[Hidden Blog note: I can think of worse reviews than "hilarious," the exact one-word review I had in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Suffice to say that my theater career has plateaued!]
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is currently, colorfully on stage at Community Players. Directed by Alan Wilson, this rowdy musical is based on the 1988 movie of the same name.
It follows the exploits of two mismatched con men as they work their scams on wealthy women during “the season” on the Riviera.
Lawrence (Dave Montague) and his sidekick, a crooked French policeman named Andre (Joe McDonald), have a good thing going. They are polished, smooth, urbane and successful. They fleece rich women – and have a grand time doing it.
Along comes a fly in the ointment. Freddy (Nick Benson) is a younger grifter with a different style; he’s vulgar and lacks any polish whatsoever. But he’s wily; and he’s determined to take a hunk out of Lawrence’s turf.
Vicky Snyder plays Christine, the seemingly heart-of-gold cutie pie that is the target of the show’s central scam.
There’s also a delightful subplot involving Andre and another target, Muriel (a bubbly Rosie Hauck). Jolene (Wendy Baugh) is yet another target, and she’s a hoot as she sings her way through this show’s version of “Oklahoma.”
The show is shot through with bawdy jokes, naughty innuendo and occasional adult language. It’s formatted as an old-school musical and it has plenty of self-conscious nods to the Broadway classics that came before.
What “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” does not have is some hidden, profound meaning. Like a luxe sports car that prowls the seaside coast, it’s built for recreational purposes.
Montague and Benson have the requisite odd-couple personas and are well up to the task of delivering the vocals. The music, while easily accessible to the audience, often sounds difficult to sing.
McDonald, with his Inspector Clouseau fake-French, is hilarious.
Snyder is a standout. She’s loaded with talent and gets to show off many facets of her loaded arsenal. And the last laugh, it turns out, is hers.
Set designers Wilson and Dave Fuller, along with costume designer Grace Skaggs Boca, lighting designer Brett Cottone and scenic painter Ben Hauck have teamed up to give this show a gorgeous, rich palette. All on their own, those production elements provide a visual good time.
“Give them what they want,” sings Lawrence. If the laughing-along preview audience was any indication, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is doing just that.
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