I remember, from my youth many years ago, watching the film version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine and have a very vague recollection of the storyline so had a bit of an advantage with what to expect this time but I haven’t ever seen the musical version so was unaware of what delights I was going to see with this production by Leicester Operatic Players (LOPS). My partner in crime for this evening out was the hubby again – a self-professed non-fan of musicals but comes to keep me company and have some time away from the youngsters in our lives however, this time, he had a great night out.

The set, designed by director Steve Elliot, is nice and simple with an art deco touch to it and the various settings of the performance are created by the props and furniture that are (mostly) smoothly brought on by the ensemble. Many of these set changes happen whilst the performance continues on stage which gives the production quite a fluid flow however there were a couple of changes that seemed to last an age. These were scene changes behind a curtain though and it was possibly the fluidity of the other changes that made these stuttered changes feel longer then they actually were. The set was complimented by the clever lighting design by Andy Crooks and Douglas Finlay (and timing on clicked fingers was impeccable). The only thing that let the tech side of things down slightly were some technical issues with the mics although, when one of the Scoundrel’s mics failed they carried on using the age old art of projection so there wasn’t any loss of enjoyment for the audience. However, it is opening night and I am sure these little issues and hiccups will settle down as the run continues.

The performances, though, didn’t suffer from any of these stutters and there was a good chemistry between all the principles which had the audience laughing throughout. There are a few crossover pairings between these principles and the way the cast played these pairings added to the fun especially from Chris Hiam who plays the older of the two scoundrels Lawrence Jameson. His switching from each of the con-artist characters he plays was almost sublime and both the hubby and I remarked on how he reminded us of the late, great Rik Mayall with the suave looks and behaviours.

Hiam’s partnership with dodgy chief of police Andre Thibault (Allan Smith) gives us moments of fun and laughter from the get go – especially the puzzled looks on the audience’s faces when Thibault offers a pencil as a thrill and it set a strong base for the rest of the performances.

We are then introduced to Muriel Eubanks (Alexandra Elliott) who, in bored socialite fashion is duped into supporting Jameson’s “proncely (no not a typo!) battle against the revolution in his home kingdom” and soon becomes a bit of a thorn in the side for Jameson as she continues on her mission to support him in his “quest” – blind to the fact that she has been conned – however it is her relationship with Thibault where they both really comes into their own. Both Elliott and Smith’s connection is hilarious to watch although a couple of the jokes were lost under the laughter of the audience….just a little tweak on the timing of these would complete the hilarity.

Hiam’s character definitely steps up when introduced to the second scoundrel, Freddy Benson (Freddie Perkins) as both actors feed into the strength of this relationship and laughter definitely followed this pairing. Now – a confession – I know Freddie from his place of work but hadn’t realised he was a performer and I will never see him in the same light again as I thought he was fabulous. I mean he is fabulous at work but in this show…..his usually almost shy demeanour is completely blown out of the water – especially when he performed “Great Big Stuff” and Ruprecht!!! Oh my goodness Hiam and Perkins nailed this part of the show. Poor Jolene Oakes (Rachel Wheeler) didn’t know what hit her and Wheeler’s facial expressions were a picture although – please can the tech team sort out the pistol shots in her number please as the comedy of this was slightly lost?

Benson is a character who wants to improve his conman act and tasks Jameson to teach him. Jameson, who is starting to feel his age, takes on the challenge until the partnership becomes a rivalry and a bet is made to see which is the better confidence trickster which is where the final partnership is introduced – with Christine Colgate. This is where it gets complex with a Jameson/Colgate, Benson/Colgate pairing and the three of them in a triplet pairing playing off each other as each of the gents tries to win the bet (no spoilers!). Lizzie Bywater-Florance’s portrayal of Colgate is so innocent and you almost feel sorry for her as she is batted from Jameson to Benson and back again as they strive to win or prevent the other from winning. If only they knew eh? Well played Lizzie!! Well played!

The principle characters are ably supported by the ensemble who help link the various scenes together either in song or dance (or both) although, on a couple of occasions it was difficult to hear what they were singing. The hubby and I weren’t sure whether it was a diction thing or related to some of the technical issues I mentioned earlier however it didn’t detract from the overall performance and, as also mentioned previously, now the first night nerves and bedding in has happened I am sure this will improve.

Gareth Wynne’s musical direction and fab band are another positive for this production. I don’t think I have yet seen a bad show musically that has Wynne involved and I have seen a fair few now. The music also helped to underpin the choreography by Demi Leigh Essex. Her routines simply piled the fun onto what is already a very funny production with some subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) numbers. They were uncomplicated routines which helped some of the non-dancers in the ensemble yet they exuded the flirtatious nature of the entire show just perfectly.

Overall a fab night out with just a few little niggles that stopped me giving it 5 stars and, if you are looking for some escape from the horrors of the real world – get in touch with the Little here, get some tickets and go and watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It runs until Saturday 25th April.

Tickets gifted for an honest review.