Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 7/26/06 Review

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:25am

Before the show: I saw Donnie and Jenn outside of the Tarzan stage door, so I got to talk to them for a little while. They were both amazing and sweet as ever. I also went to check the board at the Wedding Singer theatre. Tina was in for Laura last night, and Eric was in for Kevin (Cahoon) as George. That would've been a performance to see.



Ok review time. I'll tell you now that I went into the show knowing very little about it, if that matters at all.

Keith Carradine: I actually really enjoyed his performance. Yes he'll get better with time, but he's doing heck of a great job so far. He landed most of his jokes, and his voice was great. The chemistry with Brian was definitely there, but of course that will also grow with time. Overall he did fantastically.

Brian D'arcy James: This man made the show. I don't know if it's the role, or him, but this is the reason why I really enjoyed it. His comedic timing was impeccable, and his voice is stunning. He's got this role in the bag within the first week. The audience was going to die during "All About Ruprect". He was hilarious, while still being both adorable and sleazy.

Julie Connors (u/s Christine): Now I was very dissappointed at first because I was missing Sherie, having wanted to see her live for years now, but Julie definitely exceeded my expectations. I loved her. She was absolutely adorable, and her voice is indescribable. She had lots of chemistry with Keith and Brian and seemed to be enjoying herself onstage as well.

Dennis Parlato (u/s Andre): I don't know if it's the role, or him, but to me the role was very bland, which led me to think that Dennis was very bland in his delivery. His voice and acting were nothing spectacular, but not necessarily awful either. Overall, his performance was just ok to me. I'll give him credit for having to keep that French accent for two and a half hours.

Lucie Arnaz: I thought that she did a fantastic job. Her acting was wonderful and she landed her jokes well. She's definitely got a voice on her as well, but when her vibrato got going she tended to go a little off pitch or so it seemed. I enjoyed her performance though. She also is absolutely gorgeous.

Sara Gettelfinger: So she's in like three scenes in Act 1 and then is gone, but I still love her nonetheless. "Oklahoma?" was fantastic and she is a wonderful dancer and actress. Her facial expressions during "All About Ruprect" were priceless. I wish she had more time on stage.

The stage door was empty except for me and another family of about five people. I was surprised to see how empty it was. All of the principle actors came out except for Sara (does she come out ever?) and were all extremely generous and kind. Well everyone was kind except for Keith, the stage door manager. How rude could a man get. "Who the heck are you guys waiting for? Everyone's gone. Go back home." Oh well. You win some. you lose some.

Overall I thought that the show was great. It had its slow points, but it also had some nice plot twists which I enjoyed. It's absolutely a show worth seeing.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:44am

Thank you for this review Glad to know one of all time favorite shows is doing so well.

I am coming to NYC in October and plan to see this cast on Oct.28 th

[rose_pearl]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:52am

Thanks for the review! Now I'm curious, cause people have been saying that Brian was still somewhat mimicking what Norb was doing, were there similarities in numbers like Great Big Stuff or Ruprecht? Or is Brian bringing his own stuff to it? Regardless, I need to fly from Florirda to NYC PRONTO, haha.

[NewAgeDomestic]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 11:59am

glad to hear you had a good time! i'm definitely going to have to see it w/ the new cast.

as for sara at the stage door, she came out the night i saw the show, and she was incredibly nice and gracious. i personally don't think she was a great fit in grey gardens, but i really loved her performance in DRS.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:15pm

Kevin said that she "went out the other way" *eye roll*. Thanks for that though. I can always write to her.

rose- I didn't see Norbert, so I'm not really sure of what Brian mimicked and what he added, but nonetheless he was absolutely brilliant in the role. If it matters, Brian full on mooned the audience at one point when Freddy first moves in with Lawrence. That was a little...odd.

[pab]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:21pm

What really bothers me about the reviews that I've read so far concerning this cast is the line that Keith Carradine will "get better with time". It's been said in almost every review. It should not be acceptable to an audience member who pays to get to New York, pays to stay in a hotel and pays, probably full price, for a theatre ticket to have to watch a performer who will "get better with time". That sounds like another way of saying that he was not quite ready to take on the role. I don't recall people saying that about Jonathan Price when he started in the role and had I been the person flying to New York, paying for a hotel etc. I would be pissed.

If a person is going to star in a Broadway show, they should be given enough rehearsal time to be ready the first night they appear before an audience. I don't want to see ANY Broadway performer "get better with time" when I've spent good money (more than the just the cost of a ticket) to get to see the show.

Updated On: 7/27/06 at 12:21 PM

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:25pm

Glad you liked the show! I saw the show for the first time on July 26th, 2005! lol.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:30pm

pab- I agree. I think that in a way people are just trying to be nice and optimistic. When I saw Keith he was very bland, and simply wasn't ready to perform the role. Brian d'Arcy James started the same day as him, etc. And, though he did do many things similar to Norbert, he at least knew and understood the role. Where I don't think that Keith did.

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:32pm

Glad you enjoyed the show.. and Brian.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:35pm

pab- I thought that Keith did do an excellent job, but maybe I just used a bad choice of words. However, whether or not an actor originates a role, I think that they all grow into the role more and more every performance. That is what I was trying to say will happen with Keith.

