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A CurtainUp London London Review
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical


"What you lack in grace, you more than make up for in vulgarity" — Lawrence
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical
Rufus Hound as Freddy and Robert Lindsay as Lawrence (Photo: Johan Persson)
Broadway's 2005 musical version of the Michael Caine and Steve Martin film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels comes to London with the admirable Robert Lindsay in the lead as Lawrence Jameson, a British con artist who preys on rich women. I see that my editor described it in New York as a low key musical but with style.

Certainly the fabulous Mediterranean 1930s pictures of the fictional resort of Beaumont sur Mer on the French Riviera are wonderfully stylish as are most of the costumes but why the French maids in very short skirts also had to have no back to these skirts I fail to grasp. Some of the London critics have appreciated what they see as a return to the lost art of musical comedy.

The show opens with Robert Lindsay's imitation of the voice of Prince Charles as he explains to Muriel Eubanks (Samantha Bond or James Bond's recent Miss Moneypenny) that he is an impoverished European monarch trying to rescue his poverty struck people. Note the name change from the film's Fanny Eubanks to Muriel. Fanny in the UK is slang for a lady's quaintly called front bottom!

Behind the soft shoe shuffle, I found the swing over amplified, but this improved as the night went on. On the train Lawrence meets younger and less refined con artist Freddy Benson (Rufus Hound better known in the UK as a stand up comedian). I loved the choreography of the hotel staff with silver trays positioned to reflect the light.

Although I found the plot rather simplistic, I enjoyed the procession of female conquests. First Muriel, then American heiress Jolene from Oklahoma (Lizzy Connolly), whose cowgirl outfit is fun and whose father is prepared to arrange a wedding with shotguns. To wriggle out of the intended marriage, Lawrence produces his mentally challenged and sexually promiscuous child-son Prince Ruprecht overplayed by Freddy. Christine Colgate (Katherine Kingsley) appears on the scene and Freddy and Lawrence competing, decide that Beaumont isn't big enough for the both of them and agree that whoever doesn't win Christine will get out of town.

Katherine Kingsley sings beautifully but her height makes it appear that she is always in control. Meanwhile Lawrence's assistant police inspector Andre Thibault (John Marquez) gets involved with Muriel and they dance "Like Zis/ Like Zat".

Robert Lindsay has great charm and carries the show with his likeability and wonderfully dancing which we saw him win awards for in Me and My Girl. His sadistic doctor Dr Shüffhausen doles out terrible treatment to mock wheelchair bound Freddy with vicious glee. John Marquez has a fine line in comedy with Samantha Bond as his foil.

The Savoy Theatre, although rebuilt after a recent fire, is the perfect setting for this musical with all the grandeur that was the South of France before the recent invasion by rich Russians. I suppose these gentlemen con artists have largely been replaced today by the Internet fraudsters, phishing and the like, or by serial online dating romeos.

This middle of the road musical will find an audience who will enjoy, the comedy, the dance, Robert Lindsay's super performance, beautiful clothes and impressive, varied sets.
For reviews of the New York production, more plot details and song list go here.

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek
Book by Jeffrey Lane
Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell

Starring: Robert Lindsay, Katherine Kingsley, Samantha Bond, Rufus Hound, John Marquez, Lizzy Connolly
With: Gavin Alex, Darren Bennett, Niamh Bracken, Lisa Bridge, Andy Conaghan, Claire Doyle, Alice Fearn, Selina Hamilton, Ian Knauer, Zak Nemorin, Genevieve Nicole, Javier Santos, Todd Talbot, Dominic Tribuzio, Zara Warren
Design: Peter McKintosh
Lighting Design: Howard Harrison
Sound Design: Paul Groothuis
Musical Supervisor, Additional Arrangements and Orchestrations: Matthew Brind
Original Dance Arrangements: Zane Mark
Musical Director: Richard John
Running time: Two hours 40 minutes including one interval
Box Office: 0844 871 3046
Booking to 29th November 2014
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 1st April 2014 performance at The Savoy Theatre, The Strand, London WC2 (Rail/Tube: Charing Cross)

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