Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the exciting, new comedy Tales From The Guttenberg Bible, a sparkling narrative written by and starring film star Steve Guttenberg, will be the season finale of Bay Street’s 2023 Mainstage Season, following the postponement of Terrence McNally’s Master Class.
Tales from The Guttenberg Bible will be presented as a co-production with George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and joins Double Helix and Dial M For Murder as the third and final show of the 2023 Mainstage Season, with performances August 1–August 20. Subscriptions for the 2023 Season are now on sale and remain the only way to get the best seats for the best price.
Tales from the Guttenberg Bible, is a farcical, laugh-out-loud story written by and starring veteran screen actor Steve Guttenberg (Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, Cocoon). This hilarious journey from the Guttenberg’s family home on Long Island to the glamour of Hollywood as told by Guttenberg himself—how he broke into the Paramount Lot, to his run-ins with everyone from Paul Reiser to Tom Selleck, Brian Dennehy to Merv Griffin. It would be an unbelievable tale, if it wasn’t true (mostly).
Says Steve Guttenberg, “This story has been swirling around my brain for years and I’ve gotten it out in pieces but now I feel the tale must be told. My aim is to entertain and for people to learn what an actor really does to break in, break out and grab opportunity when the door opens,” he adds. “It’s a Valentine to my family, friends, and Hollywood. I have much to be grateful for and can’t wait to share it all with a live audience!”
Bay Street’s Artistic Director, Scott Schwartz, says, “While we are sorry we won’t get to share Master Class with our audience in 2023, we do hope to find an opportunity to do so in the future. But we are beyond thrilled to bring the incredible Steve Guttenberg and his hilarious new play to Sag Harbor. I love Steve’s movies and I can’t wait to see him live on our stage joined by an uproarious cast playing 90 roles. This summer, the stars will be shining brightly at Bay Street!”
Steve Guttenberg made his acting debut in 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), which was chosen by Vanity Fair as the Best Film of the Last Thirty Years, and the broad comedy, Police Academy (1984) which continues to be one of the highest earning film franchises ever. In 1985 Guttenberg’s fame increased with Cocoon, a life-affirming film of the highest order. The science fiction genre continued with Short Circuit (1986), John Badham’s groundbreaking artificial intelligence film. Steve worked opposite Isabelle Hupert in Curtis Hansen’s Bedroom Window (1986), the heralded Hitchcockian thriller. In 1987, Disney released Three Men and a Baby, Leonard Nimoy’s popular movie about bachelors raising a child. The film went on to announce itself as the number one grossing film of the year and provided a successful sequel. On the legitimate stage, Guttenberg appeared in The Boys Next Door (1993) in London’s West End, Prelude to a Kiss (1995) on Broadway, and Furthest From The Sun (2000) at the June Lune Theatre in Minneapolis. Guttenberg also played Henry Percy in 20150 The Hudson Warehouse Theatre’s production of Henry IV. He has produced an Emmy-nominated television special, Gangs, performed in the original Miracle On Ice, and also ABC’s The Day After, still one of the most watched television events of this century. Steve has written The Guttenberg Bible, a comedic account of his first ten years in the film industry, and The Kids from DISCO, a superhero children’s book relating a story about his nieces and nephews. He guested on Veronica Mars, Party Down, Community and Law and Order (as every N.Y. actor should). Guttenberg has the record for most original films to go to franchises in film history, and for appearing in the most films in The Screen Actors Guild from 1980-1990, tying Gene Hackman. He received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and continues to learn and study his beloved craft.
The 2023 Mainstage Season is made possible, in part, by The Shubert Foundation and New York State Council on the Arts; Hollander Design Landscape Architects; Maggio Environmental; Northwell Health; Peconic Landing; The Awning Company; and Weill Cornell Medicine.
Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center, which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. It serves as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.
