Dirty Rotten Scoundrels-The Musical
The scene for ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ is set in a small resort in the south of France where Laurence Jamieson is the resident confidence trickster. He is aided and abetted by the local chief of police and between them they relieve unsuspecting, wealthy visiting ladies of their cash. The balance is upset by the appearance of a rival, Freddie Benson who wants a piece of the action. Tension between Laurence and Freddie increases until they agree a wager that whoever fleeces the next suitable female will be the winner and the loser must leave town. A young American, Christine, arrives having apparently won ‘Miss Soap Queen USA’ with a very large cash prize. She is perfect for the challenge but, against their better judgment, both fraudsters fall in love with her. Freddie tries to appeal to her by acting the wounded war hero confined to a wheel chair by the stress of battle. However, his paralysis is emotional and only curable by the encouragement of a loving woman. To prevent such a liaison, Laurence pretends to be a German psychiatrist and thus foil Freddie’s plan. Christine provides a final twist that is a surprise to both of them.
NODA REPORT.
Newton Abbot & District Musical Comedy Society Alexandra Theatre
Director Iain Douglas Musical Director John Amery
Choreographer Sara Roche September 27th, 2018
This production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by Newton Abbot & District Society was well done and was a polished production.The set changed with ease as the backdrop was by projection. This is becoming more popular with societies, easier to operate and indeed, looks most effective!
The Orchestra made a great sound under the direction of John Amery, and was not, on the whole, intrusive for soloists or chorus, although at the beginning some of the dialogue was difficult to hear. This improved as the show continued.
You could tell that the company were in their element and really enjoying this production.
Lawrence gave a wonderful performance as he was relaxed from the start, he delivered his lines well with good timing and with some super accents.
Freddy had it all buttoned up! It must be said, he had some great lines and used them to their best, with super delivery and timing that one could only envy!
The scene with Lawrence and Freddy as brothers (their attempt to dissuade Jolene from joining the family) was a superb bit of theatre, their actions and comedy were really first rate.
Andre did a terrific job and kept his accent going, never letting up!
Christine, Jolene and Muriel did fantastically well, very convincing in their roles and with great singing voices.
The Chorus sang with gusto and all looked good with great costumes. Also, the Choreography was well thought out and executed well, Sara Roche is to be congratulated on a job well done!
The whole show came over well to an appreciative audience, the one thing that was very clear to me was that all concerned worked well together, it was team work at its best, great acting, singing and real comedy.
Congratulations to all and especially to Iain Douglas the Director.
Graham Liverton Regional Councillor NODA Southwest
Here are some photo’s of the 2018 production.