A Scoundrel To Miss It!

TV comedy scriptwriters - certainly the American variety - understand intrinsically the need for a gag every few seconds, if their work is to move from pilot to series rather than the scriptwriter's scrapheap.

So, when two seasoned pros from the small screen decide to collaborate on their first musical, logic would suggest that one of two things will happen - the unfamiliar genre will claim someone's life, or you are about to witness something completely different.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical was an absolute breath of fresh air, with some of the most inventive lyrics I have heard for many a day. For writer Jeffrey Lane, the musical theatre man who penned the book, and composer cum lyricist, David Yazbek - the musical novice - it was their first stage work together and, even though it's been around for over a decade, it had me howling!

So often poor lyrics, bolstered by whizz bang sets, leave shows washing over you like wallpaper paste, but as I sat through the brilliance of All About Ruprecht, a hilarious number about the imaginary, in-bred brother of Lawrence Jameson, one of the show's two conmen, I realised it was time to sit up and listen. This was something worth my concentration.

Based on the 1988 film of the same name, featuring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, the musical follows the fortunes of suave, sophisticated trickster, Lawrence Jameson, and rough diamond opportunist, Freddy Benson, both in the game of scamming beautiful women out of their cash.

But as they ply their trade on the French Riviera they both fall for the charms of Christine Colgate, AKA, 'The Jackal', and she takes pride in tricking the scheming duo out of fifty grand, until she reveals her identity, holds up her hands and goes into partnership with her bewildered victims.



Noel Sullivan as Freddy Benson was the star of the show with beautiful, comic timing but, then again, his sidekick, Lawrence, played by Michael Praed, was equally endearing for his comic charm and an eternal vanity that saw little but his own ever improving good looks and perfectly formed rear!

David Yazbek says that he found a kindred spirit in Jeffrey Lane and, as a result, a partnership that produced a "seamless" musical; I am inclined to agree because the script just flows.

I remember working with the original book for Me & My Girl, before it was updated, and clumsy dialogue that lacked natural order, making it so difficult to learn. Someone asks a question and then a completely different thought pattern follows; a ricocheting bullet rather than the verbal tennis match that was Scoundrels.


With Lane and Yazbek there was a sense of movement and progression with dialogue connecting across each invisible page. The script flowed and the lyrics enhanced the book.

Personally, I loved it even though some of the original critics gave it a mediocre welcome but, as any theatrical impresario will tell you, shows don't get re-runs unless they convince an audience and, sometimes, they know better than the critics. The Sound of Music was panned when it first came out!

This is an evening of entertainment that claims to do little else. No fancy gimmicks, just well-crafted, funny dialogue that improves infinitely if you really listen to the subtle nuances and quips, that surround you like summer flies at a strawberry fest!

Until Saturday July 4th, 2015

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical
Leeds Grand
7.30pm