Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical based on the film of the same name, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane this musical made its Broadway debut almost 10 years ago. With a star cast that included John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott the show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards however only managing to win 1. The show began its journey on this side of the Atlantic in November last year, having a pre-West End tryout at the Manchester Opera House and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. It finally opened on April 2, 2014 with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell and design by Peter McKintosh.
The story is very similar to the film; two conmen, one who has been doing it for years and another who is new on the scene, get to together and have a bet as to who can get $50,000 out of the ‘soap queen’. The film is brilliant and I wasn’t expecting the story of the musical to be so close to it but, as they say, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! The story was super easy to follow, to be honest you don’t need to concentrate on it so that allows you to sit back, relax and have a laugh. Exactly what this show is about.
