Photo credit: Leslie Eisner
Written by Patrick Chavis
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is playing now at the Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano, September 11-October 4, 2026.
After losing its longtime space last year, right in the heart of downtown San Juan Capistrano (you know for sure people went to Heritage for BBQ and to take in a show), the Camino Real Playhouse is back in a wonderful new space.
The new playhouse has a beautiful entrance space with a chandelier and seating. More importantly, the stage and seating are way more hospitable than at the original location. It is set in the back of the shopping center, so first-timers may have a hard time finding the space. Once you do, a big red marquee with the name makes it hard to miss.
Story/Direction/Set:
Camino decided to come back with vengeance: a laugh-out-loud, boisterous comedy about two very different con artists trying to outdo each other by manipulating a young woman’s affections. Who will win: the slob or the gentleman? This two-act musical finds a great balance between fun slapstick and more.
This piece was directed by Dan Blackley, who directed a recent production of Legally Blonde at the Westminster Playhouse, which I enjoyed quite a bit. This piece is more of the same. Blackley made some really thoughtful choices in this one. This show requires multiple upscale locations, and to pull it off, it uses a projector and several small physical structures to set the scene. The slob in question is Freddy Benson (Charlie Massey), who, with Lawrence Jameson (Tom Patrick Proprofsky), nails the unlikely duo angle.
Acting:
Charlie Massey finds every opportunity, even when he’s not the focus, to bring something interesting out of the scene. No notes, just laughs. Massey really made the character his own, and when you think the show couldn’t get goofier, you’re in for a rude awakening because he commits to the bit.
In contrast, Tom Propstofsky’s Lawrence is delightfully egotistical. Thanks to the exceptional combination of Propposky’s performance and Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbek’s book and songs, we discover so much more about Lawrence beyond the comical and pompous.
This is a well-structured musical, and the songs really hit. Since the cast gives it their all, the sound quality was excellent. Yes, I love a live band. This show doesn’t have one. It’s not always feasible; I get that. That said, whatever sound design Conner Altwein did with the pre-recorded track definitely worked.
Mandy Kuhn plays Muriel Ebanks, one of Lawrence’s loyal cons. Kuhn couldn’t be a better cast in this role. The character is an older, oblivious woman but ultimately looking for some purpose. It’s definitely the B-plot of this musical. Still, it feels substantial, and by the end of the play I was invested in Muriel and Andre’s (Robb Neale) relationship as much as I was in the main three: Freddy, Lawrence, and Christine Colgate (Katie Nicol).
It was very entertaining to see Neale’s furiously French performance as Andre, and like Lawrence’s character, we saw him grow from a pompous assistant to slightly more down-to-earth.
Katie Nicol hits all the right notes. Tunes like “Love is my Legs” would make a normal person break, but both Nicol and Massey make it work.
Darn it, I was rooting for those Scoundrels!
Review
8.6
Overall
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Story8.7Acting8.6Set & Design8.4Costumes8.2Entertainment8.9
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Great Show! OCR Recommended!
Review
8.6
Overall
Users
0
(0 votes)
Story8.7
Acting8.6
Set & Design8.4
Costumes8.2
Entertainment8.9
What people say...
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Leave your rating
Be the first to leave a rating.
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Last modified: September 17, 2026
WOW!! This was a great production and I loved seeing it with my family LOL It was super funny and…