Tales from the Guttenberg Bible is the final offering in what has been a fabulous season at the George Street Playhouse. The show is the autobiographical story of Steve Guttenberg‘s life as an actor. It is cleverly performed on a set that allows four actors to play 90 different roles. The rapid change of time periods and characters helps this show move quickly yet tell a story that is fun to watch with an underlying poignant theme.
On Opening Night, George Street’s Artistic Director, David Saint, told the audience that several years ago, producer Julian Schlossberg approached him to see if he had an interest in working on a new stage script by Steve Guttenberg. He was intrigued about the project so work began. What started as a 320 page manuscript is now approximately 62 pages. It certainly seems like the right length as the show runs just about 90 minutes with no intermission.
Mr. Saint is also the Director of this production. He graciously shared some information about the star, Steve Guttenberg, who he said is a regular, nice guy. And that down to earth attitude makes this show so enjoyable to watch. Guttenberg’s stage presence is warm and welcoming as he tells his story. There’s a sincerity that shine through from him to the audience that makes you feel like he’s telling his story directly to you. Using the term professional life is limiting here because he really does go into more than that. It’s a portrait of how important family is to him as well.
From Long Island to Hollywood
The story begins when Steve graduates high school in his Long Island hometown and decides to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. So two days after graduation he’s on a plane, flying out to Hollywood with somewhat of a blessing from his parents.
The blessing is in the form of giving him two weeks to make it out there. He’s agreeable to that concept until at the end of two weeks, he is just getting started so the two weeks gets extended to two months and it goes on and on from there.
Upon arriving in Hollywood, Steve stays with a family friend who arranges for him to meet an agent. He immediately lands work in commercials. This allows the calls to his parents to be a bit more reassuring. Yes, he has work, yes it is acting. Maybe not big work but work that leads to some small acting parts. Was he just at the right place at the right time? It appears to be a lot more than that. He’s definitely a talent and the talent is seen and developed. He is encouraged and his work continues.
Steve tells some funny stories about the early times in his career. One story is about how he figured a way to break into the Paramount Studios Lot. Once in, he locates a vacant office space and he claims it as his own. Then there is the first time he was on the Merv Griffin show – he was tense and perspired a lot. This reference to the tension comes up quite a bit in the early years and it is done with a grain of humor to it.
Many Agents, Managers, and Hollywood Life
As the story progresses, we learn that Steve had a number of agents and managers at various points in his career. He also meets some very interesting Hollywood characters along the way. To help illustrate that, the other three cast members play a variety of roles. The notes from the show indicate 90 characters are in this show. I didn’t try to count them as they were running through but there were an amazing amount of small costume changes that took place. These numerous roles are delightfully played by Arnie Burton, Dan Domingues, and Carine Montbertrand.
Some characters are only on for one quick walk on and then they go off, but others remain throughout the entire show, including, Mr. Guttenberg‘s mother and father. They are consistent throughout the production. In many ways, Tales from the Guttenberg Bible is a love letter to his family particularly to his father. It is extremely touching at the end, when he pays tribute to his father, who passed away a few years ago. The closeness between father and son is evident. This is one of the most touching scenes in the show.
Major Success Arrives
We see when Steve made it into a major motion picture, The Boys From Brazil with Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck. From that recognition, he attracted a variety of leading roles including the film classic Diner (1983). Next came Police Academy (1984) which turned into a series of sequels and continues to be one of the highest earning film franchises ever.
Another major moment came in 1985 Guttenberg appeared in the heart warming story, Cocoon. Agents are still coming and going but by 1987, the Disney film Three Men and a Baby sees Steve as one of the three leads.
If it seems like he was a busy actor, you are right. In fact, Guttenberg has the record for most original films to go to franchises in film history, and appearing in the most films in The Screen Actors Guild from 1980-1990. This is reflected in the play by this scurry of constant activity and people in and out. Eventually, he decides that he has to go home for awhile and reunite with his family.
Set Design for Tales from the Guttenberg Bible
The set is cleverly designed so that there are two prominent pieces of scenery that form an upside down type triangle. Behind it is the screen that displays scenes from some of the movies that Guttenberg has made.
Oddly, though there is a type of gauze material that hangs in front of that screen, and it kind of defers some of the ability to see some of the pictures. However one of the most clever parts of the set are small windows that open on each of these side pieces.
This allows the actors to poke their heads out and present moments from his life. This is another device that plays uses to allow the action to continue at a very good pace. There’s not a sluggish moment in the show at all. It moves at a very fast pace and keeps the audience interested.
Final Thoughts on Tales from the Guttenberg Bible
For anyone who is a fan of Steve Guttenberg, this is a must see. You will learn a lot about him and how he views his work and his life. It is a pleasure to see how important family is to him. Although he is a megastar, he remains true to himself and his ideals. This is a joy to see.
For people who are interested in what happens to actors and all they go through then this is a definite must see for you also. The highs, the lows, they are all shown in Tales from the Guttenberg Bible.
This show runs now through May 21, 2023.
Tickets begin at $25 and are now on sale. For subscriptions and group discount information visit www.GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org or call 732-246-7717.
