Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Reviews- Page 2

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 9:48pm

What's going on with Broadway.com? Where is there review. I want Ken M to review it, not there musical theatre challenged reviewer.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:02pm

Mandelbaum operates on a different plane these days, largely disconnected from much of the current theatre happenings. He's much too valuable a musical theatre resource to be wasting time actually going to any new musical theatre. There are countless reviewers out there, but only one journalist can convince you weekly that you do in fact care deeply about shows you didn't know existed; shows no one remembers and CD's no one owns or has access to. I love that guy.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:05pm

Me too Broadway Matt. And I love Zack Morris...(Sorry, I just had to type that.)

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:12pm

Times: http://theater2.nytimes.com/2005/03/04/theater/reviews/04DIRT.html?8dpc=&pagewanted=print&position=

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:12pm

Brantley is up.

A rave for Butz.

The show...not terrible, but not so hot either.

Margo & Mattio: you're both right.

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 10:12 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:22pm

Yep, mixed-to-positive:

"IS there room on Broadway for another odd couple of singing con men? On paper, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," which opened last night at the Imperial Theater, has an awful lot in common with the musical megahit "The Producers": a mismatched pair of scam artists (one a silky veteran, one a raw rookie); a long-legged blonde as a love interest for both fellows; a bubbly score; comic homages to showbiz classics; and the aim of vaulting over the lines of good taste whenever possible.

But if you are going to court comparison with giants, you had better be prepared to stand tall. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," directed by Jack O'Brien and starring John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz as the title rogues, somehow never straightens out of a queasy slouch.

Though shot through with bawdy jokes, smirky innuendoes and a rowdy spirit of self-parody, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" seems to believe in its own brazen agenda only when Mr. Butz, a criminally talented young performer, is allowed to command the stage. And confidence, as any grifter can tell you, is the irreplaceable basis of a successful con game."
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"The problem is that none of these truly gifted folks - and let me extend that description to embrace Mr. Lithgow and Sherie Rene Scott, who plays the pigeon waiting to be plucked - are in their natural element in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,"
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"What's missing is the galvanizing, hypnotizing energy that might make you forget that these ingredients appear to have been assembled according to an oft-checked shopping list for a borrowed recipe. There is equally little evidence of the one thing that no successful double con act can do without, chemistry between its two perpetrators. In this case, that means Mr. Lithgow's rakish Lawrence and Mr. Butz's Freddy, a happy vulgarian in search of some class."
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"Summing up his friend and rival Freddy in the play's final scene, Lawrence observes, "What you lack in grace, you certainly make up for in vulgarity." These would appear to be words to live by for the creators of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." But the show just doesn't have the self-belief, not to mention the oomph, that can make vulgarity a fine art."

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 10:22 PM

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:30pm

that's my main problem with Brantley. sure he knows his stuff, but where's the passion? this review could have been generated by a template, a really sophisticated Mad Libs activity. the only time anyone gets creative is when they trash something. that's why GOOD VIBRATIONS needed to happen. that's why I still read John Simon.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:32pm

Did I miss where he mentions Gleason? Helloooooo?????

[Matt_G]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:32pm

It seriously is time for some new blood to come in and review shows for the Times.

[TGIF]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:32pm

Why is it that when I read his reviews I still have no clue what he thinks about it?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:33pm

Kuchwara from the AP -- Mixed-to-positive:

"Two con-man musicals on Broadway? Who would have thought that Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, those theatrical scamps who bilk little old ladies in "The Producers," would be joined by Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jameson, a couple of scam artists working the French Riviera in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

These new boys on the block are not quite in the same league as Max and Leo, but their shenanigans make for a reasonably entertaining time at the Imperial Theatre, where "Scoundrels" opened Thursday.

The show seems to have all the right ingredients: the steady hand of director Jack O'Brien, who worked wonders on "Hairspray"; several good tunes by composer David Yazbek of "Full Monty" fame; a steady supply of gags by book writer Jeffrey Lane; and, most notably, an exceptionally talented cast that includes John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott.

Yet "Scoundrels" never quite hits the giddy heights its predecessor climbed to with ease, and while it works very hard to do so, the effort shows.

The problem seems to lie with the uneven story, which is based on the 1988 movie starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. This stage version has a stop-and-go personality, telling several different tales of deception that interrupt each other and don't build to a satisfying conclusion.

