Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Cygnet Players
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is, in my opinion, meant to be smooth, witty, and charming. And unending charm is exactly what Cygnet Players has. So completely did they wrap the audience round their little fingers with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, that not even a brief spell out in the cold due to the fire alarm sounding half way through act one could detract from the decadence of Beaumont sur Mer.
The show predominantly focuses on two con men, Lawrence and Freddy, who both aim to swindle the seaside resort. Initially, Lawrence takes Freddy under his wing to teach him some tricks as the more experienced of the two. But neither want to give up their place in the lucrative town and soon bet that whoever can extract $50,000 from the same target first gets to stay and the other must leave. They settle on Christine Colgate, assumed American Soap Queen, and begin trying to fool her in their separate ways. However, when Lawrence discovers Christine is not the rich heiress they assumed, he tries to call off the bet. It then changes, to Freddy betting he can make Christine fall in love with him, while Lawrence bets he cannot. All seemingly the trope-ish foibles of men until it is revealed who is really fooling who.
As a three, Jonny Clines (Lawrence), Russell Hughes (Freddy) and Charlotte Donald (Christine) have a good sense of communion, with scenes between them holding your interest well. Clines is a confident Lawrence, his rasping English accent bringing something debonair to the character when surrounded by American and French accents. Donald has an amazing self-awareness as clumsy Christine, so much so I sometimes found myself questioning if she really meant to smack some poor soul in the face as she breezed past. Each time, it was funny and made such a transformation to her character at the end. For me, the highlight of this trio is Hughes as Freddy. Hughes is so very natural and understated in the role that it is perfectly pitched. From rookie swindler, to devastated sufferer of Dance Fever, to PC-challenging Ruprecht, each role is effortlessly portrayed with comic timing to boot.
Of course, as with most stories, there are supporting characters and narratives interweaving throughout. The growing love between Muriel and Andre is very funny, with the deadpan asides from Russell Bramley (Andre) and Katy Thompson (Muriel) often undermining our expectations of what falling in love should be.
Though, this does bring me to a slight oddness with the show that involves these characters a fair bit. It is a show that is semi aware that it is a show - there are many instances when characters refer to what act they are playing, when the scene is changing, things that draw your attention to the structure of the show not the action. It's an odd thing for the writer to include in a show such as this but, after some thought, I think what was happening was so great was the connection between the characters on stage that the audience was (for want of a better phrase) left out. These lines often passed in a blur then stuck out oddly as you realised what the character said. My suggestion would be for characters that have asides, particularly Lawrence and Freddy, and characters that have songs directed to the audience, like Muriel with 'What Was A Women To Do', to really focus on drawing the audience in. Break down the fourth wall, address the audience directly, and these metatheatrical lines make more sense when the characters have already shown the audience their underhand.
In director Damian Sandys' note from the programme, he highlights wanting to create the "strong and vibrant" world the characters inhibit and the work of the ensemble fully realises this. Sandys' use of the ensemble to highlight comic moments in the script is thoughtful and tips the amusing into hilarity. The candle lit choral singing in 'Love Is My Legs' perfectly sets the tone and pokes enough fun at the absurdity of it that you don't get attached to Freddie and Christine as a couple.
What I really enjoyed about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the amount of dance and ensemble movement. It seems a great show for chorus work with so many songs highlighted by dancing. Choreographer Kim Schenkelaars created simple, beautiful routines that seamlessly complemented the songs. Personal favourites were 'Here I Am' with aforementioned clumsiness easily slipped into the routine, 'Great Big Stuff' with more French maids than I've ever seen in one place, and 'The More We Dance', which was a flurry of excitement.
In truth, I enjoyed pretty much every song and I could sit and list them all, but it would probably be easier for you to buy a ticket and see for yourself how enjoyable Cygnets' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is. As an audience member, you never once felt your attention straying, never once had a little check at your watch, never once did anything but watch the captivating action on stage. Cygnet Players have once again charmed me with their simple and precise portrayal of a show. The success of Cygnet's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is summed up for the audience in the opening five minutes of the night - Cygnet's simply gives them what they want.
