Campy chaos on the French Riviera: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Barksdale Theater

There are two types of Broadway shows. Actually, there are two types of Broadway audiences. The first type is looking for an emotional journey complete with tearful ballads, epic story lines, and possibly a death scene at the end. The other type of audience wants over-the-top dance numbers, lots of sequins and feathers, more than a few groan-worthy puns, and some serious cheesiness.

July 7, 2011; 6:00 AM • by Lauren Grant

There are two types of Broadway shows. Actually, there are two types of Broadway audiences. The first type looks for an emotional journey complete with tearful ballads, epic story lines, and possibly a death scene at the end. The other type of audience wants over-the-top dance numbers, lots of sequins and feathers, more than a few groan-worthy puns, and some serious cheesiness. If you fall into the latter category… you might be my mom. And you’ll love Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

The production is about as close to Broadway as you can get here in Richmond. The sets were one of the most unexpectedly impressive parts of the show, notably how easily one transitioned into the next. The costumes were, of course, dripping with adornments, and came in a blinding array of colors. The dance numbers were indeed over-the-top with high kicks for days. And the excessive cheesiness? Yes, it was there and no, it’s not a bad thing. Just know what you’re getting into when you enter the theater: 2.5 hours of nutty musical numbers and whimsical shenanigans.

Jeff McCarthy, playing lead scoundrel Lawrence Jameson, was despicably charming as the devil in a white suit. You’d expect no less, however, from a guy with such a long list of Broadway roles in his repertoire. That alone made it even more impressive that his co-star, Richmond’s own Scott Wichmann, in the role of Freddy, held his own against such a seasoned Broadway vet. I’ll admit, while Freddy was thrusting his pelvis and singing about bling-bling during his first song, my eye-rolling could probably have been seen from space. But stealing the show minutes later in his Ruprecht number, he forced me to put aside my snark and laugh because it was legitimately awesome.

But what really helped neutralize the cheesiness were all the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quips written specially for this production. From local jabs (sorry, Goochland) to topical references (including an appearance by the most ridiculous hat of the year), each was perfectly integrated into the show and delivered just effortlessly enough so that you were kept on your toes trying to catch them all. Boosting the show’s credibility, the one-liners added a smart element to the production that outshone even all those damn rhinestones.

When it comes to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, go for the cheese, stay for the wit. And if you go on July 9th, you get to see Gene Cox play a French guy. What more could you want?