The Producers and Gutenberg the Musical: Two Nights of Comedy
On Friday night, Michael and I relaxed on the couch, thinking of a movie to watch together after a long work week. Remembering Tracey Sullivan had mentioned that the Adirondack Theatre Festival’s play, Gutenberg the Musical, is reminiscent of The Producers, we began watching Mel Brook’s 1967 comedy masterpiece. While Michael had seen the Broadway version in 2002, I had never seen this brilliantly hysterical story. Based on reactions from others, I may have been the only person in the world.
Mel Brook’s tale of an aging Broadway producer near the depths of failure until a lone accountant, played by Gene Wilder, inspires him with an idea is filled with boundless comedy sketches. From the opening scene with Max Bialystock, played by Samuel “Zero” Mostel, seducing an older woman for cash to Lorenzo St. DuBois, played by Dick Shawn, improvising a unique version of Hitler, audiences have enjoyed its comedy for nearly sixty years. And the stories of the actors beyond the film is even more astonishing.
I learned that actor Dick Shawn, or formally Richard Schulefand, died on stage in 1987 on a comedy tour of a heart attack, with the audience not realizing its severity, thinking it was all an act. Actor William Shatner, who had been to his penultimate performance, has said “that would be a great way to go out”. Actor Gene Wilder, playing the accountant Leo Bloom in the film, was just starting his film career when he was chosen to star in “The Producers”. He would go on to have a masterful career, whether in timeless classics like Blazing Saddles (one of my father’s favorite films), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or Young Frankenstein. Actor Kenneth Mars, playing screenwriter Frank Liebkind, would go on to be the voice of Grandfather Longneck in the “Land Before Time” film series, my own childhood favorite.
It was wonderful to dive into cinematic history, as the director Mel Brooks turns ninety-nine and plans to return for a sequel to another of his classic films, Spaceballs. The breath of comedy in a short, hour-and-a-half show was astonishing. If, for whatever reason, I am not the only person in the world to have missed out on witnessing this film, be sure to step back into the yesteryear of Hollywood and watch Mel Brook’s “The Producers”.
The following evening, Michael and I ventured to the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls, New York to experience “Gutenberg the Musical”. As the father of the printing press back in the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg transformed the world through the power of the printed word. When I learned that his name would be a part of the annual performances during the Adirondack Theater Festival, I was ecstatic. I volunteer with the Friends of Crandall Library, helping to provide gently used books to others in the community and promote the power of reading. Gutenberg’s invention was, as countless historians can attest, the beginning of an information revolution.
Saturday’s performance was unique, as the Lower Adirondack Pride created a "Pride Night Out” to advertise the show and cultivate the LGBTQIA+ community to attend. Funnily enough, I had procured tickets back on Memorial Day Weekend before the “Pride Night Out” was advertised, so I was delighted the stars aligned for a grand community affair. Heading into the theater on a cool but stormy evening, we were greeted by Emily Murphy, manning the box office with a ticket tray full of tickets. I learned, through a little eavesdropping, that a Wood Theater board member is related, loosely, to Stanley Tucci. The connections to theater and the arts community in Glens Falls, New York continues to profoundly astonish me.
Our tickets scanned, concessions purchased, and raffle tickets acquired, we sat down in our assigned seats. The seats were remarkable, as we snagged front row tickets. I mentally noted the progress of overcoming anxiety, allowing me to feel comfortable witnessing the stage without any audience barrier. It was truly a lovely seat choice, and I highly recommend it to all theater goers. We sat down a few minutes before the show began, so we read through the lovingly designed playbill for the musical. Reading through the short snippets about the cast and crew was illuminating. Whether it was looking at drawings from scenic designer Sarah Beth Hall, gazing at costume designer Brittney Belz’s research renderings, or reading about actor Coby Getzug and Sam Harvey’s career, the playbill offered an exquisite look into the incredible workmanship required to create the show.
