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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Book and Jeffrey Lane Music and Lyrics David Yazbek

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. The musical ran on Broadway in 2005 and also had a US tour. The musical opens at a Casino near the French Riviera showing a con-artist, Lawrence Jameson, tricking wealthy women out of their money with his “bodyguard” Andre (Give Them What They Want). Andre warns Lawrence that a con-artist, known as “the Jackal”, is in the area.

Run

Opening & Closing Dates	Type & Version	Theatre
Mar 3, 2005 – Sep 3, 2006	Musical / Original	Imperial Theatre, NY, USA
Apr 2, 2014 – Mar 07, 2015	Musical / Original	Savoy Theatre, London, UK

Productions

The musical premiered in San Diego, California on September 22, 2004, before moving to Broadway in January 2005 and officially opening in March at the Imperial Theatre. The show closed on Broadway on September 3, 2006 with a total of 626 performances. The director was Jack O’Brien, choreographer was Jerry Mitchell, scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg carves, and lighting design was by Kenneth Posner. The cast included John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, and Sherie Rene Scott, with Joanna Gleason and Gregory Jbara.

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 Norbert Leo Butz reprising his role as Freddy, alongside Tom Hewitt as Lawrence. The Equity tour ended 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]

West End (2014)

The original UK production had pre-West End tryouts at the Manchester Opera House and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre beginning in November 2013^[4] before beginning previews at the Savoy Theatre, London, on March 10, 2014, with the official opening night on April 2, 2014.^[5] The show is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with design by Peter McKintosh,^[6] in what was described as a “reconceived and re-imagined” production.^[7] The cast includes Robert Lindsay as Lawrence, Rufus Hound as Freddy, Katherine Kingsley as Christine^[8] and Samantha Bond as Muriel.^[9]

John Lithgow

John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor, musician, and author. Lithgow has been involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio. He also has written and published several books of poetry and children’s literature. He has received two Tony Awards, five Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, an American Comedy Award, four Drama Desk Awards and has also been nominated for two Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards. Lithgow has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

See John Lithgow at TheatreGold DataBase

Norbet Leo Butz

Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer best known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for “Best Leading Actor in a Musical”, and is one of only nine actors ever to have won the award twice as lead actor. Butz made his Broadway debut as Adam Pascal’s replacement as Roger Davis in Rent in 1996. Additional Broadway credits include Thou Shalt Not (Camille Raquin, 2001–2002), for which he received a Tony Award nomination; Wicked (the original Fiyero, 2003) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Freddy) for which he received the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, a Drama League Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

See Norbet Leo Butz at TheatreGold DataBase

Plot

Act 1

The musical opens at a Casino near the French Riviera showing a con-artist, Lawrence Jameson, tricking wealthy women out of their money with his “bodyguard” Andre (Give Them What They Want). Andre warns Lawrence that a con-artist, known as “the Jackal”, is in the area. In a side story, one woman named Muriel and a few other women realize that Lawrence is not who he says he is (What Was a Woman To Do). While on a train, Lawrence watches an American named Freddy Benson swindle money out of a woman, but making much less money than Lawrence does. Lawrence ends up bringing Freddy to his lavish mansion, where Freddy envies how Lawrence has made a living out of swindling. Then he talks of all the things he wants when he’s rich (Great Big Stuff). Freddy asks Lawrence to “show [him] his ways.” Andre thinks Freddie is unworthy of Lawrence’s attention, and compares Freddie to a (Chimp in a Suit). 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 think that there isn’t enough room in town for the both of them. They make a deal: The first to get $50,000 out of a woman gets to stay in town, while the other has to leave the town, which is the perfect location for what they do. Immediately after making the deal the arrival of “The American Soap Queen, Christine Colgate” is announced (Here I Am). They simultaneously 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 that Dr. Shuffhausen charges, $50,000. Christine tells him to keep his hopes up (Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True). She tells Freddy she has the money to pay for the therapist, as Freddy had 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.

Act 2

After a quick reintroduction (Entr’Acte), Lawrence performs several torturous tests on Freddy’s legs who has to endure them silently while in front of Christine (Ruffhousin’ Mit Shuffhausen). In the side show Muriel meets Andre and the two fall in love (Like Zis/Like Zat). Lawrence is trying in every effort to get close to Christine (The More We Dance), when he realizes that Christine is not as rich as they thought. Lawrence tells Freddy that he thinks they should call off the deal. Freddy reluctantly agrees the bet will be changed to whether or not he sleeps with her, then hires two sailors to kidnap Lawrence so that he can get Christine alone.

Freddy meets back with Christine at the hotel where he tells her he needs motivation to get out of his chair. She says she’ll be his motivation (Love is My Legs). She sits on the bed till he is finally able to stand up out of his chair and walk to her on the bed (where he “accidentally” falls on top of her in exhaustion), when Lawrence shows up and it turns out to be a test planned by him and Christine. Lawrence has the same two sailors kidnap Freddy while he takes Christine to the train station so she can leave (Love Sneaks In). Freddy shows up, having escaped the sailors too late to get to Christine.

