The original stars of The Book of Mormon together again, in a hilarious new musical about an unintentionally hilarious new musical!
Need we say more? Okay we will! Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells – who became pretty famous on Broadway and then extremely super famous out in Hollywood – are coming back to their musical theater roots, putting on a show together because they just love each other so damn much. And what did they pick? A hilarious new musical from the guys who wrote Beetlejuice and the guy who directed Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge. It’s the story of two best pals named Bud and Doug who put on a show together because they just love each other so damn much. It’s art imitating life imitating art! And it’s the funniest thing to come to Broadway since 1448! (Which is the year the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, who is the subject of the musical that Bud and Doug write, but that’s not important right now.)
The result suggests a cross between Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman and the beloved cult musical [title of show], which also began at the New York Musical Festival in the 2000s. Affection is the key that opens the show’s comedy: As ridiculous as Doug and Bud may be, you feel for these guys and even root for them. As stupid as their historical musical may be, you can’t deny that they’ve got heart.
Rannells and Gad once again make a terrific pair of unlikely pals and earn many laughs. However, “Gutenberg!” was intended to be what the Polish theater theorist Jerzy Grotowski termed “Poor Theater,” built upon minimal production values and maximized imagination. On Broadway, it feels both overdone (with an elaborate set invoking an empty stage, instead of an actual empty stage, and a band instead of a single piano, losing its original charm) and undercooked (a slight, overextended, and rudimentary comic routine).
Rush Tickets:
Price: $40
Where: Rush tickets will be available every day when the Jones Theatre box office opens, on a first-come, first-served basis. The box office opens Tuesday through Saturday at 10 AM ET and Sunday at 12 PM ET.
Limit: Two per customer.
Restrictions: Seat locations and the number of tickets available are subject to availability and determined at the discretion of the box office.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $45
Where: https://rush.telecharge.com/
When: The digital lottery opens at 12 AM ET, one day before the performance. Winners will be drawn that same morning at 10 AM ET and then later that afternoon at 3 PM ET.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Tickets are non-transferable and subject to availability.
Standing Room:
Price: $40
Where: Standing room tickets will be available when shows are sold out at the Jones Theatre box office opens, on a first-come, first-served basis. The box office opens Tuesday through Saturday at 10 AM ET and Sunday at 12 PM ET.
Limit: Two per customer.
Restrictions: Subject to availability.
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