Playing Against Type: 'Gutenberg! The Musical'

"THIS IS PROBABLY the most important play the audience is probably ever going to see in their entire lives," John Sadowsky says of "Gutenberg! The Musical," which he is directing at Landless Theatre.

Such a statement is a comic exaggeration to everyone but the two characters in this play within a play. A clever piece of meta theater written by Scott Brown and Anthony King, "Gutenberg!" involves two would-be writers, Bud and Doug, presenting their vision of the life of Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, to an audience of potential backers.

Bud and Doug, played by brothers Andrew and Matt Baughman, must play every character in their very large cast, including the titular hero, a busty heroine named Helvetica, an evil monk named Monk, and the entire population of fictional Schlimmer, Germany.

They accomplish this feat with cardboard boxes, chairs and lots of baseball caps with the characters' names written on them.

According to Sadowsky, directing the brothers was relatively easy. "There's not a whole lot to do as a director," he admits. "I feel almost guilt taking credit for directing it."

"Gutenberg!" is not just a comedy; it's a comedy marathon. The brothers sing, dance, talk directly to the audience and perform feats of physical comedy. Accompanying them is Landless musical director Charles Johnson, whose deadpan demeanor contrasts nicely with Andrew and Matt's unflaggingly frenetic performances.

"It's fun, but it's tiring," says Matt Baughman. "We get a good workout."

» D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW; through April 6, $18; landlesstheatrecompany.org.

Written by Express contributor Stephen M. Deusner
Photo by Amanda Williams Photography