Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tour Review 12/09/06

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 12:04am

Having been a BIG fan of the cast recording of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, I was very excited to be able to catch the National Tour during it's run in Miami. I am happy to report that I was not dissapointed!

One of the strongest assets of the touring production is it's (for the most part) stellar cast. Both Tom Hewitt and Timothy Gulan were fantastic as Lawrence and Freddy. Hewitt had the confidence and charm of the character nailed perfectly, and Gulan sounded so much like Norbert Leo Butz that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was him (they even look a bit alike too.)

Hollis Resnik was absolutely marvelous as Muriel. Every time she came on, her energy just lit up the stage, and she made what could have been an annoying character completely memorable. Jennifer Foote did a respectable turn as Jolene. She wasn't as good as Sara Gettlefinger (who is?,) but she held her own very well and made "Oklahoma?" the fun crowd pleaser it's meant to be. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Drew McVety, who, as Andre, is deffinetly the show's weak link. He dropped almost every joke he had early on, and "Chimp in a Suit" fell completely flat. It wasn't until the second act when he got his scenes with Resnik that he showed any sense of life, and their chemistry was the only redeeming thing about his performance.

The highlight of the show, however, is no doubt Laura Marie Duncan as Christine. I had heard from multiple people who saw the show in New York that Duncan was even better than Sherie Renee Scott, and I have to say I can see why. From her amazing singing to her astounding stage presence and comedic timing, Duncan stole the show. I don't see how anyone (including Sherie) could out-do her in this role.

The sets were gorgeous, and the revolve was extremely well utalized. It's a shame they are reportedly cutting back the staging in a few weeks, because the visual aspect of the show was deffinetly impressive.

One of the only problems I had was with "The Only Game In Town," the new opening number. Although I agree with most in that the song fits the plot of the show better, I didn't like it at all and it was just boring. I really missed "Giving Them What They Want," which was alot more fun.

Overall, I would deffinetly reccomend the National Tour of DRS to anyone looking for a good show. It sure was a riot!

Updated On: 12/10/06 at 12:04 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 12:08am

Is the tour shutting down this weekend?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 12:10am

I believe there is one more Florida stop and then they are shutting it down temporarily for the revisions.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 12:10am

Updated On: 12/10/06 at 12:10 AM

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 1:04am

AWWWW!!! YAY Laura! She's fantastic!

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 7:56am

Laura is an absolutely amazing performer. She has taken this role that Sherie did so well on Broadway and taken it to another level. She is by far the best Christine.

Updated On: 12/10/06 at 07:56 AM

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 9:53am

I'm glad to hear its doing so well.
Pity it'll be scaled back by the time it gets to me.

[ACTlete676]

Posted: 12/10/06 at 4:48pm

awsome review!

it will be interesting to see what they change, yet again