[NEohioPAL]Berko review: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Playhouse Square Center)

Thu Jun 14 14:51:42 PDT 2007

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I attended Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last evening, and I'd like to take issue=20=
with a few statements from Mr. Berko's latest "review."
=20

"Songs like =E2=80=9CGreat Big Stuff=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CLove Is My Legs=
=E2=80=9D
were audience pleasers. However, =E2=80=9CAll About Ruprecht=E2=80=9D
and =E2=80=9CRuffhousin=E2=80=99 Mit Shuffhausen=E2=80=9D were just too
ridiculous to entertain anyone with at least a normal
IQ."

That's just downright rude, and doesn't belong in a review, period. If you d=
on't have
a sense of humor that's your problem, but don't trash those of us in the aud=
ience who do.
I'd have to say that the majority of last night's audience must have been we=
ll below normal,=20
because most of them seemed to enjoy those numbers quite a bit.

"The opening night audience gave=20
its usual Cleveland standing ovation to a production
which was basically mediocre.  This is the kind of
show that some will love, while others, like the four
ladies sitting behind me, who are self appointed
critics, were debating during intermission whether
they were going to give the show a C- or a D+.=20
Whichever grade they picked was just about right."

I don't understand why you review theatre, when you clearly hate the audienc=
e.
Judging by the tone of this, and most of your reviews, it's obvious that you=
 consider=20
most Cleveland audiences beneath you. You especially seem to have a problem=20=
with standing
ovations - you seem to harp on that over and over again.

It really makes me miss Mike and Ike - with them, I always knew I'd get an a=
ccurate, fair,
and sometimes brutally honest review by someone who actually enjoys live the=
atre and doesn't=20
hate the rest of the audience.

The show was entertaining, the performers did a fine job, and from where I s=
at, the audience=20
seemed like they really enjoyed the show - except for the little old lady in=
 front
of me who jumped when she heard the f-word.

I can't believe crap like that review doesn't make a ripple, yet people got=20=
so pissed off at Jeff Holland
for his Mike and Ike postings. It really makes me miss those reviews - with=20=
them, I always knew I'd=20
get an accurate, fair, and sometimes brutally honest review by someone who a=
ctually enjoys live=20
theatre and doesn't hate the rest of the audience.

 - Sergio Iriarte

=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Roy Berko <royberko at yahoo.com>
To: NEOhioPerformingArts <neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com>
Sent: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:56 am
Subject: [NEohioPAL]Berko review:  DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Playhouse Square=
 Center)

Farcical =E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=E2=80=99 pleases some at the
Palace, but...

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times  =20

=E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS,=E2=80=99 which is now on stage at
the Palace Theatre, is a musical farce.  Farces aim to
entertain the audience by means of unlikely and
extravagant situations, disguises and mistaken
identities.  They contain broad physical humor and
verbal comedy of varying degrees of sophistication,
which often includes puns and sexual innuendo.   To be
effective the material must sizzle and the performance
must be right on target.  (Think Great Lakes Theatre
Festival=E2=80=99s =E2=80=98FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE
FORUM=E2=80=99 and =E2=80=98HAY FEVER.=E2=80=99)  Unfortunately for local
audiences, =E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=E2=80=99 is shallow in
both book and staging.

First conceived as a movie in 1988, the film, which
starred Steve Martin and Michael Caine, is considered
by many cinema aficionados as one of the 50 most
humorous American films.

In 2005, the movie was adapted into a Broadway musical
following the same plot line.  It starred John Lithgow
and Norbert Leo Butz, and in spite of mixed reviews,
it was nominated for several Tony Awards, including
Best Musical.

The story concerns Freddy Benson, who lives off women
by conning them with stories about his fake persona.=20
One day, he meets Lawrence Jamieson, who shares the
same passion.  Lawrence, however, has neither the
charm nor the maturity to pull off high level cons.=20
He relies on his youth and made-up family tales.  As
there is no way two con men can work the small French
town, Lawrence and Freddy agree that the first one to
extract $50,000 from a young female target stays, and
the other leaves town.  What they fail to realize is
that a con man can also be conned!

