Review: Gutenberg

(Neil Gooding Productions | Seymour Centre, Chippendale, Sydney | Until 25 July)

Ah, to be famous (or infamous) enough to have one’s life set to music ... to join the ranks of such worthy recipients as Jesus, Evita, Peter Allen, Keating, Shane Warne and ... Gutenberg.

Yes, finally the life of Johann Gutenberg (c1398-1468), inventor of the movable type printing press, has been immortalised in song! Or it will be … if Bud Davenport and Doug Simon have anything to do with it.

This is the premise behind the hilarious Gutenberg! The Musical! Two aspiring American writers, Bud and Doug, perform a “read through” of their musical, in the hope that a Broadway producer might be in the audience and see fit to bring their masterpiece to the world.

The pair runs through the entire musical, accompanied on piano by the unflappable and strangely named Charles (Bev Kennedy). Bud and Doug play all parts by the changing of caps in a frenetic, funny and affectionate lampoon of the musical genre.

Unfortunately, information about Johann Gutenberg is “scant” (according to Bud’s and Doug’s extensive research on Google), and the actual invention of the printing press is not sufficient to warrant a whole musical, so Bud and Doug ‘elaborate’ on the story, throwing in some romance, a villain, and sundry dubious and un-PC characters.

The humour is often silly, bad jokes abound, and major artistic licence is taken regarding historical accuracy and timing. It’s tremendous.

The actual writers, Scott Brown and Anthony King, performed the show themselves in the acclaimed world premiere in London in 2006 after an off-Broadway production and showcase in the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The first time I saw this (SEE REVIEW), when Gutenberg! previewed for a brief season in February, David Harris and James Millar were in the starring roles, and did a fantastic job. This time around, David Somerville (as Bud) and Simon Van Der Stap (Doug) have taken over the task.

Both are indeed worthy of inheriting these demanding characters, which require astounding energy, movement skills, concentration, musical talent and comedy timing. Both Somerville and Van Der Stap have notable backgrounds in professional musical theatre. Their voices are powerful and harmonise beautifully. It is indeed an unusual experience to hear the genuinely lovely music, and then realise that the lyrics contain such topics as the anti-Semitic flower girl, biscuits and rat faeces!

The creative team behind Gutenberg! is similarly impressive (no pun intended). Neil Gooding’s direction is tight and smart, and the music (directed by Bev Kennedy) and choreography (Nathan M. Wright) so well realised that it’s easy to forget there are only two people on stage. Of course, all those caps help …

My review for the original Gutenberg! mentioned I would definitely attend again. It’s just as charming and hilarious the second time around. I wonder if I can fit in a third visit?

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