DRS- Not Impressed

[Elphie]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 11:40pm

Today with kids from my college I went to go warm up the last row in the Imperial Theatre at the Sunday matinee performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Now I was really excited for this show because it has had a pretty good build up and it does have the Tony Award Winner Best Actor for this season, but let me just say I wasnt that amazed or impressed by this show.
I think the weakest part was the score. Not one good catchy song. Some of the songs were fun, but most were weak. I got lost in them- found myself staring at the set during ballads.
The show also reminded me of the Producers in some odd way- in its humor. Well, a weaker version. Something was just missing in all the scenes- may be there were too many- I found myself getting bored a lot.
I did highly enjoy Norbert Leo Butz. He had on-the-nose comic timing and he is perfectly disgusting in his part. This was his best role by far. He def. deserved his Tony. He owns that stage. John Lithgow, I could have done without. I dont think he did that much with the role and I usually love John Ligthgow. I just found him dry. Sherie Renee the same- she played the role just as she played Debbie and Amneris. I love her, but other than her great range being displayed in this role, she didnt blow me away. Sara Gettlefinger needed a bigger part. She was the only other person besides Norbert I enjoyed.
But those are just some thoughts- Does anyone agree or Disagree? I did however enjoy the set, costumes, and laughed at many of the jokes. Mostly Norbert. If he wasnt in this show, I would have been upset.
Sorry this is badly written- its Late and I'm oh so tired, but tell me what you think!

[zzannahk]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 11:42pm

there are some great parts in this show, but i just felt that it moved very slowly. i was getting bored at some parts. maybe they could condense it.

[BillFinn]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 11:51pm

I agree 100%. I would have left at Intermission had I not spent so much money on them.

[filmgirl325]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 11:56pm

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the show that much...but I am glad that you acknowledged how amazing Norbert is in that show...his performance really heightened my overall enjoyment of the show. The one thing I don't agree with you on is the amount of catchy numbers...I listen to the cast recording quite a bit and I often find myself humming "Great Big Stuff," "Here I Am," and "Nothing is to Wonderful to Be True," among others. I thought the show was a lot of fun. I think it's better than The Producers. I really think the show is just a great showcase for the talents of Norbert Leo Butz, which for me was worth the price of the ticket.

[mickey2]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 11:56pm

i agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of this particular
musical....I kept asking myself...why is this production a MUSICAL??? The songs never really forwarded the plot in any way.
I should state that i am a HUGE fan of the movie, and although
i didn't want to see a cookie-cutter portrayal of the characters of Steve Martin and Michael Caine, the show suffered greatly from
the performances of the leads. John Lithgow's character must
exude total confidence and sophistication. His characterization
boardered on the inane....just exactly like his character on
3rd Rock from the Sun!!! Norberts performance was the most engaging, and i admire him for taking alot of risky chances,
but NOTHING can replace the performance of Steve Martin from
the movie.
This is one musical that should've been recreated as a play.
I don't completely understand the need to make a musical out
of so many sleeper movie hits as of late. It makes me
wonder about the Wedding Singer and the like.
I am a big fan of the performers in the cast, but i feel
they were not showcased in the manner befitting them>>>>

[Tmyres77]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:20am

I really enjoyed this show. Saw it twice while I was there and I'm making a trip to NYC in November specifically to see it.

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:12am

Awww...I thought the show was quite enjoyable. Sure, it's not my favorite show, but it has it's moments. And yes, Norbert is amazing. The man really has no fear or shame onstage! LOL! :)

~Rosalynn

[broadway86]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:15am

Truth be told, I wasn't crazy about the show either. Some funny bits here and there, but I got nothing out of it. I think that Scott, Lithgow, and Gleason were the standouts.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:41am

i agree...it sucked!!!

[Sant]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 3:59am

I expected a bit more of this show! I thought (and still think!) the score was the weakest link. Lyrics were clever but some of the melodies were just so boring!! Like Nothing Is Too Wonderful, Chimp In A Suit, Great Big Stuff... There were some good tunes as well, I must admit, like Oklahoma?, All About Ruprecht, Here I Am, What's A Woman To Do, Rüffhousin' Mit Shüffhausen...

As for characters I found Joanna Gleason's part to be totally pointless! It was amazing that an actress with her talent and with such a beautiful voice was given such a small(-ish) and meaningless part!! G. Jbara's role was a bit of a standard and a fill-in too. Sherie Rene Scott was good but her character reminded me of her Amneris. Sara Gettelfinger was absolutely brilliant in her (too) small role and I really liked Lithgow's work as well. I was very impressed with his singing! And Butz... well he stole the show.

Costumes were nice, but the sets were surprisingly boring.

The book is good and well written, but the result of the show was somewhat unfinished.