That's not to say you won't have a good time, particularly when Butz is careering around the stage as Freddy, an obnoxious, slightly gone-to-seed elf.

Butz is a natural musical-comedy star, a genuine song-and-dance man, who knows how to fill the stage all by himself."
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"In the end, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a mixed bag of a musical, but there's enough to be savored (especially that terrific cast), so you won't feel taken."


AP Review of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

[Mattio98]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:33pm

I actually agree with Brantley on a few points including the rave for Butz and the references to golden-age musical comedies which, for all we know, he could've stolen from my review a couple of weeks ago. I also agree that Lithgow's performance is somewhat forced and unnatural for him. The big difference- I enjoyed the show a lot more than Brantley did.

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:33pm

I have absolutely no regrets about not including this on our NYC trip itinerary.

[Mattio98]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:34pm

Oh, DGrant I really wish you'd reconsider. I found this to be one of the most enjoyable nights I've had at the theatre in awhile.

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:36pm

Mattio - I'm truly glad you enjoyed it - but our slate is full, and this trip has turned into 'see a star in a classic revival', so DRS will have to wait

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:36pm

Rath --

Brantley on Gleason:

"The lyrics, also by Mr. Yazbek, drop a lot of brand names and are cheerfully, clunkily cheesy. ("If music be the food of love, he ate my smorgasbord," sings Ms. Gleason, whose delivery throughout is so deadpan as to verge on posthumous.)"

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:37pm

seriously, reading a Brantley review is kind of in the same realm as when you look at your watch, and you still don't know what time it is.

[Mattio98]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:38pm

Well put Broadway Matt. Frighteningly, this is the most specific he's been in a long time.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:40pm

Thanks Margo - I was skimming as I haven't seen it yet and don't want to ruin anything for myself, but I did skim it up and down a few times and still missed his tiny mention.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:42pm

And while I get what he's trying to say, does that line ACTUALLY make any sense?

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:54pm

He works for the Times. Does that explain anything? =D

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 11:29pm

*nods*
Alright, not too bad.

Are there any more we're still waiting on?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 11:30pm

Broadway.com -- FINALLY -- Positive, if not quite a full-out Rave:

"Scoundrels is a bouncy, slightly shameless musical packed with good songs and great performances. It's not perfect by any means, but it offers plenty of laughs and even a tiny bit of heart."

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"Lithgow, who rarely gets the chance to show off his comedic skills on stage, makes up for it here. Lawrence emits an appealing glint of self-satisfaction, favorably comparing his own well-appointed derriere to that of Michelangelo's David at one point. And while Lithgow's singing voice will never be mistaken for Caruso's, he works his way through the score with Continental style. Still, the show belongs to Butz, who finally has a Broadway show (unlike Thou Shalt Not) and a role (unlike Wicked) worthy of his gifts. The rubber-limbed actor skates very close to the edge of overacting and, one could argue, right past it now and then. (The thought of seeing this performance in a few months, after O'Brien has moved on and audiences continue to give positive feedback, is a sobering one.) But it's impossible to keep your eyes off Butz, and he backs up his comic bravura with a soaring tenor."

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"Either current "It" choreographer Jerry Mitchell is getting overextended or the subject matter just doesn't lend itself to particularly memorable dances. Gregg Barnes' costumes are similarly tentative. And Yazbek's insistence on including references in his lyrics to Xanax, Bob Guccione and so on sacrifices in complexity what it gains in topicality.

But it's hard to grumble too much about these qualms, legitimate though they are, when howls of laughter from the audience drown out entire verses of the songs. Seeing an old pro like Lithgow and young turks like Butz and Scott sin their way through a meaty, tuneful new musical goes a long way toward excusing any flaws. If you're looking for good, unclean fun, sidle up to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and hand your wallet over. "



http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=507612

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 11:30 PM

[LouW95]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 11:31pm

I am still holding to my prediction that DRS and Spamalot will not run as long as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Remember how Passion received all the raves and awards when it ran against Beauty & The Beast? Well 10 years later only a few theatre lovers remember Passion while Beauty rolls along. I truly feel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will outlast every other musical opening this season no matter what the reviews or how it does at the Tony Awards. It will appeal to more categories of ticket buyers. I hope every show sells tickets and keeps us theatre folk working! However, ticket prices around $100. make a night at the theatre an investment for the average family.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 11:31pm

Very cool. Very cool indeed.