In theater, the story is in the telling.
Steve Guttenberg’s story, which covers his acting career, his encounters with Hollywood stars, and his closeness to his family, is not particularly unusual or fascinating. Unique as his life might be to Guttenberg, its details sound familiar to us.
What makes the story, and the play that contains it, “Tales from the Guttenberg Bible,” a non-stop entertaining delight is the direct and charming manner in which Guttenberg, abetted by three madcap sidekicks who together play 90 characters, relates it.
Coming on stage at New Brunswick’s George Street Playhouse as he is today, seemingly without costume in an open-collared blue dress shirt over blue jeans and nondescript well-worn shoes, Guttenberg is a natural raconteur who amuses without appearing to exert the slightest effort.
Throughout “Tales,” Guttenberg talks about how profusely he sweats and how often that proclivity has been noticed by co-stars ranging from Laurence Olivier to Genie Francis, yet he breezes through his 90-minute show cucumber cool, not a bead of perspiration showing. (I looked for rivulets and pit stains. None anywhere.)
Guttenberg’s narration is an easygoing kibbitz with highly comic intervals and moments of sentiment towards the parents who supported him from the time he forewent college to seek stardom in L.A. at age 18 through the years he was, with Gene Hackman, rated the busiest actor in show business.
Guttenberg’s approach is as simple as his costume. He remains himself, at his current age, 64 until August, and maintains a constantly matter-of-fact tone throughout the show. He comes across as genuine, artless, and straightforward while having a knack for being ironic and self-effacing. This is a guy who has enjoyed a life he, in ways, forced into being, and he celebrates his luck and success with good-spirited humor.
Steve Guttenberg is flat-out likeable. He makes his “Tale” fun. You want to listen to it. You savor the anecdotes. You enjoy the uncomplaining friendliness that exudes every sequence. You’re happy for Guttenberg that he had a career as congenial as his personality.
While Guttenberg keeps his delivery engagingly simple, his supporting cast is changing wigs, costumes, and characters with reckless abandon. Some of the wardrobe moves are so fast, the actors mutter, “I’m too old for this” or “Hold your horses, I’m out of breath” as they go through their paces.
Arnie Burton, Carine Montbertrand, and Dan Domingues create an exhilarating circus around Guttenberg in the same way Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, and others brought zaniness to the life of Mary Tyler Moore.
Whether they’re playing serial agents, producers, Hollywood stars, or Guttenberg’s cheerful, cheering parents, Burton, Montbertrand, and Domingues find the perfect comic thread that makes each of their appearances anticipated and welcome.
While this trio does the heavy lifting so Guttenberg, in contrast, can relax, Guttenberg, as author of this world premiere, provides them with some sharp one-liners and gems of sarcasm each of them nails every time.
Director David Saint keeps all moving with neat efficiency. “Tales from the Guttenberg Bible” goes by seamlessly with constant laughs, fine physical bits, and knowing wit. Saint is also pitch perfect in knowing when to aim for kitsch, lampoon, or slapstick and when to let some heart or sincerity shine through.
The piece, already booked for the Hamptons’ Bay Street Theater this summer, is ready for travel. I would not be surprised to see it next season off-Broadway.
About the only criticism I have of Guttenberg’s script is its toying with chronology. For instance, Guttenberg mentions being passed over by Robert Redford for “Ordinary People” after he talks about working in “Cocoon” and being considered for “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Not that it makes a huge difference but “Cocoon” and “Spider Woman” were released in 1985 while “Ordinary People” received its Oscar as Best Picture in 1980.
This is not a grievous error — it’s actually a common one in shows from “Jersey Boys” to “Tina: The Musical” — but people who know movies will notice it. The most interesting bit of film history is how pantheon critic Pauline Kael saved the Barry Levinson classic, “Diner,” from moldering on a reluctant studio’s shelf.
The only other thing I might advise Guttenberg to do is rethink the show’s ending. It takes a different tone from the rest of his material, a maudlin sentimental tone I, in charity and empathy, would want to grant him but which rankles because while sweet and heartfelt, it veers too fast and too far from all “Tales” has been.
The ending honors a specific character and influence in Guttenberg’s life. The honor is more than deserved, but it comes off as a wrong note and needs to be wedged someplace where it fits better within the piece’s ambiance so it doesn’t alter mood or pace so starkly and suddenly.
Meanwhile it’s great to see the panoply of Hollywood types that populate Guttenberg’s story. The dozen agents he meets are played in a similar fashion that never goes stale. Guttenberg shows the love he has for his co-stars by including bits in which film actor Richard Widmark shows the kindness of a veteran towards a newcomer, and noted Broadway and film performers Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn offer practical guidance to a young actor about his future. There’s also a shrewd visit from Guttenberg’s “Three Men and a Baby” film co-stars Ted Danson and Tom Selleck.
As supports, Arnie Burton finds myriad ways to crack up the audience. He plays several types as “Tales” unfolds, from dapper to daft, and he gives each a distinctive persona. Carine Montbertrand is likewise a chameleon who can be a snide pessimist one moment and young glamorous television star the next. And Dan Domingues matches his castmates in versatility, using his matinee idol looks as appropriately and hilariously as deftly as he plays characters that make him almost unrecognizable.
Caite Hevner keeps her set as simple as Guttenberg keeps his delivery. It uses easily openable and easily slammable windows to good use and confines decoration to two giant bits of unspooling film in a “V” shape point stage left and right. She also provides projections that work to provide visual variation but, because of the angle of the film spools, cannot be completely seen from any but center seats.
Lisa Zinni’s costumes are fun and say “Hollywood” or “Long Island” when required. Joe Saint’s lighting directs you to Burton, Montbertrand, and Domingues’s antics as Guttenberg is fixed center stage.
Tales from the Guttenberg Bible, George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Through Sunday, May 21, Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m., and Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, 2 p.m. $25 to $100. 732-246-7717 or www.georgestreetplayhouse.org.
