THE FIZZ COMES WITH EXTRA ZIP IN "GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!"

By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com

 

 

What a great introduction to an exciting idea. The budding new Southern Arizona Performing Arts Company of musical theater performers, working in collaboration with Unscrewed Theater and Not Those Wright Brothers, sure know how to put the fun into fund raising.

 

Whipping up a frenzy of facetiousness, gonzo brothers Tyler Wright and Carson Wright never stop moving in their two-person, high-octaine performance of “Gutenberg! The Musical!” penned for posterity by Anthony King and Scott Brown.

If that production sounds familiar, it is. Tucson's own Wright brothers first put it on the boards last summer for a completely different reason.

Now, eager to get SAPAC off to a rocket-launch start (Carson is also directing the company's season-opening production “[title of show]”), the two boys fired up this jim dandy of a kick-off Special Engagement Fund Raiser.

Although “Gutenberg!” is designed to be a bare-bones stage event with no costumes, no sets and no orchestra, it is chock full of choreography and seemingly random movement that, to the untrained eye, becomes over-the-top silliness and absurdity.

To pull off the unexpected, this pair of willing lads isn't just thinking outside the box, they are thinking outside the theater, and across the parking lot for a pizza to go. It's not for nothing the program lists them as the directors and designers.

Johann Gutenberg, as hardly anyone remembers, invented the printing press sometime around 1440. At the time of this history-changing event, he was operating a wine press.

At least in here he is. This is, after all, the kind of show that has inspired theatter critics to write “goofball,” “knucklehead” and “hairbrained.”

The set-up of a play-within-a-play begins with Bud Davenport (Carson) and Doug Simon (Tyler) making a stage pitch to several potential producers who are presumably scattered about in the audience.

Then comes their story of Guttenberg. To keep all the characters straight Bud and Doug wear a couple of dozen baseball caps with the characters' names written on the front.

With a running time of 90 minutes including intermission, they also fit 13 songs into the manic madness. From a dark corner of the stage Khris Dodge plays keyboard acompaniment.

There is kind of a plot involving Gutenberg, his girlfriend Helvetica and the town monk (he doesn't like the idea of mere villagers learning to read; Gutenberg doesn't think Helvetica is his type).Other problems arise and complications ensue. Along the way lots of inside jokes are made about musial theatre traditions. For a night of madcap hilarity, this is the ticket. A chance to become a part of Tucson's musical theater future.

For this fund raising event at Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Blvd., show times are a bit uneven, with five performances between Aug. 17-25. They are: Saturday, Aug 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18, at 2 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 24, and Sunday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $25 general admission; $20 military, students, teachers.

Season tickets for all three shows and the fund raiser, $75.

All seats are reserved.

Please note, some jokes might be considered a bit racey. SAPAC suggests a PG-13 rating.

For details and reservations, www.sapactucson.org,boxoffice@sapactucson, or call 520-780-6119.