Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at The Little Theatre, Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Leanne W
Leicester Operatic Players are a musical theatre society who perform and annual show, hosted by Leicester Drama Society at The Little Theatre Leicester. The society have been performing for 73 years (Despite a short break for the pandemic) with the most recent productions being more contemporary than the historical repertoire. This year’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels continues that pattern.
Based on the 1988 film of the same name, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical comedy set on the glamorous French Riviera. The story follows two very different con artists who discover that the coast isn’t big enough for the both of them.
Lawrence Jameson, played by Chris Hiam, an elegant, sophisticated “prince” of a con man who makes his living by seducing wealthy women out of their fortunes with elaborate, high-class stories. Upon meeting Freddy Benson, played by Freddie Perkins, A small-time American grifter who is loud, brash, and survives on much humbler scams involving “sick grandmothers” and free meals.
When Freddy threatens to expose Lawrence’s operation, Lawrence reluctantly agrees to take him under his wing and teach him the “fine art of the con.” However, the partnership quickly turns into a fierce rivalry. To settle who gets to stay in town and who must leave, they make a high stakes bet: the first one to swindle $50,000 from a specific target wins. The target is Christine Colgate, a seemingly naive American “Soap Queen” who has just arrived in Beaumont-sur-Mer. As Lawrence and Freddy deploy increasingly ridiculous schemes to win her over—including faked paralysis and elaborate secret identities—they find themselves in a battle of wits.
In a classic “con vs. con” finale, the duo discovers that they may have underestimated their mark.
Freddie Perkins brings a delightful energy to his role and I particularly enjoyed the musical number ‘All About Ruprecht’ allowing him the opportunity to display some enjoyable comedy to the stage. He is well balanced by Chris Hiam and the pair demonstrate the importance of a good montage relationship well. The pair are ably supported by a variety of smaller roles including Lizzie Bywater-Florence as Christine Colgate who portrays a suitably naive part as she forges relationships as the ‘victim’ of the two con artists. Often the ensemble are overlooked and this one is mostly excellent; but particular mention should go to Georgina Stonely who is a captivating performer, I enjoyed her stage presence immensely.
I found the choreography to be fresh and fun which brought a great energy to the piece. I was puzzled somewhat by the set. I was impressed to see a raised balcony and stairs up to it, but it wasn’t used – at all, even in the scene with a balcony mentioned. Additionally there seemed to be no date to the piece, Kim Kardashian gets a mention but the decor suggested 1920s, this left me confused as to when and where the action was happening.
With this talented cast it was a shame that the sound was not up to par, and I found that I missed large parts of the story due to the mics and the band both being far too loud, this meant that it was hard to follow and much of the humour was lost.
Ultimately, the production left me with a rather bittersweet impression. While the cast was clearly dedicated and brought a great deal of heart to the stage, the comedic timing didn’t quite reach the heights needed to do the script’s sharp wit justice, leaving some of the humour feeling a little lost. This was coupled with a score that, while performed with spirit, felt somewhat understated and easily forgettable. It was a sincere effort by a hardworking team, but it unfortunately lacked that final spark to make the comedy and the music truly resonate. In all this is another good performance from the ever talented Leicester amateur scene.
The show is on until Saturday 25th April with tickets priced at £22
https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/whats-on/dirty-rotten-scoundrels/
Rating: 3.5 Stars