The next day Freddy meets Christine back at the hotel who says she couldn’t leave “without seeing you again.” (Son of Great Big Stuff) The two get in bed together before the scene is switched to Lawrence’s mansion where Christine shows up, telling him tearfully how she came back to see Freddy, how they made love, and then when she woke up all her money was gone: “I’m beginning to think he was never really paralyzed.” Out of remorse, Lawrence packs 50 thousand dollars in a suitcase and tells her to take it. Christine takes it, but returns and gives him back the suitcase saying, ‘I’ll have something so much better to remember you by” before leaving.

A few minutes later Freddy shows up in his underwear. Lawrence is angry at him for taking Christine’s money. Freddy, however, claims that they never made love at all; they were about to when she knocked him out. When he woke up all his belongings were gone. Lawrence then opens up the suitcase to find the money gone, replaced by Freddy’s clothes and a note that reads, “Goodbye boys. It was fun! Love, ‘The Jackal'”, thus revealing that she knew about their scam the entire time, and instead ended up scamming them (The Reckoning). A while later Christine returns to Lawrence’s chateau, bringing several other people with her. The guys finally admit the scam was a good adventure for them (Dirty Rotten Number) and they hatch a scheme to scam the crowd of people together in the Finale.

Musical Numbers

Act I

Overture
Give Them What They Want (Broadway) – Lawrence, Andre, Ensemble
- The Only Game in Town (National Tour)
What Was a Woman to Do – Muriel, Women
Great Big Stuff – Freddy, Ensemble
Chimp in a Suit – Andre
Oklahoma? – Jolene, Lawrence, Ensemble
All About Ruprecht – Lawrence, Ruprecht, Jolene
What Was a Woman to Do (Reprise) – Muriel
Here I Am – Christine, Ensemble
Nothing is Too Wonderful to Be True – Christine, Freddy
The Miracle (Act I Finale) – Company

Act II

Entr’acte
Ruffhousin’ Mit Shüffhausen – Freddy, Christine, Dr. Shüffhausen
Like Zis/Like Zat – Andre, Muriel
The More We Dance – Lawrence, Christine, Ensemble
Love is My Legs – Freddy, Christine, Ensemble
Love Sneaks In – Lawrence
Like Zis/Like Zat (Reprise) – Muriel
Son of Great Big Stuff – Freddy, Christine
The Reckoning – Lawrence, Freddy, Christine
Dirty Rotten Number – Lawrence, Freddy
Finale – Company

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005 Original Broadway Cast) by John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Renee Scott and David Yazbek(2005) – Cast Recording

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”.
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.

Cast and Replacement History

John Lithgow as Lawrence Jameson
Sherie Rene Scott as Christine Colgate
Norbert Leo Butz as Sergeant Freddy “Buzz” Benson, US Army
Sara Gettelfinger as Jolene Oakes
Joanna Gleason as Muriel Eubanks
Gregory Jbara as Inspector Andre

Replacements

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
Julie Connors filled in for Jolene Oakes from April 25, 2006 – April 30, 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
Julie Connors filled in for Jolene Oakes from June 20, 2006 – June 24, 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
Julie Connors filled in for Christine Colgate from July 25, 2006 – August 4, 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

London Cast 2014

Robert Lindsay

Rufus Hound

Katherine Kingsley

Samantha Bond

John Marquez

Lizzy Connolly

Phoebe CoupeClaire DoyleAlice Fearn

Selina Hamilton

Ian Knauer

Lisa Mathieson

Zak Nemorin

Gavin AlexDarren BennettNiamh Bracken

Lisa Bridge

Darren Carnall

Andy Conaghan

Genevieve NicoleJavier SantosTodd Talbot

Dominic Tribuzio

Jon Tsouras

Zara Warren

Video

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
2005	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Musical		Nominated
		Outstanding Book of a Musical	Jeffrey Lane	Nominated
		Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Norbert Leo Butz	Won
		Outstanding Actress in a Musical	Sherie Rene Scott	Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Gregory Jbara	Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Joanna Gleason	Nominated
		Outstanding Choreography	Jerry Mitchell	Nominated
		Outstanding Orchestrations	Harold Wheeler	Nominated
		Outstanding Music	David Yazbek	Nominated
		Outstanding Lyrics	David Yazbek	Nominated
	Drama League Award	Best Distinguished Production of a Musical		Won
	Drama League Award	Best Distinguished Performance	Norbert Leo Butz	Won
	Tony Award	Best Musical		Nominated
		Best Book of a Musical	Jeffrey Lane	Nominated
		Best Original Score	David Yazbek	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Norbert Leo Butz	Won
		Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	John Lithgow	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Sherie Rene Scott	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical	Joanna Gleason	Nominated
		Best Lighting Design	Kenneth Posner	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Musical	Jack O’Brien	Nominated
		Best Choreography	Jerry Mitchell	Nominated
		Best Orchestrations	Harold Wheeler	Nominated