Mud Men

REVIEW: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

by David Anthony Fox

For Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, third time's the charm. Based on a mediocre 1988 Steve Martin movie of the same name that itself was spawned by another film (1964's dreary Bedtime Story), the delightful and sometimes uproarious musical version by composer-lyricist David Yazbeck and playwright Jeffrey Lane finally gets it right.

The scene is the French Riviera, and two con men — debonair, experienced Lawrence Jameson and impossibly goofy neophyte Freddie Benson — wage a game of one-upmanship with each other as they attempt to seduce sweet Christine Colgate, a soap heiress from the Midwest. The outcome would seem a foregone conclusion, as Jameson has not only Andre, the chief of police, in his back pocket, but Muriel, a multimillionairess from Omaha, as well.And yet things are always more complicated than they seem.

Chief among Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' virtues are exceptionally clever lyrics that range from joyously vulgar (Freddie hopes "The fashion plate I date will give me/ Hummers in my Hummer") to elegant, and everything in between. Yazbeck's melodies are every bit as varied and almost as good. There are a few dull patches in Act I, but Act II perks up considerably, with a couple of genuine showstoppers: "Like Zis, Like Zat," an adorable declaration of love by two unlikely partners, and the improbably titled "Love Is My Legs," which sends up the contemporary musical theater sound to hilarious effect.

In fact, the whole of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a good-hearted spoof — but it needs a very strong production to keep it all afloat. It's in good hands at the Walnut, where it is helmed with skill by director-choreographer Richard Stafford, and features a fine ensemble cast with three stellar performances.Paul Schoeffler (Jameson) is effortlessly devilish; Ben Dibble (Benson) can be adorable and disgusting at the same time; and Mary Martello (Muriel) is lovably droll. And all three are better singers than their original Broadway counterparts.

Through Oct. 25, $10-$70, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., 215-574-3550, walnutstreettheatre.org.