The touring production does not have the appeal of the
Broadway production or the film.   Tom Hewitt is fine,
but not outstanding, as Lawrence.  D. B. Bonds has
some good moments as Freddy, but isn=E2=80=99t in the same
league as Norbert Leo Butz, who won a Tony for the
role.  Laura Marie Duncan, who has a nice voice,
doesn=E2=80=99t ring true as Christine Colgate, who eventually
cons the con artists.  Only Hollis Resnik stands out
as one of the ladies taken advantage of by Lawrence.

Songs like =E2=80=9CGreat Big Stuff=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CLove Is My Legs=
=E2=80=9D
were audience pleasers.  However, =E2=80=9CAll About Ruprecht=E2=80=9D
and =E2=80=9CRuffhousin=E2=80=99 Mit Shuffhausen=E2=80=9D were just too
ridiculous to entertain anyone with at least a normal
IQ.

The dancing was often too automatic and uncreative and
the pace seemed to be that of a show which has been on
the road too long.

Capsule judgment:   The opening night audience gave
its usual Cleveland standing ovation to a production
which was basically mediocre.  This is the kind of
show that some will love, while others, like the four
ladies sitting behind me, who are self appointed
critics, were debating during intermission whether
they were going to give the show a C- or a D+.=20
Whichever grade they picked was just about right.

=E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=E2=80=99 runs through  June 24 at the
Palace Theatre.  For tickets call 216-241-6000,
800-766-6048 or go on line to www.playhousesquare.com.

Playhouse Square Center=E2=80=99s next production is the
return of THE LION KING from August 2 through
September 9.  Tickets are now on sale.

Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through=
=20
2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found a=
t=20
http://royberko.info
     =20
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line=20
source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit=20
http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His reviews also=
=20
appear on www.coolcleveland.com

      =20
____________________________________________________________________________=
________
Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play=
=20
Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games.
http://sims.yahoo.com/ =20
____________________________________
Cain Park presents OLIVER! June 21 - July 8. Tickets: 216-371-3000
_____________________________________
Support Neohiopal - learn how here: http://www.fredsternfeld.com/neohiopal.h=
tm#support
______________________________________
Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to=20
one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch=
=20
from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at=20
http://www.fredsternfeld.com.
_______________________________________
Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely t=
hose=20
of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message=
 is=20
posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of t=
his=20
list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and=20
activities promoted on NEohioPAL.

NEohioPAL mailing list
NEohioPAL at lists.fredsternfeld.com
http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal

