A Review

Pros At Cons

By R. J. Donovan

Hold onto your goodies; there are con men in the house.

The house is The Opera House, and the con men are part of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," David Yazbek's musical version of the popular 1988 MGM comedy of the same name.

There's no heavy lifting here.  The breezy story looks at two wildly different grifters.  One's a suave, sophisticated, smooth talker.  The other's a rough-around-the-edges clod in a rumpled shirt.   They meet in the South of France while each is trying to swindle the fairer sex out of a few bucks. 

Turns out the town is too small for two guys trying to bleed the same landscape dry, so they come up with a bet.  They will both descend on the same pigeon, and the guy who gets her to cough up $50,000 first wins.  The loser leaves town, banished forever to fleecing the residents of Antarctica and environs.

If you remember the original film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, you'll smile all the same as the story unfolds.  With mistaken identities, phony capers and double-crossing schemes, there's plenty to smile about.  And if the story is all new to you, you'll get an additional kick in the head at the switcheroo ending.

Either way, the show brings several polished performances to the stage, beginning with Tom Hewitt (above, right) as smooth guy Lawrence Jameson.  The role was originated on Broadway by John Lithgow, who tackled the job with all the haughty superiority he summoned on "Third Rock From The Sun."  Hewitt (who previously visited Boston in the terrific national tour of "Urinetown") plays it more dashing, more David Niven-gone-bad, and it works nicely.  He also brings a far stronger singing voice, especially in the show's final number.

As the boorish Freddy Benson (for which Norbert Leo Butz received a Tony Award playing opposite Lithgow in New York), we've got D. C. Bonds (above, left).  While he doesn't come off as unwashed as Butz did, he scores early on with his intro/philosophy number, "Great Big Stuff."

For the leading lady, there's Laura Marie Duncan (left) as Christine Colgate, The Soap Queen, who serves as the focus of the bet and represents the mother lode to the two guys.  She makes a great entrance with the bouncy "Here I Am," displaying a singing voice that carries to the last rows.

Rounding out the company are Kim Shriver as Muriel Eubanks, a weary world traveler who's duped by Jameson but ultimately falls for Andre Thibault (Drew McVety), Jameson's French right-hand.  Both are excellent.  Shriver is a sound-a-like for Joanna Gleason who originated the role in New York.  And McVety serves up a funny and nicely understated performance, playing against type as the Frenchman who practically has to be pushed into romance.

As far as touring shows go, this one has been scaled down a bit from the original production, but there's still plenty of value there.  Lots of lush drapes, twinkling lights and a centerstage revolve that keeps the scenery both moving and multi-functional. The tour also comes with a new opening number, "The Only Game In Town."

The pace is a bit uneven here and there, and a couple of the jokes don't get the rim shots they should, but in the end, the evening provides an altogether cheerful way to get conned.

"Dirty Rotten Scoudnrels" is at The Opera House, 539 Washington Street in Boston, through March 18. For information, call Ticketmaster at 617-931-2787.

Production Photos: top photo by Carol Rosegg; bottom photo by Chris Bennion

-- OnStage Boston

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