Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Savoy Theatre (review)
Review by Lizzie Guilfoyle
CASTING can make a world of difference to the success (or otherwise) of a production so recasting principal roles is of paramount importance. However, when it comes to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the powers that be need have no fear for Alex Gaumond, who recently took over the role of Freddy Benson, is just perfect.
Benson is, of course, the unsophisticated (and that’s putting it politely) rookie conman who dares to invade the stomping ground of seasoned conman Lawrence Jameson, still played with great panache by the wonderful Robert Lindsay.
Not surprisingly, Jameson decides that the French Riviera, or to be more precise, the town of Beaumont-Sur-Mer, isn’t big enough for both of them and a bet is made – the winner stays, the loser goes.
Also relatively new to the cast are Bonnie Langford who plays Muriel Eubanks, a glamorous if somewhat ditzy divorcee looking for love, and Gary Wilmot, who has taken on the role of Andre Thibault, Beaumont-Sur-Mer’s Chief of Police and Jameson’s sidekick and partner in crime.
Both are superb and like Gaumond have a gift for conveying their thoughts with facial expressions alone. But why not – they are after all in the company of the master himself, Robert Lindsay who, in taking the art to a new dimension, is simply mesmerising. However, it’s Gaumond who almost steals the show when Benson is obliged to silently submit to Jameson’s efforts to prove he isn’t numb from the waist down. Ouch!!
As well as each other, the three newcomers have gelled with original cast members, who also include Katherine Kingsley as Christine Colgate, the millionaire soap heiress the boys set out to con. Kingsley too is superb, somehow managing to imbue her character with charm and compassion without ever becoming sickly sweet. But is she just too good to be true?
Special mention must also go to Lizzy Connolly as Jolene Oakes, a man eater from Oklahoma, who has Jameson believing he’s ‘missed an act’ when she begins talking about their wedding; to David Yazbek’s music and lyrics that encompass a wide variety of styles; to Peter McKintosh’s set and costume designs that together create a fantasy Riviera of the late 1950s; and to Jerry Mitchell’s slick direction and choreography.
Unashamedly silly and plainly not taking itself seriously, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is frequently laugh-out-loud funny and will almost certainly take you by surprise – unless, of course, you’ve seen the film and already know how it all ends. I didn’t and, as it turned out, was as gullible as Jameson and Benson.
This is a very watchable production; one that will envelop you in the sunshine of the French Riviera and make you forget the gloom of England’s winter days (and nights). It also has that all important feel good factor that stays with you long after the final curtain.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Photo Gallery
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is currently booking at the Savoy Theatre until March 7, 2015.