=20

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<div>I attended Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last evening, and I'd like to take i=
ssue with a few statements from Mr. Berko's latest "review."<br>
 <pre style=3D"font-size: 9pt;"><i><tt><tt><br>
<br>
"</tt></tt><tt><tt>Songs like =E2=80=9CGreat Big Stuff=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=
=9CLove Is My Legs=E2=80=9D<br>
were audience pleasers. </tt></tt></i><tt><tt><b><i>However, =E2=80=9CAll Ab=
out Ruprecht=E2=80=9D<br>
and =E2=80=9CRuffhousin=E2=80=99 Mit Shuffhausen=E2=80=9D were just too<br>
ridiculous to entertain anyone with at least a normal<br>
IQ."</i><br>
<br>
</b>That's just downright rude, and doesn't belong in a review, period. If y=
ou don't have<br>
a sense of humor that's your problem, but don't trash those of us in the aud=
ience who do.<br>
I'd have to say that the majority of last night's audience must have been we=
ll below normal, <br>
because most of them seemed to enjoy those numbers quite a bit.<br>
<br>
</tt></tt><i><tt><tt>"The opening night audience gave <br>
its usual Cleveland standing ovation to a production<br>
which was basically mediocre.  This is the kind of<br>
show that some will love, while others, like the four<br>
ladies sitting behind me, <b>who are self appointed<br>
critics</b>, were debating during intermission whether<br>
they were going to give the show a C- or a D+. <br>
Whichever grade they picked was just about right."<br>
<br>
</tt></tt></i><tt><tt>I don't understand why you review theatre, when you cl=
early hate the audience.<br>
Judging by the tone of this, and most of your reviews, it's obvious that you=
 consider <br>
most Cleveland audiences beneath you. You especially seem to have a problem=20=
with standing<br>
ovations - you seem to harp on that over and over again.<br>
<br>
It really makes me miss Mike and Ike - with them, I always knew I'd get an a=
ccurate, fair,<br>
and sometimes brutally honest review by someone who actually enjoys live the=
atre and doesn't <br>
hate the rest of the audience.<br>
<br>
<br>
The show was entertaining, the performers did a fine job, and from where I s=
at, the audience <br>
seemed like they really enjoyed the show - except for the little old lady in=
 front<br>
of me who jumped when she heard the f-word.<br>
<br>
<br>
I can't believe crap like that review doesn't make a ripple, yet people got=20=
so pissed off at Jeff Holland<br>
for his Mike and Ike postings. </tt></tt><tt><tt><tt><tt>It really makes me=20=
miss those reviews - with them, I always knew I'd <br>
get an accurate, fair, and sometimes brutally honest review by someone who a=
ctually enjoys live <br>
theatre and doesn't hate the rest of the audience.<br>
<br>
<br>
</tt></tt></tt></tt><tt><tt><br>
<br>
 - Sergio Iriarte<br>
<br>
</tt></tt></pre></div>

<div> <br>
</div>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Roy Berko <royberko at yahoo.com><br>
To: NEOhioPerformingArts <neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com><br>
Sent: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:56 am<br>
Subject: [NEohioPAL]Berko review:  DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (Playhouse Square=
 Center)<br>
<br>

<div id=3D"AOLMsgPart_0_787782cc-9184-41d8-993a-15d9146ece22" style=3D"margi=
n: 0px; font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif; font-size: 12px; color=
: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">