But overall I did enjoy it. One could definitely see a worse show!

[Gingersnap]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 8:29am

I saw DRS in early July with a group of friends. I didn't actually want to see it...I've only seen bits of the movie and hadn't really paid attention to the musical at all. Maybe because I don't care too much for comedy.

I enjoyed it. The songs were good, though not the memorable sort that stayed with me. I probably couldn't name more than one or two.

We didn't see Norbert, but Joe Cassidy was very good. Gregory Jbara was the highlight of the show for all of us and was very friendly at the stage door.

So I have to say that, while I wouldn't see it a second time, I liked it.

[ProducersFan]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 9:48am

I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy it more. I saw it back in June and loved it so much I took my parents to see it less than a week later. I would say it is currently my second favorite Broadway show (Producers being the first). But then again, I love that type of show, which definitely isn't for everyone.

But no one has to love every show, which is what makes theatre so varied and exciting! I appreciate that you took the time to write out why, unlike some people *cough* who just write "it sucked."

~Jessica

[sabrelady]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 10:28am

Hey, chacon san gout- I really enjoyed the show and the performances . On the other hand- I LOATHED Avenue Q and there are quite a number of folk who's opinions I normally respect on this board who adore it. SO... (P.S. Hope to see DRS again when next in town)

[wendy72]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 10:33am

I loved the show--the cast is uniformly excellent, with Norbert as the standout. I think John and Joanna are masters of the undersell (I read term that somewhere on this board) and that is probably why you were't blown away by him.

[Kevo711]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 10:57am

In my opinion, the show was fine, not amazing,not horrible, but i must say that i couldn't have asked for a more talented cast!

[wendy72]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 11:22am

That's why I want to see the "Great American Trailer Park Musical"--not for the subject matter, but for that cast!

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 11:54am

Not the most memorable show foe me! I enjoyed it for the most part but it didn't stick with me after leaving the theatre. I went to see it just to see Ms. Gleason live onstage. Although she had a very small part, she was still good. The music didn't really stick with me until I played the OBCR that they gave out at the door during the Dirty Rotten Giveaway. I do listen to it from time to time. But there was just something off about it. I did not care for the staging of the number "Oklahoma?". It just seemed really cramped. They did not utilize the entire stage which would have made it bigger and more fun. I was also excited about finally seeing Sherie Renee Scott. While ok, she didn't blow me away. Bitz and Lithgow I think were wonderful together though. Lots of fun to see Norbert let loose after seeing him in Wicked. And I really like Lithgow. Also enjoyed Greg Jbara. How could you not? He has a great voice, is a good actor and he is handsome as all get out!!

[Pinguin]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:23pm

I'm SO not a fan -for the first 20 minutes I sat there like, "What the hell IS this?" I didn't like the choreography or the music. Why the heck did they give Lithgow a BALLAD?

I did like Norbert though. I thought he was awesome. He made the show for me.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:26pm

Um. Lithgow's ballad "Love Sneaks In" is one of the strongest moments in the score.

And touchingly performed by Lithgow.

Sorry, the song just has a lot of meaning to me.
Updated On: 9/5/05 at 12:26 PM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 12:31pm

I just want to throw some love to DRS. I understand why many of you have the opinions expressed here, there are some valid complaints if you actually feel that way.

I love the show though, I think the score is very clever and catchy. The sets costumes and direction perfectly capture the flighty spirit of the show. Most importantly the cast has amazing timing and a specific very studied take on the characters.
It is a comedic character study, that melds very well as whole piece.

The interplay between John and Norbert, and Joanna and Greg is worth the price of admission on its own.
To me.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:02pm

though Joanna and Greg have such small parts, they really make them their own and their comdeic scenes together is the reason i always come back. They are awesome!

[Pinguin]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:19pm

"Um. Lithgow's ballad "Love Sneaks In" is one of the strongest moments in the score.

And touchingly performed by Lithgow."

-I love Lithgow, but he's not a singer. To me, that ballad was long and painful.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:45pm

The song would have been ok if I believed the character was really feeling it. But I didn't.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 1:58pm

Well, for those that have read my posts, they know how much I love this show. I think it's hysterical and think it's one of the overall strongest musicals of last season(stronger score than spelling bee and more complete book than Piazza and better in both assets than spamalot). Oddly, it may not be my absolute fav show, but I'm becoming addicted to it and have already seen it more than Wicked or Rent. I think a big part of me going back is the amazingly talented cast. IMO, everyone brings something to the show and I feel priveleged to see the performances.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/5/05 at 2:50pm

I haven't seen the show live, but the big song they chose to perform at the Tonys was very weak. Norbert sold the hell out of it, but the music and lyrics were pretty awful. I won't be racing out to buy a ticket any time soon.