MUSICAL REVIEW: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ★★★★

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
Wednesday 6th May 2015

Cast:
Michael Praed - Lawrence Jameson
Mark Benton - Andre Thibault
Geraldine Fitzgerald - Muriel Eubanks
Noel Sullivan - Freddy Benson
Phoebe Coupe - Jolene Oakes
Carley Stenson - Christine Colgate

Its Press Day at New Alexandra Theatre, as Jeffrey Lane's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels hits the stage for a two week run. Straight from the start, 'Give them what they want' brings Michael Praed and Mark Benton's Lawrence and Andre boldly onto the stage with this first number. They both bring energy to the stage, and engage the audience, and enough though there were a few technical hitches throughout the performance, they move on through with no hesitation, making the show seem effortless.

Noel Sullivan as Freddy fits in seamlessly and creates great atmosphere and chemistry with both Michael and Carley as a trio. The set is bold and bright, and really makes you get a sense of the period that the production is set in.

The storyline is easy to understand, and the action really never stops from start to finish, with some brilliant catchy songs, a personal favourite of mine being 'Great Big Stuff', and polished characters thrown into the mix to create a brilliant night out to the theatre.

I should also mention how much I loved the subplot of Andre and Muriel's relationship, as both Mark and Geraldine's chemistry on stage was really nice to see, and the shock twist at the end of the show was really portrayed well on stage from all involved, as the action hurtled to a satisfying ending.