GREENE – From Aug. 13 - 30, the real Johann Gutenberg will be rolling over in his grave as “Gutenberg! The Musical!” takes stage at Chenango River Theatre. 

Doug and Bud are two dolts who have set out to musicalize quite possibly the least musical event in history - the invention of the printing press.  “Gutenberg! The Musical!” is a disastrously inaccurate, hopelessly over-ambitious and hilariously incompetent backers’ audition for their new project.  

In this inspired parody of Broadway bombast, the two aspiring playwrights play all 30 characters in order to pitch their new project - a big, splashy musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg, the evil monk who tries to stop him, and the beautiful woman who loves him. 

Their performance features humor both high and low, endearing characterizations, clever use of props, and hilariously awful dance moves.  It truly is the Dumb and Dumber of musicals.  The somewhat risque humor occasionally deals with semi-tasteless topics, but always in a light way - think vintage Mel Brooks or Monty Python. 

In order to portray all the characters they’ve created, Doug and Bud don different baseball caps with printed character names, and with an unending supply of enthusiasm, sing 16 songs and play all 30 parts in their silly historical epic, with the hope that one of the producers in attendance will give them a Broadway contract - fulfilling their ill-advised dreams.