Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Nebraska Wesleyan University’s Kelly Houlehan, an actress in NWU’s upcoming performance of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” summed up the play best when she explained, “It’s Oceans 11 with singing, dancing, and more ridiculous jokes.”

After getting a quick preview of the show it is tough to argue with her. The show is based on the popular 1988 film of the same name. It stars Corey Misek as Lawrence Jameson, a British conman using his charm to seduce the women of the French Riviera and take them for all they are worth, and Erik Gosnell as Freddy Benson, an American swindler who asks Lawrence to take him under his wing. After the two engage in a heated argument, they agree on a wager: the first to extract $50,000 from the “Soap Queen” Christine Colgate, played by Ashlyn Eggebrecht, gets the Riviera to themselves, the loser leaves town. The result is an all out conman extravaganza, no trick too low no accent or back-story too fabricated.

The production is co-directed by Parker Reed of the faculty and Junior Kyle Thomas, who also choreographed the show. From just witnessing one rehearsal, you would understand just how much choreography went into this performance.

The play starts out with all the cast members onstage in a rousing dance number and only gets bigger and better as the play progresses. Even if you are not a fan of dancing, the comedy is priceless. The song “Love Is Your Legs” will have you laughing even after you leave the theater. This is Kyle Thomas’s first large scale musical and it looks as though he pulled out all the stops. Thomas even had Corey Misek spend a whole 24 hours talking in nothing but a British accent to prepare him for the role, although Misek said the experience turned a bit odd when he had to visit the post office and the bank.

The first performance is Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30, with shows running Thursday through Sunday for this weekend and the next. Co-Director Parker Reed has promised a short preview to be showing on YouTube later on this week, so keep your eyes open.