughter and song, I recommend checking it out!
Photos by Dan Norman
