Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

This was a musical comedy with the emphasis on comedy. It was based on the film of the same name, premiering on Broadway in 2006 and running at that time for 626 performances.  It centres on two conmen, one suave and sophisticated who makes his living by talking rich women out of their money. The other is a small-time crook who plays on the ladies heartstrings by recounting stories of his grandmother’s ill health.

These two, larger than life characters, Lawrence Jameson (Scott Hunter) who gave a confident portrayal of the suave conman, and Freddy Benson (Fraser Jamieson) giving an equally confident, but oozing comedy, performance as the small time crook, worked well together, with excellent comic timing. Shona De-Rose provided an excellent account of Jolene, giving the energy and enthusiasm that her character required. Suzanne Anderson as the American soap queen (turning out to be yet another scoundrel!) gave an outstanding performance. Finally, Charlie Sinclair as the slightly dodgy Chief of Police together with Muriel (Lisa Allan) complimented each other well and gave Charlie another opportunity to demonstrate his French accent!

Without any disrespect whatsoever to the Principals, I have to say their excellence was only surpassed by the team of dancers under the tutelage of Elinor Tomlinson. This ensemble of girls and boy must be congratulated on the energy displayed in the well-drilled dance moves and Elinor’s slick and stylish routines.

Chorus and orchestra were well handled by MD Alan Gibson.

Technically, lighting was good and sound although a bit variable in Act One, picked up in the second act.  Costumes were appropriate for the period, and often were seen to be quite stunning – the green sequined dancers’ wardrobe being a case in point.

Well done Kelty MA and thank you for the invite to your show.

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