#1
Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:37pm
Ever found yourself, for various reasons, just smiling for an extended period of time. Well Monday night, I did. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the most fun I've had at the theatre in awhile. It's like a throwback to the old-fashioned musical comedies of the Golden Age of Broadway.
Let's start with the material. I've never seen the movie but I found the book to this show to be very witty and fast-paced. Bouncy and fun without being stupid. The score by David Yazbek is very good. I found myself humming various parts of the score throughout the day on Tuesday. Now there's always a big debate on whether hummable means good score and not-hummable means bad score. My personal opinion- it really depends on what the show calls for. This show calls for something catchy and fun and Yazbek delivers. One very smart thing he does is to never get too serious. Even most of the romantic, serious moments in the show don't stay serious for long before they get infused with a witty lyric or slapstick comedy. Jack O'Brian matches the material's fun, fast-paced style with his direction and Jerry Mitchell does some nice work with the choreography, especially in the second act.
Now let me say this- I almost had to pull myself away from the keyboard of my computer in order to hold off about writing about Norbert Leo Butz until this point in my review. This is a true breakout performance. I, like others, have really enjoyed Butz's work in shows such as The Last 5 Years, Wicked but this is his big break. He is the true star of this show. He's got a great voice, fantastic acting chops, and comic timing that is so good it occasionally stops the show. I just can't say enough about him in this show. John Lithgow is good but not great. He seems to do his best work when he's playing his "Alternate Character" while he seems disoriented and bored in his own character. His voice is servicable. Sherie Rene Scott does well in her character but doesn't truly break out until the last couple of scenes. I'll leave it there so that I don't ruin the show for people who haven't seen it. Gleason kept reminding me of Joel Grey in Wicked. While I think she did her best in the role and did very well with what she was given, her material has some weaknesses and it seems pushed. Gettelfinger also fares well with her first act production number.
Basically, it was a fun night at the theatre that kept me laughing and smiling almost all the way through.
Let's start with the material. I've never seen the movie but I found the book to this show to be very witty and fast-paced. Bouncy and fun without being stupid. The score by David Yazbek is very good. I found myself humming various parts of the score throughout the day on Tuesday. Now there's always a big debate on whether hummable means good score and not-hummable means bad score. My personal opinion- it really depends on what the show calls for. This show calls for something catchy and fun and Yazbek delivers. One very smart thing he does is to never get too serious. Even most of the romantic, serious moments in the show don't stay serious for long before they get infused with a witty lyric or slapstick comedy. Jack O'Brian matches the material's fun, fast-paced style with his direction and Jerry Mitchell does some nice work with the choreography, especially in the second act.
Now let me say this- I almost had to pull myself away from the keyboard of my computer in order to hold off about writing about Norbert Leo Butz until this point in my review. This is a true breakout performance. I, like others, have really enjoyed Butz's work in shows such as The Last 5 Years, Wicked but this is his big break. He is the true star of this show. He's got a great voice, fantastic acting chops, and comic timing that is so good it occasionally stops the show. I just can't say enough about him in this show. John Lithgow is good but not great. He seems to do his best work when he's playing his "Alternate Character" while he seems disoriented and bored in his own character. His voice is servicable. Sherie Rene Scott does well in her character but doesn't truly break out until the last couple of scenes. I'll leave it there so that I don't ruin the show for people who haven't seen it. Gleason kept reminding me of Joel Grey in Wicked. While I think she did her best in the role and did very well with what she was given, her material has some weaknesses and it seems pushed. Gettelfinger also fares well with her first act production number.
Basically, it was a fun night at the theatre that kept me laughing and smiling almost all the way through.
