Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

The Zodiac Amateur Operatic Society were originally meant to perform Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in March 2020, but were forced to cancel due to the national lockdown. Three years later and they have brought this musical comedy to the Frodsham stage. Directed by Neil Silcock, this production was sprinkled with comedy from the start. By the sounds of it, Neil has been kept extremely busy with this production! Not only did he direct it, he appeared in the ensemble and redesigned/built the set. Due to the small wing space, the set was kept simple, but used effectively throughout. Set pieces were moved for different scenes, creating different locations, with added furniture brought on. The stage crew were kept busy and the transitions between scenes were well managed and quickly done. There were some imaginative pieces of direction, with a particular highlight being the airport. The model plane flying across the stage was very funny, and instantly took the audience to the airport, with added sound effects.

The musical director for this production was Craig Price. The band played well throughout and were sympathetic to the performers on stage. The violin section particularly stood out.

Jennifer Deakin and Jessica Martin choreographed the production. There were lots of different styles of dance used throughout the production, and it was executed well by the cast.

The lighting used was good. There were a few moments where lighting cues were missed, especially with the follow spots during the moments down stage left and down stage right.

The sound of the band was really good and the levels between the band and performers was good. There were a few occasions mics weren’t on, so dialogue was missed. This seemed to impact the ensemble the most, as the audience missed some of their singing. Sound effects were utilised well throughout the production, and highlighted some of the comedic moments.

Seb Farrell played Lawrence Jameson, one of our con artists. Seb brought a suave, almost Bond-esque, essence to Lawrence. Seb worked extremely well with both Chris and Kat, successfully bringing out different character traits with both. Excellent accents used as well – ‘Ruffhousin’ With Shüffhausen’ was very well done.

Chris Doyle was outstanding as our other con artist, Freddy Benson. The comic timing was impeccable, with a particular highlight being Chris’ work in ‘All About Ruprecht’. This song was a comic highlight from start to finish! The physical comedy from Chris was executed well, especially in ‘Love Is My Legs’.

Kat Hewish played Christine Colgate with aplomb. A great singing voice, super characterisation and good stage presence – when Kat was on stage, all eyes were on her.

Beverley Ann Ross offered great support as Muriel. Beverley had a great voice, delivering her songs well. She created believable relationships with both Seb and Phil, and provided many comedic moments, particularly with Phil.

Phil Murray created a good double act with Beverley as Andre Thibault. Phil had great comic timing and good characterisation bringing Andre to life. The change from stone-faced employee to love-sick man was done well.

Gabrielle Stanfield provided a great cameo performance as Jolene. Some excellent comedy and a great vocal. Gabrielle led the ensemble in her song, Oklahoma, which was a particular highlight of Act 1.

The ensemble worked hard, playing a variety of parts throughout. It was a shame that that some of the mics of the ensemble were cued late. The ensemble also aided with scene changes, which meant that the pace was kept up throughout. Well done to you all.

Overall, this production was laugh-out-loud, with strong leads and clever staging. It was definitely worth the three year wait!

Thank you for your kind invite, and all the best with your next production, The Wedding Singer, in November.

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