Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with John Lithgow
Nominated for Eleven 2005 Tony Awards!
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is a sassy new Broadway musical about con men on the French Riviera competing to take advantage of an innocent young heiress.
If the title sounds familiar, you may recall the 1988 non-musical film version, starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. And if the plot description rings a bell and you have a very long memory, you might be remembering the original treatment of this story, Bedtime Story, a
1963 comedy starring David Niven and Marlon Brando.
Laurence Jameson (portrayed here by John Lithgow) is a suave Englishman who makes his living pretending to be royalty, thereby bilking gullible women out of their money. Competition appears in the person of Freddy Benson (rising Broadway talent Norbert Leo Butz), a crass but clever American con man who challenges him for supremacy on his own turf.
When toothpaste heiress Christine Colgate (cleverly played by Sherie Renee Scott) arrives at the hotel, the men dream up a challenge: whichever of them is able to swindle her out of $50,000 first will be the winner, and the loser will move on to some other territory. The bet is made, and the competition begins.
What follows is a laugh-fest for the audience. The humor is broad, the pace is rapid-fire, and the songs (by David Yazbek, who also turned The Full Monty into a rewarding musical) are jazzy and witty. Double-cross gives way to triple-cross as the scoundrels struggle to outdo each other, and to harden their wicked hearts as they both grow dangerously fond of the fair Christine.
If you're in New York, treat yourself to a lively night of 'feel-good' theatre that will keep you guessing until the final curtain. And if a trip to the Big Apple isn't in your plans, take heart: the original cast album of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will be released in May, 2005.
Note: The 2005 TONY Nominations were posted May 10, 2005. DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS received 11 nominations, including Best Musical and Best Actor/Actress nominations for all three of its principal players.
If the title sounds familiar, you may recall the 1988 non-musical film version, starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. And if the plot description rings a bell and you have a very long memory, you might be remembering the original treatment of this story, Bedtime Story, a
1963 comedy starring David Niven and Marlon Brando.
Laurence Jameson (portrayed here by John Lithgow) is a suave Englishman who makes his living pretending to be royalty, thereby bilking gullible women out of their money. Competition appears in the person of Freddy Benson (rising Broadway talent Norbert Leo Butz), a crass but clever American con man who challenges him for supremacy on his own turf.
When toothpaste heiress Christine Colgate (cleverly played by Sherie Renee Scott) arrives at the hotel, the men dream up a challenge: whichever of them is able to swindle her out of $50,000 first will be the winner, and the loser will move on to some other territory. The bet is made, and the competition begins.
What follows is a laugh-fest for the audience. The humor is broad, the pace is rapid-fire, and the songs (by David Yazbek, who also turned The Full Monty into a rewarding musical) are jazzy and witty. Double-cross gives way to triple-cross as the scoundrels struggle to outdo each other, and to harden their wicked hearts as they both grow dangerously fond of the fair Christine.
If you're in New York, treat yourself to a lively night of 'feel-good' theatre that will keep you guessing until the final curtain. And if a trip to the Big Apple isn't in your plans, take heart: the original cast album of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will be released in May, 2005.
Note: The 2005 TONY Nominations were posted May 10, 2005. DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS received 11 nominations, including Best Musical and Best Actor/Actress nominations for all three of its principal players.
Published by Judith Myers
Judith Myers is a multi-published novelist and freelance editor who moonlights by writing on a variety of topics, including reviews of books, movies and Broadway shows that are a cut above the ordinary. View profile
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was nominated for 11 Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor/Actress