Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Milwaukee's Broadway Theater Series closes its season with a rousing national tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. If the name sounds familiar, you may recall that a film with the same title (and plot) was released in 1988. The simple story focuses on two con men who connive to cheat wealthy, unsuspecting women out of their fortunes. One of the con artists, Lawrence Jameson, is the older and more suave of the two. He has built not only a reputation but also an enormous mansion, filled with servants and accomplices who do his bidding. A young upstart, Freddy Benson, is painfully unstudied. He is blunt, crass, immature and unkempt. Yet he knows a master when he sees one. Awed by the "stuff" Lawrence has accumulated over the years, he convinces Lawrence to take him on as an apprentice.

At some point it's clear that the territory isn't big enough for two con men, so they agree on a bet. First, they select a young woman of obvious means. Whoever can bilk her out of $50,000 wins the bet and gets to stay in town. This isn't as easy as it sounds, even for con men as slick as these two. Although it's easy to guess how the bet will turn out, the two men display a lot of energy and ingenuity to make things go in their favor.

The strength of this production is that it sparkles with so many wonderful actors, including Tom Hewitt as Lawrence, the quintessential charmer. Hewitt conveys so much of his character through a slight gesture, a raised eyebrow or a tip of his head. He is irresistible to watch. That is, until D.B. Bonds arrives as the rascally Freddy. Bonds is so "over the top" that his humorous (and sometimes vulgar) moments steal the show. For one so unpolished, Bonds demonstrates that he is also a slick, smooth dancer. As the young "target," Laura Marie Duncan displays extraordinary singing ability as well as her fine acting.

A series of lonely ladies "of a certain age" perform their roles ably, which is not surprising, Most of the cast boasts impressive Broadway chops. In addition, about half the cast has appeared in the Broadway version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. A brief subplot involving one of the bilked older women (played by Hollis Resnick) and a tongue-tied chief of police (Joe Cassidy) has some cute moments. As goofy as the plot is, the ending is surprisingly strong. It pulls together many of the show's elements in an engaging and surprising way and leaves the audience chuckling on the way out of the theater.

The sets seem a bit tacky for the opulent setting (the French Riviera), but the costumes and lighting are smashing.