[Parks]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:37pm

Sara came out the first time I saw the show--and when I went back about 2 days later, she didn't come out. Sherie and her rarely come out of the stagedoor, I hear.

[pab]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 1:01pm

"However, whether or not an actor originates a role, I think that they all grow into the role more and more every performance. That is what I was trying to say will happen with Keith."

ponine24601 , I agree that all actors will (should) grow in their roles, it's only the natural progression as new discoveries are made. I'm happy to hear that you felt that Keith did an "excellent job". I guess I picked up on the "get better with time" line because, as I had mentioned, I had read other reviews by people who have had the opportunity to see him and I had not been impressed with their response to his performance and what seemed like the pass he was being given on a mediocre performance.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel said in this thread "When I saw Keith he was very bland, and simply wasn't ready to perform the role".

I hope that people are not just trying to be "nice and optimistic" because they love the show and would like it to continue or are just waiting for the next replacement who they hope will be as good as Lithgow or Price.

Again, I'm happy that you did in fact like his performance and I would love to hear from people who have never seen the above mentioned performers to say how they felt about Keith as that character without making a comparison to to those who came before.

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 1:04pm

I agree pab. I am glad to hear that Brian is doing well though!

[rose_pearl]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 2:56pm

All I have to say is yay for Brian tush!

[SirLiir]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 4:36pm

To be fair, I said the same thing in my review of the new cast back in January. I felt Jonathan Pyrce was "going to get better" when I saw him his first week. He played the role in almost the exact same fashion as Keith has started to portray him as. By the end, Mr. Pryce had brought his Lawrence to life so well that I was in awe of his ability to completely change the role to a degree. Therefore, what most of us Scoundrels mean is that while Keith is perfectly acceptable now in the role, you can bet that as time goes on, he will add and refine his role even more so. Not one audience member is being gipped at the moment but those who see the show later may get a special treat.
Updated On: 7/28/06 at 04:36 PM

[Dre2387]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 5:07pm

Ponine~ with the role of 'Andre,' believe me when i say it is the actor and not the role. Greg Jbara created that role and made it the highlight of the show (for me at least). Dennis is, well, let's just say he doesn't put his heart and soul into either 'Lawrence' or 'Andre.' And, he doesn't even know the lyrics to some of the songs for 'Lawrence.' or messes them up a lot if he does know them. So, really sorry you saw him and not Greg.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 5:23pm

So excited for BDJ.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/27/06 at 7:23pm

Dre- Yeah, he wasn't even that bad, but I guess I would've liked a little bit more energy from him. The chemistry with Lucie wasn't there at all either. Oh well. As for Greg, I just missed him *angry face*. I guess that just seeing the show in general was a fantastic experience no matter who was onstage.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 2:59am

Dre, you're always gonna be even worse than me about him. I love you

Pab, I understand what you're saying, and I'm one of the people who said I think he needs to get more comfortable in the role. I don't think it's so much...optimism, as it is...trying to not be too publicly negative? Like...if I feel it's deserved, I will bash an actor--but I rarely do it. Also I agree it's not fair to those seeing the show now if he's not at top performance, but it's also kind of at least my way of letting people who may be planning to see the show that he may be improved by the time you go, so if he was bad this night, don't assume he will still be like that...if that makes any sense.

Sara and the stage door...it's weird. There definitely are times she doesn't come out. Sometimes she comes out and no one recognizes her. Or like last Sunday, my friends and I were just hanging out around late at the stage door...we assumed Sara had come out another entrance b/c it was a while since the show ended, but then she came out. So she could just be taking a while--I don't know. If you are lucky enough to catch and recognize her at the stage door, she is one of the sweetest people you could talk to

Anyway, the show still is wonderful, and I'm glad you got to see and enjoy it Ponine. I'm gonna wait a bit till all of the new actors, including Richard Kind who starts in 3 weeks, have been in the show enough to be more comfortable in the roles before seeing it again. Maybe 2 months. So I look forward to reading reviews in the meantime. Thanks for sharing!

[mikem]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 5:54am

I stage doored DRS twice while Sara was in the show -- the first time, she came out but no one except for me approached her. The second time, she didn't come out at all.

[x_FedUp]

Posted: 7/28/06 at 12:15pm

"I stage doored DRS twice while Sara was in the show -- the first time, she came out but no one except for me approached her. The second time, she didn't come out at all."

Pretty much the same thing happened to me. The first time I saw the show she didn't come out, but she was my favorite part of the show so my mom and I went back another night and she came out, but she started walking away until I called her name. I agree with everyone, if you're lucky enough to meet her, she's one of the nicest people to talk to.

Anwyas, I enjoyed your review!

[jochang621]

Posted: 7/29/06 at 11:51am

i've met sara twice already, and both times, she's always in a bit of a rush to leave. she says she gets recognized rarely (i think because her part is so short) and was more than happy to take a picture and sign my program.

she remembers me now b/c my name is jolene. ^^ when i told her that, her response was, "I'm so sorry!" her reaction was so funny~