Broadway is getting a The Book of Mormon reunion: OG stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells will reunite in the Broadway debut of Beetlejuice book writers Scott Brown and Anthony King's Gutenberg! The Musical, playing a limited 20-week engagement at the James Earl Jones Theatre beginning September 15 and opening October 12. Returning to direct after staging the musical's 2006 Off-Broadway run is Alex Timbers.
Watch Gad and Rannells describe the show in a promotional video below.
The performance will be Rannells' first Broadway engagement since starring in The Boys in the Band in 2018, and Gad's first since his Tony-nominated turn (opposite Rannells) in 2011's The Book of Mormon.
"It’s been 12 years since I’ve been on a Broadway stage," says Gad in a statement. "And after 12 years, the only person who would agree to take the stage with me again was my co-star from 12 years ago. I am grateful that Andrew Rannells said yes, because I really didn’t have the energy to do a one-man show. Together, he and I have joined an all-star team that includes the director of Moulin Rouge, the producer of the Star Trek films, and a rag tag collection of other Mad Lib credentials that should excite, invigorate, and slightly confuse eager audiences. But one thing will be clear… not since the invention of the printing press has the name ‘Gutenberg’ held such promise. And as a team, we intend to honor the man who is directly responsible for the mass production of our show’s Playbills."
"After years of relentless stalking and countless restraining orders, Josh Gad has finally gotten me to agree to share the stage with him again. I decided it was best to just give in and honestly, it feels right to be reunited with my onstage missionary companion. Also, it was clear he would not leave me alone until I said yes," adds Rannells.
The show presents a two-person performance of a musical about the inventor of the printing press, a harried backer's audition for an (until now) potential Broadway run. With just some rudimentary Google searches as their source, the duo delve into the world of historical fiction rather than the true story of Johannes Gutenberg. Gad and Rannells will play all the roles in what, ultimately, is a zany send-up of musical theatre.
Gutenberg! The Musical began as a project at NYC comedy group Upright Citizen's Brigade and later New York Musical Theatre Festival. A 2006 Off-Broadway bow received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lortel Award nominations, and was followed by numerous other stagings around the world.
The Broadway run will feature scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Emily Rebholz (who designed the 2006 Off-Broadway production as well), lighting design by Jeff Croiter, and sound design by Cody Spencer and M.L. Dogg. Rachel Sterner will be production stage manager, and casting is by C12 Casting. Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Patrick Catullo, Bad Robot Live, Seth A. Goldstein, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Kristin Caskey, and Mike Isaacson are producing.
"We always said there’s no way we’d do our show about two dreamers hoping to go to Broadway ON Broadway unless Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, and Alex Timbers did it with us. And dammit, they called our bluff," say Brown and King in a joint statement. "And we couldn’t be more thrilled. That our warped little valentine to musical theatre will have the chance to reach a Broadway audience—it means the world to us.”
