Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
With this giddily entertaining show, David Yazbek confirms that
The Full Monty wasn't a fluke--few on Broadway can equal his melodic verve and lyrical cleverness. Based on the 1988 movie of the same name, the show deals with a pair of con artists swindling rich women on the French Riviera. Lithgow brings debonair charm to the Michael Caine part, while Norbert Leo Butz (
Wicked) proves to be a comic dynamo in the Steve Martin part. And Yazbek provides them with an array of catchy tunes (adorned in beautiful Bacharach-style arrangements by Harold Wheeler). Butz goes ballistic on the hilarious "Great Big Stuff," which demolishes conspicuous consumption, then pairs up with feisty leading lady Sherie Rene Scott on "Love Is My Legs," a wicked sendup of Celine Dionstyle torch epics. Meanwhile, Lightgow nails the tender ballad "Love Sneaks In." A delicious jazz reprise of "Nothing Is Too Wonderful to Be True" by Scott and pianist Bill Charlap shows that Yazbek's songs don't need flashy pizzazz to be memorable.
--Elisabeth Vincentelli
Other Great Musicals of the Season
Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Light in the Piazza
Little Women
All Shook Up
Altar Boyz
Futures
Cast Recording;
Customer Review:
Fun stuff.
While not one of the most complex scores of the past season, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels does stand out as one of the most versatile and certainly the funniest. References to pop-culture standards such as Donald Trump, Ferragamo shoes, and Orangina abound as this clever tale unfolds.
The plot is simple, if a bit wacky: two con men on the Riviera, the suave and debonair Lawrence Jameson ('Third Rock From the Sun's John Lithgow) and the crude Freddy Benson (Norbert Leo Butz), are locked in a bet over who can scam 50 grand off a naive soap heiress (Sherie Rene Scott) on her first visit to France. But after a wild series of events and a few, shall we say, "surprising" plot twists, the ones who end up on top aren't the ones you'll expect - at all.
This score is one of the most varied of the season., and one of David Yazbek's best works. Ranging from a hip-hop paean to "the good life", "Great Big Stuff" (sample lyric: "The cash to keep me idle/the chicks to keep me vital/the pills to keep me happy even when I'm suicidal!") to the country-inspired "Oklahoma?" (the question mark is not a typo) in which oil heiress Jolene Oaks plans Lawrence and hers' married life out in the hinterlands, to the mock-up of a gospel song entitled "Love is My Legs", terrifically belted by Scott and Butz. The rhymes are intricate and often hilarious, ("Oklahoma" and "melanoma". Who knew?), the music is well-played out by the orchestra as well as just being riotously funny.
The cast, too, is top-notch. John Lithgow, while possessing a singing voice that is serviceable at best, has exactly the kind of charisma needed to play such a role. Though his role requires him to perform several songs with a heavy German accent - don't ask - Lithgow's second-act ballad "Love Sneaks In" is a vastly underrated, terrific performance.
Norbert Leo Butz, despite his three names, is talented as they come these days. Yodeling, rapping, or just plain singing, his voice is just as versatile as the score itself, as through the several personalities he assumes during the show, he never seems to lose touch of the heart of the role. As the mad Prince Ruprecht, Sergeant 'Buzz' Benson, or the flim-flam man behind it all, Butz is simply hilarious throughout the entire show.
Sherie Rene Scott is a true powerhouse with an amazing belt and a gorgeous singing voice. Her first-act charm song "Here I Am", in which she extols the perks of the French Riviera (and knocks out a local or two) showcases her voice perfectly, and later in the show, the aforementioned gospel spoof "Love is My Legs" is perfect for her brassy belt. And Track 23, a slowed-down, cabaret version of "Nothing is Too Wonderful to be True", featuring Scott and Bill Charlap on piano, is one of the best on the disc.
Joanna Gleason is simply wonderful as American divorcee (and one of Lawrence's conquests) Muriel of Omaha. The role was greatly expanded once the writers got word that this Broadway "legend" would be playing it, and with great results. Her sweet duet with Greg Jbara (as Jameson's right-hand man and French chief of police), titled "Like Zis/Like Zat", is a great tune.
Jbara, as well, is perfectly good in his small role. His funny ditty, known as "Chimp in a Suit" is another great track, and though his French accent can get thick at times, Yazbek's rhymes are usually not obscured. And Sara Gettelfinger, in her two scenes as Jolene Oaks, "just a girl who can't hear no", manages to leave you both shaking your head and laughing hard.
The show's "out to scam the world" theme even extends to the advertisements outside the theatre, with billboards and marquees proclaiming such things as "GO BACKSTAGE AFTER THE SHOW (and we'll call security)", and FABULOUS RECEPTION (for cell phones and other wireless devices in the theatre lobby)".
This score is one of the past season's best, if not simply the top. Overall, it's definitely worth the investment, being one of the few cast recordings that didn't leave my CD player for a week after receiving it. The show that walks a fine line between the classy and the crude is one of current Broadway's best offerings.
excellent talent showcase
The material may not be perfect but the performances are very close! Butz, Lithgow and Scott shine in this cast recording.
great show!
this was the first and only broadway musical i have ever seen and i enjoyed it to no end
I saw this during a feild trip to New York, and its was hilarious. Some of the audience was quite offended by the vulgar lyrics, but the majority was laughing for the entire show.
I think that the cd is no where near as good as the show but it is still well worth it
Keywords: Cast Recordings;
Music Theater;
Musical Theater;
Pop;
Showtunes / B'way;
