First I need to say make an important theatrical clarification: Off-Broadway's adorable and hilarious musical, 'Gutenberg! The Musical!,' is not – I repeat, not! – about 80s actor, Steve Guttenberg. It's much, much smarter than THAT could EVER be.

And did I mention it has hats? Lots of 'em. No?

This charming and delightful musical is about a pair of wannabe Broadway musical composers who perform a backers' audition of their show about Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of ... well ... um ... the printing press. (We, the audience, are the potential backers -- the people who could give the boys the cash to mount their show -- for whom they're performing.) The two performers act and sing all 30-or-so roles themselves, all with the help of baseball caps as a vehicle for changing characters.

One of its two stars, David Turner, is just as charming and delightful as the show itself. When I caught up with the actor the other day on the phone, I discovered that he wears just as many hats in his real life as he does in the show.

The 32-year-old out actor grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey and, even as a kid, he wanted to act. "In the second grade, I remember wanting to be in a toothpaste commercial." What's a parent to do? Sign their kid up for acting classes, of course, and take that kid to see some good old-fashioned theatre. "My first two shows were 'Pirates of Penzance' and 'Peter Pan.' And I loved 'Little Shop of Horrors.' But there are a couple of shows that I'll never forgive my mom for not taking me to go see. I was devastated that I missed 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Sunday in the Park with George.'"

Going to the theatre was one thing, but acting in the theatre was another -- and Mom put her foot down. "I wanted to go into the city to be a child actor. But my mom said I could only be an actor when I could drive myself across the George Washington Bridge. She didn't want to be stage mom and she didn't want me to be child actor."

He put his budding career on hold and eventually went to Williams College and studied English and Music. It was there that his interest in music (and composing musicals) also peaked. "I just think it's a gene. Musicals either speak to you or they frustrate you. And they just speak to me." And while he's always casually dabbled in writing musicals, he decided to take it seriously and got into the coveted BMI Workshop in the fall of 2002. (Real-life hat count: 1 for composer.)

A year before BMI, David actually made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's Tony Award-winning play, 'The Invention of Love,' about a man who loves the classics but can't love other people. And he got the role by fate. "I got that part because I was the reader at Lincoln Center. When they were casting Wendy Wasserstein's play, 'Old Money' in 2000, one of the guys who I worked with asked me if I happened to know Latin." Latin is spoken in the play, you see. "And I did – I took it for seven years – and THAT'S why I got the part." (Real-life hat count: 2 for composer and Latin-speaking Broadway actor.)

The experience for him was incredible, even though he had only one line in the entire play. "I was 26 and it was heaven. I would have moved scenery – and I did! [Director] Jack [O'Brien] created a sense of occasion, especially for us young guys. We were allowed to actually ENJOY the experience."

Theatre queen alert! Some of you might also know David from his fey-angel-who-danced-with-skeletons role as "Winston" in the notorious 2005 Broadway flop, 'In My Life,' which had a niche following, especially among gay theatergoers. (Real-life hat count: 3 for composer, Broadway actor and survivor of Broadway flop.)

For those of you who might not know, 'In My Life' was like our modern-day 'Carrie' or 'Moose Murders' -- reviled by critics and (sort of) loved by (a small group of) people. Do a YouTube search and check it out. Seriously, the show was nuts; I can't even describe the plot. (It should also be noted that I saw the show twice. Twice! There. I said it.)

Of the show, which played only 61 performances, David has no regrets. "It was the most creative experience of my life. What was beautiful about it – and the reason I think gay people felt attached to it – was that it was full of unintentional camp. The unconscious reason gay people found it exquisite was because everyone in the cast was struggling so honestly to make something out of their part, to make it true. And we did. Some days it was a hoot and other days it was very hard. The show just didn't please a lot of people. And I got a thicker skin by doing that show. The bottom line is, we all knew it was going to be one of the most unusual theatrical experiences ever – and that's why we all did it. You don't get a prize for being cautious. Getting on Broadway in a flop is just as amazing as being in a hit."

But a hit WAS in the cards for the actor. His next gig was with the national tour of the Tony Award-winning juggernaut, 'Spamalot' (where he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award). The experience of living on the road had its up's and down's. "I liked the social aspect of it; it was sort of like college. But I felt disconnected from my friends who don't work in the theatre."

David's interests go well beyond acting and composing; they also extend to filmmaking. He's completed a 75-minute short film ("I guess it's not so short, huh?") titled 'The Debut' which he describes as "a modern-day 'All About Eve'." He made the movie while he was in 'Spamalot' where he "exploited" as many actors with him on tour as he could. (Real-life hat count: 4 for composer, Broadway actor, survivor of Broadway flop and resourceful filmmaker.)

And now, after only eight rehearsals, he's acting and singing his heart out in 'Gutenberg!' in a performance that is nuanced, funny, honest and sublimely sweet. And what is a deceptively simple show poses its own challenges. Namely, those damn hats. (You'll have to see the show to understand what all this hat business is about.) "I do the organizing and the stacking of the hats. You have to be in two completely different states of mind: hyper-organized and precise because of the hats and you have to be free and silly. I feel mentally worked out afterwards."

David also thinks the show is a shoe-in for a gay audience, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. "Gay people love this show. It has huge heart but it also has heapin' helping of irony. We all are trained to read signals. But gay people understand those signals. They've had to read them from when they're young."

David came out at the age of 18 and he makes no apologies about who he is. "I had gotten some advice not to come out when I was young, but I quickly disregarded it when I was 25 because I think being gay is fun. And I don't want to be a movie star." (Real-life hat count: 5 for composer, Broadway actor, survivor of Broadway flop, resourceful filmmaker and out-and-proud gay guy.)

And it's good news for us that he loves the stage. "Wendy Wasserstein wrote, 'There's nothing more human than sharing a laugh with strangers in the dark.' And that's so true. The theatre is about not feeling lonely, and I think that's why gay people love it. There's cooperation involved; it's the audience being quiet and paying attention, laughing and connecting with people they don't know. And there's a sense of belonging."

So what's in the future for this talented actor? "I want to open to be surprised. I always have one foot in and one foot out of a lot of things. I mean, I have a lot of theatre friends who are much more focused and I admire that about them. If I was so single-minded I might be farther along. But it just isn't me. I think I'll be going back and forth as much as I can."

Well, keep on truckin' along, David ... in whichever hat you choose to wear, on stage or in life.

'Gutenberg! The Musical!' is playing through June 3rd at the Actors Playhouse in New York City. For more information, log on to www.gutenbergthemusical.com. (Trust me, you'll thank me for sending you.)



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Calling all you theatre lovin' peeps! I'm here for YOU! Share your favorite show story, ask me a question, quiz me on 'Starlight Express' or 'The Wedding Singer' or tell me you hate or love my bio photo. E-mail me at SanfordMarcus@aol.com.

Up next week: I'll tell you about my brekky with Tony Award-winning set designer, Scott Pask.