As the clock struck 7:30, Miriam Weisfeld, the Producing Artistic Director, stepped on stage to offer a warm welcome, distilling the show’s sponsors and anecdotes about the Adirondack Theatre Festival. Miriam walked off the stage, as John Alecci, playing Charles, introduces us to the starring duo, Bud Davenport, played by Coby Getzug, and Doug Simon, played by Same Harvey. They explained that this was a unique reading of their new musical, hoping that it will be picked up by a Broadway producer. Noting humorously that there might be a producer in the audience, the duo led the audience into their cursory online search into Johannes Gutenberg, noting that this musical is a “historical fiction”.
Their musical contains dozens of characters, so Bud and Doug showcased dozens of hats with character names written on each hat’s crown. During the show, the actors impressively diverse vocal prowess allows the audience a suspension of disbelief. It reminded me of an online creator Drew Talbert, who uses small visual changes and different vocal dialects to portray relatable scenarios in the restaurant world. His show, Bistro Huddy, has garnered millions of viewers, and it is intensely funny for anyone that has ever dined or worked in a restaurant.
The first act of the musical deftly moves between their original songs, with visual jokes and wordplay. Tying together a unique, though fictious, story of Gutenberg, Gutenberg’s assistant, Helvetica, the town of Schlimmer, Germany, an evil monk, it envisions a world on the precipice of widespread literacy and those in power with a desire to circumvent progress. The absurdity of the songs was hysterical, from describing delectable biscuits, eating dreams, haunted German wood, or wine presses, eliciting eruptive laughter from the entire audience. In-between songs, Bud and Doug humorously described common ideas in writing and theater like love ballads, foreshadowing, metaphors, and motifs.
Following a wonderfully performed song before the end of the first act, Tomorrow is Tonight, the theater lights illuminated, allowing the audience to stretch their legs. Michael and I walked behind the stage, marveling at the beautiful art on display. It is a part of the Tooning In Gallery, curated by local artist Anthony Richichi. I had attended Anthony’s play back in January, writing a review of the experience. If you attend any shows during the Adirondack Theatre Festival, be sure to peruse the gallery before or after each show.
The sound of a bell and flickering lights were heard and seen, indicating that the second act was starting soon. Returning to our seats, Doug and Bud appeared on stage, where they told surprising facts about each other and their previous experience in writing theatre. One of their projects, Steven King the Musical sounded fascinating though horrifying. As the second act began, Gutenberg is seen in the Rusty German pub, as witty songs about literacy reverberate throughout the stage with the song “Words, Words, Words”.
The interaction between the evil Monk and Gutenberg offers a slice of religious philosophy about God and “stuff” as well as the balance of power prior to the printing press. It is a remarkable time in human history, with massive leaps in cultural and scientific endeavors. I learned, thorough a cursory search, about the recent compendium of Print and Power in Early Modern Europe from historian Andrew Pettegree. The textbook is a seminal deep dive into the momentous time period, with the role of governments, religious authorities, and the general public dissected as humanity rapidly changes.
Doug and Bud’s musical ends with tragedy but hopeful for the future. As the final song, “We Eat Dreams,” is performed, Cam Cardinale, portraying a Broadway producer walks onto stage from the audience, revealing a bunch of papers that state, “Broadway Contract”. I learned from the production crew that each performance will have a different person with the audience that portrays a producer. The show’s preview night had Diana Palmer, local councilperson running for Mayor. Cam Cardinale, as I have previously wrote about, is the President of Lower Adirondack Pride and has been an outspoken queer person in the community for many years.
With a stage bow, the show ends, with a beautiful message, “It’s not the success that matters, it’s the dream.” The legacy of Gutenberg is truly remarkable, his vision of widespread adoption of literacy is profoundly important. Project Gutenberg, a creation by the inventor of eBooks, Michael Hart, continues to inspire accessible information to all. Michael and I enjoyed the musical that brings Johanes Gutenberg’s life, though fictious, to the stage. The comedic production is well-orchestrated and performed, cultivating a delightful experience.
As of this review’s publication, there are four shows; the last show is on July 18th. Be sure to grab tickets and see Gutenberg the Musical at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls, New York, as well as their other productions, like Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains and Ken Tingley’s The Last American Newspaper
