San Diego Critics Meet B'way-Bound Scoundrels
Here is a sampling of what they had to say:
Joel Hirschhorn of Variety: "A world premiere, pre-Broadway tryout, tuner supplies entertaining and occasionally inspired moments. But the show, given its subject, has a lightweight quality. It lacks a tough-enough, diamond-hard edge. Lithgow, an accomplished comedian, and Butz, who possesses formidable acting and singing chops, lean too much toward lovability, and frequently seem so inept that it's difficult to believe any reasonably sane woman would look favorably on their harebrained schemes... David Yazbek's music is short on specific flavor and generally is used to support his comedic lyrics.... Some of Yazbek's titles are awkward 'Nothing Is Too Wonderful to Be True' and one ballad, 'Love Sneaks In,' is a slack note that easily could be eliminated. Overall, however, his songs have a refreshing, enjoyable bounce. Lithgow benefits from his towering height and undeniable presence, but director Jack O'Brien lets him get away with too much mugging, which dissipates any illusion of character validity."
James C. Taylor of The Los Angeles Times: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is scheduled to hit the Great White Way next year, but what was seen on the stage of the Globe on Wednesday evening seems aimed more toward burlesque than Broadway. The show is absolutely dirty--some of the crude humor may even make San Diego's sailors blush--and if not exactly rotten, the proceedings on opening night looked more than a little stale... This Scoundrels has four excellent performers, but sadly, their talents are wasted in a musical comedy that's barely musical and not very funny... Jack O'Brien, who so deftly handled the direction in the 2002 Tony-winning musical Hairspray, does little to help the onstage inertia. His solution is to take the actors offstage and put them in the aisles, a gimmick that works once but quickly gets old. But as hand-tied by the material as O'Brien is, pity choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Yazbek's bland music gives him almost nothing to set his dancers to. At one point, poor Mitchell resorts to a conga line. David Rockwell's cool, minimalist design is eye-catching--each scene looks like the cover of a 1930s Conde Nast glossy--but not particularly theatrical."
Evan Henerson of The Los Angeles Daily News: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a shiny gem polished to gleaming. The talent of its cast which includes Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott and Gregory Jbarra is unquestioned. The recent track record of creators O'Brien, David Yazbek composer, David Rockwell sets and Jerry Mitchell choreographer has included Hairspray and The Full Monty. From these people, you expect belly laughs or serious enchantment. What they've delivered is B to B-plus entertaining... Scoundrels" the movie blended suavity and elegance with a pretty smart caper and twist. Scoundrels the musical seems awfully concerned with establishing and maintaining its show-within-a-show artifice. Plus, you get the sense that for all of Gregg Barnes' sleek evening wear, Lithgow, Butz and company are most at ease performing this material with their pants around their ankles."
Anne Marie Welsh of The San Diego Union-Tribune: "Larded with theater in-jokes that go past vaudeville right into the heart of burlesque with a dash of Mel Brooks, Globe director and two-time Tony winner Jack O'Brien mixes elements so masterfully that the concept of 'Broadway tryout' may have to be redefined... The recipe for this $3.5 million souffle may get a tweak or two before the dish is served in March at Broadway's Imperial Theatre. The second act feels one song and plot twist too long. John Lithgow, never less than entertaining, is still stiff as the suave, sophisticated scammer Lawrence Jameson; he's got a way to go to find the character beneath the man's vain poses. Some jokes may get a trim. But basically the show's good-to-go, with breakout performances by Butz as that petty crook Freddy aka Buzz Benson and the divine Sherie Rene Scott, definitely New York's next big thing, as his innocent mark, Christine Colgate."
Paul Hodgins of The Orange County Register: "All the critics told me I would hate Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Derivative and half-baked, they sniffed. A blatant attempt to copy the raunchy formula of The Producers. Harrumph! I'm sorry to take issue with my learned colleagues, but Scoundrels isn't nearly as rotten as they claim. In fact, like nearly everyone in the audience during Saturday's performance at the Old Globe Theatre, I laughed. A lot... I won't deny that in its newborn form, the show has quite a few kinks to work out. DavidRockwell's sets are balky, schematic and often unattractive.The second act feels bloated; a lusty romance between two secondary characters could easily be trimmed, though Joanna Gleason and Gregory Jbara are delightful as the unlikely lovers, a quirky, moneyed American and a corrupt French cop. Not everyone is up to Yazbek's musical demands--Gleason struggles with her songs. And, yes, there's nothing startlingly new about the story or concept... But so what?... Scoundrels may be no Producers, but it's no turkey, either. If the right improvements are made between now and next spring, I think this one has a chance to shine."
Pam Kragen of The North County Times: "Smart, sassy, stylish and fall-out-of-your-seat funny, the Old Globe's new musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels outclasses its celluloid predecessor and will very soon make a Broadway sensation out of its composer/lyricist David Yazbek. Yazbek, whose first Globe-born musical, The Full Monty, was nominated for 12 Tony Awards but won none in the 2001 The Producers shutout, would be smart to clear some space on his mantel. Since Stephen Sondheim, there hasn't been a Broadway lyricist with the same breadth of wit or uncanny rhyming ability as Yazbek... Everything about the Globe production--which transfers to Broadway next February--is first-class. From Jack O'Brien's breezy, adroit direction to Lithgow and Butz's charismatic pairing to Jeffrey Lane's bright and hilarious book to David Rockwell's sparkling and perpetually whirling French Riviera set, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has all the makings of a Broadway classic."