GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL
GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL, Hayes Theatre Co. 15 April-10 May 2026. Photography by John Macrae: l-r Stephen Anderson and Ryan Gonzàlez
In February 2009, Stagenoise reviewed, in ecstatic terms, the first Australian production of this majorly huge Broadway musical. Inter alia, it stated that stars James Millar and David Harris had, “…produced one of the most polished, convinced and convincing comedy-musical spectaculars ever in the history of the entire universe, including the first production in 1455.”
Millar and Harris, playing Bud and Doug, cheered audiences still traumatised by the Global Financial Crisis (triggered by the USA’s subprime mortgage fiasco). Now, in 2026 and 17 years on, audiences are again living through a USA-caused global nightmare, although this time, and unbelievably, it’s worse. Plus ça change.
How good, therefore, that Stephen Anderson and Ryan González have taken up the challenge of filling a theatre with laughter for 100 minutes, including intermission. In a localised prologue, it’s divulged that Bud and Doug thought they were hiring the Hayes on Broadway (597 seats, tickets: US$115-US$700), rather than our Hayes (111 seats, and $86-$96). The budget was also kiboshed by the airfares, so, among the enforced cost savings, musical director and pianist Zara Stanton is Charles, AKA an orchestra. At the same time, Bud and Doug play everyone in the ancient town of Schlimmer.
NB: As this is a fictitious true story, don’t look for Schlimmer on Google Maps. There is only Schlimmergraben, near Wiesbaden, of which visitors write, “I once saw a chair floating there.” And another offers, “A nice spot to observe animals, quite natural despite the water’s origin.” Best to concentrate on Johannes Gutenberg – a real person about whom little is known, except that he did invent the printing press and changed the world.
The townsfolk are represented by many baseball caps with each ID printed on the front, worn in rapid succession by Bud and Doug. These include singing Rats, a pretty Nazi flower girl, Drunks 1 and 2, Beef Fat Trimmer, A Woman, Another Woman, the Boot Black, Daughter, a Dead Baby, Friend, and a lovely lass named Helvetica. And someone named Nancye…
If any of this bothers you, it’s possible you should also read the show’s Content Warning. It goes: “Gutenberg! The Musical is a satirical comedy which contains some dark humour, absurd violence, and satanic imagery.” The latter is actually a Monk who’s gone over to the dark side, so many Christians would be familiar with that trope.
As it is, Bud and Doug, played with infectious verve, perfect comic timing, and utmost seriousness, are not only best friends but also desperate to reach any financial backers who might be in the audience. As the evening goes on, songs such as “I Can’t Read”, “Biscuits”, “Monk With Me” and “Go To Hell” thrill the audience as much as the story of Gutenberg, which was made up by Bud and Doug, because no one knows much about him. He was born in Mainz and lived for years in Strasbourg, but neither rhymes with “glimmer”, hence removing him to Schlimmer.
As well as virtually endless laughter at ridiculous jokes and more silliness than can be imagined, Gutenberg! The Musical gives us a heartwarming picture of Gutenberg as an interesting person, which he clearly was not. His statue in Mainz depicts a gloomy chap with a long beard, and he’s holding the… Gutenberg Bible! And that’s where those sly dogs Anthony King and Scott Brown – the show’s creators – make some deep and meaningfuls to catch out the chortling audience.
The printing press was a disaster for the powerful, Church and State, because it gave the lower classes the reason to learn to read and then to discover things hitherto hidden from them. Education is the enemy of the ruling class, and how better to get educated than to read! The show is also about passion – for theatre, music, fun, and a kinder, more loving life than is usually found in the corporate sector.
Immaculately directed by Richard Carroll with witty support from choreographer Shannon Burns; appropriately gruesome costumes by Lily Mateljan, and a continuously revelatory set (Lochie Odgers) and lighting (Veronique Benett), Gutenberg! The Musical is everything one might want and more, including excellent sound design (Liam Roche) and sound engineering (Em-Jay Dwyer), and dialect coaching (Benjamin Purser). All these elements matter, mostly only noticed when they’re not right. In this instance, everything goes right on the night, and it’s a joy.