<pre style=3D"font-size: 9pt;"><tt>Farcical =E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=
=E2=80=99 pleases some at the<br>
Palace, but...<br>
<br>
Roy Berko<br>
<br>
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)<br>
<br>
--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--<br>
<br>
Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News<br>
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times   <br>
<br>
<br>
=E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS,=E2=80=99 which is now on stage at<br>
the Palace Theatre, is a musical farce.  Farces aim to<br>
entertain the audience by means of unlikely and<br>
extravagant situations, disguises and mistaken<br>
identities.  They contain broad physical humor and<br>
verbal comedy of varying degrees of sophistication,<br>
which often includes puns and sexual innuendo.   To be<br>
effective the material must sizzle and the performance<br>
must be right on target.  (Think Great Lakes Theatre<br>
Festival=E2=80=99s =E2=80=98FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE<br>
FORUM=E2=80=99 and =E2=80=98HAY FEVER.=E2=80=99)  Unfortunately for local<br=
>
audiences, =E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=E2=80=99 is shallow in<br>
both book and staging.<br>
<br>
First conceived as a movie in 1988, the film, which<br>
starred Steve Martin and Michael Caine, is considered<br>
by many cinema aficionados as one of the 50 most<br>
humorous American films.<br>
<br>
In 2005, the movie was adapted into a Broadway musical<br>
following the same plot line.  It starred John Lithgow<br>
and Norbert Leo Butz, and in spite of mixed reviews,<br>
it was nominated for several Tony Awards, including<br>
Best Musical.<br>
<br>
The story concerns Freddy Benson, who lives off women<br>
by conning them with stories about his fake persona. <br>
One day, he meets Lawrence Jamieson, who shares the<br>
same passion.  Lawrence, however, has neither the<br>
charm nor the maturity to pull off high level cons. <br>
He relies on his youth and made-up family tales.  As<br>
there is no way two con men can work the small French<br>
town, Lawrence and Freddy agree that the first one to<br>
extract $50,000 from a young female target stays, and<br>
the other leaves town.  What they fail to realize is<br>
that a con man can also be conned!<br>
<br>
The touring production does not have the appeal of the<br>
Broadway production or the film.   Tom Hewitt is fine,<br>
but not outstanding, as Lawrence.  D. B. Bonds has<br>
some good moments as Freddy, but isn=E2=80=99t in the same<br>
league as Norbert Leo Butz, who won a Tony for the<br>
role.  Laura Marie Duncan, who has a nice voice,<br>
doesn=E2=80=99t ring true as Christine Colgate, who eventually<br>
cons the con artists.  Only Hollis Resnik stands out<br>
as one of the ladies taken advantage of by Lawrence.<br>
<br>
Songs like =E2=80=9CGreat Big Stuff=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CLove Is My Legs=
=E2=80=9D<br>
were audience pleasers.  However, =E2=80=9CAll About Ruprecht=E2=80=9D<br>
and =E2=80=9CRuffhousin=E2=80=99 Mit Shuffhausen=E2=80=9D were just too<br>
ridiculous to entertain anyone with at least a normal<br>
IQ.<br>
<br>
The dancing was often too automatic and uncreative and<br>
the pace seemed to be that of a show which has been on<br>
the road too long.<br>
<br>
Capsule judgment:   The opening night audience gave<br>
its usual Cleveland standing ovation to a production<br>
which was basically mediocre.  This is the kind of<br>
show that some will love, while others, like the four<br>
ladies sitting behind me, who are self appointed<br>
critics, were debating during intermission whether<br>
they were going to give the show a C- or a D+. <br>
Whichever grade they picked was just about right.<br>
<br>
=E2=80=98DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS=E2=80=99 runs through  June 24 at the<br>
Palace Theatre.  For tickets call 216-241-6000,<br>
800-766-6048 or go on line to <a href=3D"http://www.playhousesquare.com" tar=
get=3D"_blank">www.playhousesquare.com</a>.<br>
<br>
Playhouse Square Center=E2=80=99s next production is the<br>
return of THE LION KING from August 2 through<br>
September 9.  Tickets are now on sale.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through=
 <br>
2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found a=
t <br>
<a href=3D"http://royberko.info" target=3D"_blank">http://royberko.info</a><=
br>
      <br>
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line <b=
r>
source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit <b=
r>
<a href=3D"http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal" target=
=3D"_blank">http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal</a>. =20=
His reviews also <br>
appear on <a href=3D"http://www.coolcleveland.com" target=3D"_blank">www.coo=
lcleveland.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
       <br>
____________________________________________________________________________=
________<br>
Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play=
 <br>
Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games.<br>
<a href=3D"http://sims.yahoo.com/" target=3D"_blank">http://sims.yahoo.com/<=
/a>  <br>
____________________________________<br>
Cain Park presents OLIVER! June 21 - July 8. Tickets: 216-371-3000<br>
_____________________________________<br>
Support Neohiopal - learn how here: <a href=3D"http://www.fredsternfeld.com/=
neohiopal.htm#support" target=3D"_blank">http://www.fredsternfeld.com/neohio=
pal.htm#support</a><br>
______________________________________<br>
Neohiopal is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to <=
br>
one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch=
 <br>
from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at <br>
<a href=3D"http://www.fredsternfeld.com" target=3D"_blank">http://www.fredst=
ernfeld.com</a>.<br>
_______________________________________<br>
Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely t=
hose <br>
of the person in the "from" or "reply-to" header. The fact that this message=
 is <br>
posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of t=
his <br>
list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and <=
br>
activities promoted on NEohioPAL.<br>
<br>
NEohioPAL mailing list<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:NEohioPAL at lists.fredsternfeld.com">NEohioPAL at lists.fredste=
rnfeld.com</a><br>
<a href=3D"http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal" target=
=3D"_blank">http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal</a>
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