Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (musical)

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Original Broadway Production Poster
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Music	David Yazbek
Lyrics	David Yazbek
Book	Jeffrey Lane
Based upon	1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Productions	2004 San Diego 2005 Broadway 2006 North American tour 2006 Tokyo 2006 Madrid 2007 Tampere 2007 Stockholm 2007 Oslo 2008 Stuttgart 2008 Mexico City 2009 Copenhagen 2009 Reykjavik 2009 London

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane; it is based on the film of the same name. John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, and Sherie Rene Scott played the lead roles at opening, with Joanna Gleason and Gregory Jbara also receiving above-the-title billing. The show premiered in San Diego, California on September 22, 2004, before moving to Broadway in January 2005 and officially opening in March. The show closed on Broadway on September 3, 2006 with a total of 666 performances. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Original Broadway Cast Recording CD was recorded on March 14, 2005 at Right Track Studio in New York City and was released on May 10, 2005 by Ghostlight Records (an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records).

A North American national Equity tour launched on August 4, 2006 with Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz reprising his role as Freddy, alongside Tom Hewitt as Lawrence. The Equity tour wrapped on August 19, 2007. The 25-city non-Equity tour of the show, with Jamie Jackson as Lawrence and Doug Thompson as Freddy, debuted September 25, 2007 in Dayton, Ohio, with its final performance on March 23, 2008, in Memphis, Tennessee.^[1] International productions have opened in Tokyo, Mexico City, Madrid, Stuttgart, Seoul, Oslo, Stockholm, Tampere and productions are planned for Copenhagen, Reykjavik, and London.^[2]

1 Plot
- 1.1 Act 1
2 Musical numbers
- 2.1 Notes
3 Cast replacement history
4 Awards and nominations
- 4.1 Tony Award nominations
- 4.2 Drama Desk Award nominations
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

[edit] Act 1

At a Casino near the French Riviera, con artist Lawrence Jameson tricks wealthy women out of their money with his “bodyguard” Andre (Give Them What They Want). However, one woman, Muriel, (as well as other woman) later realizes he was not what he said (What Was a Woman To Do). While on a train Lawrence notices an American named Freddy Benson swindle money out of a woman (although at much smaller amounts). Lawrence ends up bringing Freddy to his lavish mansion, where Freddy envies how Lawrence has made a living out of swindling. Then talks of all the things he wants when he’s rich (Great Big Stuff). Freddy ask Lawrence to “show [him] his ways.” Lawrence doesn’t think much of it until Jolene Oakes, one of the women he is with, tells him that they are unexpectedly getting married and moving to Oklahoma (Oklahoma?), at which point Lawrence decides to use Freddy’s help. Freddy poses as Lawrence’s mentally challenged brother Ruprecht (All About Ruprecht). When Jolene is introduced to him she calls off the wedding and breaks up with Lawrence.

Lawrence begins to say that there isn’t enough room in town for the two of them. They make a deal; The first to get $50,000 out of a woman gets to stay in town and the other has to leave. Immediately after making the deal the arrival of “The American Soap Queen” (Christine Colgate) is announced (Here I Am). They decide on her for the scam. Freddy creates an alias as a man paralyzed from the waist down. She and Freddy become deep in conversation and he says there is a therapist (Dr. Shuffhausen) that can help him, but he doesn’t have the money ($50,000). Christine hopefully tells him "Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True". She tells Freddy she has the money to pay for the therapist as Freddy hoped (The Miracle). She then tells him that Dr. Shuffhausen is at the hotel. Freddy is shocked when he sees it is none other than Lawrence.

[edit] Musical numbers

See also: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Act I

Overture
Give Them What They Want (Broadway)/The Only Game in Town (National Tour)
What Was a Woman To Do
Great Big Stuff
Chimp in a Suit
Oklahoma?
All About Ruprecht
What Was a Woman To Do (Reprise)
Here I Am
Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True
The Miracle (Act I Finale)

Act II

Entr'Acte
Ruffhousin' Mit Shuffhausen
Like Zis/Like Zat
The More We Dance
Love is My Legs
Love Sneaks In
Son of Great Big Stuff
The Reckoning
Dirty Rotten Number
Finale

[edit] Notes

For the first national tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the number "Give Them What They Want" was replaced with (according to Yazbek) a more suitable opening number, "The Only Game in Town". Yazbek has also noted that the new number will most likely be the one available when the rights for the show are released to regional and amateur theatres.
The line in "Give Them What They Want" which mentions David Niven is a reference to Niven's starring role as Laurence Jameson in the original film "Bedtime Story".

[edit] Cast replacement history

Jonathan Pryce replaced John Lithgow as Lawrence Jameson on January 17, 2006
Mylinda Hull replaced Sara Gettelfinger as Jolene Oakes' on January 17, 2006
Rachel York replaced Sherie Rene Scott as Christine Colgate on February 7, 2006
Sara Gettelfinger returned to the role of Jolene Oakes on May 2, 2006
Rachel deBenedet filled in for Muriel Eubanks from May 2, 2006 - May 21, 2006
Lucie Arnaz replaced Joanna Gleason as Muriel Eubanks on May 23, 2006
Sherie Rene Scott returned to the role of Christine Colgate on June 20, 2006
Dennis Parlato filled in for Lawrence Jameson from July 18, 2006 - July 20, 2006
Timothy J. Alex filled in for Freddy Benson from July 18, 2006 - July 20, 2006
Keith Carradine replaced Jonathan Pryce as Lawrence Jameson on July 21, 2006
Brian d'Arcy James replaced Norbert Leo Butz as Freddy Benson on July 21, 2006
Dennis Parlato filled in for Andre from July 25, 2006 - August 3, 2006
Richard Kind replaced Gregory Jbara as Andre on August 4, 2006
Rachel deBenedet filled in for Muriel Eubanks from August 5, 2006- August 31, 2006
Lucie Arnaz returned to the role of Muriel Eubanks on September 1, 2006