Gutenberg! The Musical
City of Fairfax Theatre Company
Photo credits: @fairfaxcitytheatre on Instagram
While Johannes Gutenberg may be known as the inventor of the printing press, there’s more to his story than meets the eye.
I’m talking dreams, love, wine, betrayal… and lots of hats.
Don’t take it from me; take it from Bud and Doug, the spirited authors of Gutenberg! The Musical, and the stars of City of Fairfax Theatre Company’s latest production.
Never have I laughed so much at a show, or felt like I was quite literally its target audience. So if you’re a geeky theatre kid like me (and have a wacky sense of humor), you’re in for a real treat.
Gutenberg
At the beginning of the show, Bud and Doug claim that Google’s information on Johannes Gutenberg’s early life is “scant;” frankly, you don’t need to know a lot about the guy to understand the musical.
Why?
Because Bud and Doug know absolutely nothing about him either.
He was a German guy who invented the printing press during the 15th century, and according to Bud and Doug, that’s all that had to be historically accurate in order for their interpretation of Gutenberg’s life to work. It’s less of a historical retelling, and more of a “historical fiction… fiction that’s true.”
Gutenberg! The Musical (the actual musical) was written by Anthony King and Scott Brown. It premiered off-broadway in 2006, but is most recently known for its 2023 revival starring Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad: the dynamic duo from Broadway’s Book of Mormon.
Yep, Gutenberg is a 2 hour long, entirely two-man show. Despite this fact, the musical had more characters than I could count. It takes quite the committed pair of actors to pull it off, and that’s where CFTC veterans Peter Marsh and Andy Shaw come in.
The Production
Whether you’ve seen Marsh and Shaw as Shrek and Donkey in “Shrek” or Edward and Amos in “Big Fish,” it’s hard to forget their zany characters and over-the-top commitment. Luckily for us, the two’s comedic chops were in tip-top shape for their latest feature.
Peter Marsh was Doug Simon, the first half of the author duo. Known for his leading-man charisma, Marsh’s powerful vocals and swagger were certainly present in this production. The brain behind Gutenberg!’s book (and some of its lyrics), Marsh dove into the show-within-a-show with confidence. He had the lofty job of portraying the show’s title character, Johannes Gutenberg himself, and never let the inventor’s self-righteousness waver. Even when he went out for a drink, he claimed he was getting drunk on words… a clever metaphor, he assured the audience.
Cue the rousing bar song (with a kickline!)
Andy Shaw was Bud Davenport, the second half of this author duo. Off the stage, Andy Shaw is a theatre teacher at Chantilly High School; not only is his performance a masterclass in acting, but his love of the arts truly shines through. Shaw leaned into the composer-lyricist’s eagerness to please, while also leaving room for moments of vulnerability. His emotionally-ridden rendition of “I Can’t Read,” the “I Want” song for Gutenberg’s red-headed love interest Helvetica, was one of my favorite numbers of the show.
Also, important to mention; you know how I said this show had more characters than I could count? Marsh and Shaw played every single one of them, distinguished by baseball caps labeled with each character’s name. Whether they used an accent, a lisp, or a boozy drawl, every character was different--the duo really did it all. Some of my favorites were as follows:
Drunk #1 and Drunk #2
Daughter (who couldn’t properly pronounce her r’s)
Pedro Pascal
Rats (who performed as backup singers, along with Feces)
Li’l Nazi Girl
Yeah, this is a show where you really have to go see it to understand what’s going on. I personally went into “Gutenberg! The Musical” completely blind, and I’m very glad I did.
In a full-circle moment, “Gutenberg!” was directed by Molly Marsh: Peter Marsh’s daughter, and Andy Shaw’s former student. For being one whirlwind of a show, Molly Marsh’s direction made it easy to grasp everything going on. Paired with the creative team’s distinct lighting shifts, it was clear to distinguish the scenes in the town of Schlimmer from the interjected narration with Bud and Doug.
The musical backbone of this production, Rachel Bradley joined the duo onstage as their handy accompanist (in addition to her work as the show’s music director). Her piano skills were not only admirable, but singlehandedly propelled the musical along; Bud and Doug had no other forms of musical accompaniment, which really fit the workshop vibe of the production. Plus, it was fun to see Bradley develop her own character moments onstage throughout the show.
Who Is It For?
More than anything, Gutenberg! The Musical is a love letter to musical theatre. Bud and Doug’s show checks all the boxes: it’s got an “I Want” song, a multi-layered Act 1 Finale, clever motifs, an eleven-o’clock-number… you name it. Even better, Marsh and Shaw walked the audience through every one of these musical theatre terms as they appeared in the show.
Even if you (somehow) aren’t a huge theatre person, a lot of this show’s humor doesn’t rely on theatre knowledge alone. There are easter eggs here and there, but the bulk of this show’s comedy is in the performances, and in the wacky antics of the author duo.
Considering the content of the show, I’m inclined to recommend it for ages 12+: AKA, nothing a mature middle schooler hasn’t heard these days. CFTC advertises it as PG-13 on their website, with the content warnings of “strong language, crude humor, and themes of antisemitism.”
At the end of the day, Gutenberg! The Musical is a show about following your dreams… or, in this case, “eating your dreams?” Phrasing aside, it’s a celebration of theatre, and best experienced with friends or family to laugh along with.
One neat feature of this show that I’ve yet to mention is the appearance of a new celebrity guest every performance. CFTC has an upcoming roster of some pretty exciting DMV theatre celebrities, so check out their instagram page (@fairfaxcitytheatre) for the full schedule.
Congratulations to CFTC on their first production in their all-new blackbox performance space! With a smaller space, means limited seats, so be sure to grab tickets before the run is over on September 21st.
For more information, visit https://www.fairfaxcitytheatre.org/current-season/gutenberg-the-musical.