A quick summary of the musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” which is being presented at Weathervane Playhouse, a Knight Arts grantee, is that it is a long, almost three-hour comedy bolstered by some great performances from the cast (and that includes the ensemble players).

Set in the French Riviera in a place called Beaumont-sur-mer, the major plot is a twisted (but easy-to-follow) tale about two con men who start getting in each other’s way.

Lawrence Jameson (played by the always delightful and droll David Dukeman) satisfies his vanity and taste for fine foods and lavish living by suavely separating rich women from their bounty (sometimes achieved only via their divorce settlement). Flattery and charm apparently can make you wealthy.

David Dukeman in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” Photo courtesy of Weathervane Playhouse.

Freddy Benson (played by an energetic and personable Adam Vigneault) is the lowbrow version of Jameson. He seemingly will con anyone – rich or poor – through made-up tragic stories that tear at women’s heartstrings – and bring him the means for a meal he cannot afford otherwise. Being pitiful and acting pathetic can seemingly make you money.

Early scenes show Jameson conning women, with a couple hanging around enough to cause trouble. One, Jolene (played with gusto by Kyla Williger in a belt-out-a-song scene featuring the tune “Oklahoma”), comes to haunt Jameson by holding a gun on him and demanding marriage. Freddy comes to the rescue – that intertwines the characters so that they have to deal with each other.

While all their rancor is building up to a bet with the loser taking a hike, there are two more subplots (or maybe three) that get introduced in Act II. One is the budding love affair between Andre Thibault and Muriel Eubanks. Played with lusty sophistication and through great singing voices by Daniel Colaner and Meg Hoppe, the couple pop, rascal-like, into and out of various scenes before their emotional showdown at the end of play.

Another subplot concerns the $50,000 bet that whoever gets that amount from a woman will be the king of the Riviera, and the other will leave. Enter Christine Colgate (played subtly by Amanda Davis). Davis makes her character multi-dimensional in order to show the character is hiding something – which is the third subplot, the one about a rival thief simply called “the Jackal.” In some hilarious scenes with the men and Colgate, the story reaches histrionic proportions before it settles down and resolves itself in a flood of happiness by play’s end. All gets revealed, layer by layer.

Amanda Davis in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” Photo courtesy of Weathervane Playhouse

It’s easy to see why it would take some time to get all that done while adding in 19 song and dance numbers with some talented singing and non-speaking acting from the ensemble. The singers on opening night had nice musical balance among the parts and were backed up by a serviceable pit band led by keyboardist John Ebner. At times it was hard to hear lead actor Dukeman over the band, so that some telling lyrics got lost in the shuffle.

Alan Scott Ferrall’s set was as functional as it was apt and highly-suited to the production. A drop upstage suggested the Riviera perfectly, while a revolving center stage allowed for shifts of scene as the characters walked and sorted themselves out to leave the players of the next scene onstage. Nicely done.

The musical comedy “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday-Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday through June 29 at Weathervane Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron; 330-836-2626; www.weathervaneplayhouse.com. Admission is $25 ($21 for seniors on Thursday and Sunday).