When award winning director Jack O’Brien, composer/lyricist
David Yazbek with Ted Sperling, and choreographer Jerry Mitchell
let loose the Broadway successes
”
The Full Monty
”
and
”
Hairspray
”
it was thought they couldn’t move shows any faster, bawdier or
glitzier. Well guess again.
When award winning director Jack O’Brien, composer/lyricist David Yazbek with Ted Sperling, and choreographer Jerry Mitchell let loose the Broadway successes “The Full Monty” and “Hairspray” it was thought they couldn’t move shows any faster, bawdier or glitzier. Well guess again.
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” rolled into San Jose with the gusto and energy of a herd of stampeding, elephants in mating season.
With a solid A-1 cast, and everything else that goes into the making of a super entertaining show, “Scoundrels” takes off and you had better fasten your seat belts.
Taken from the 1964 movie “Bedtime Story” with David Niven and Marlon Brando and then the not-too-successful MGM movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” with Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
Take loose plot lines from “My Fair Lady”, “The Producers”, La Cage aux Folle and for those who might remember Hell-z-a Poppen.
Shake it up with clever choreography by Jerry Mitchell, classy costumes designed by Gregg Barns, amazing scene stealing set designs by David Rockwell and on the mark lighting by Kenneth Posner add a solid orchestra and you can’t miss.
Tom Hewitt as the debonair con man Lawerence and D.B. Bonds as the tasteless grifter Freddy, play off each other with a grand chemistry and timing that gives the audience an experience that is not often seen.
Laura Marie Duncan as the innocent soap queen Christine, Hollis Resnik as the rich sex-starved tourist Muriel, Paige Pardy as the gun-toting Jolene and Drew McVety as the crooked police chief are all strong in voice and comedic ability. Jack O’Brien’s tight, pristine, detailed direction shows the old adage in the business, “It’s not what you do but how you do it.”
Considering you will not leave humming any of he tunes and some may find a bit of the shtick a little more than crude, these people pull it off.
It’s glitzy well-done burlesque done with tongue-in-cheek panache.
Not for everyone if you have straight-laced issues but if you are up for a well done, hilarious, over the top, let-it-all-hang-out romp, this one is for you.
Camille Bounds is the theatre, arts and special events editor for Sunrise Publications.
