Yesterday press were given a sneak peek at the West End premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which opens at the Savoy Theatre in March following two short regional runs in Manchester and Aylesbury.
After watching the cast perform four terrific numbers from the show, I sat down with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ Director and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell (pictured right) and leading lady Katherine Kingsley to discuss the amazing high energy rehearsal room vibe, Katherine’s big number ‘Here I Am’ and why Jerry, who also choreographed the Broadway production in 2005, thinks the musical is most suited to British audiences.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which also stars Robert Lindsay, Rufus Hound, Samantha Bond and John Marquez, is the inaugural production for Jerry Mitchell Productions.
Jerry Mitchell is currently one of the greatest Director/Choreographer in the world, recently winning a Tony Award for choreographing Kinky Boots on Broadway. He made his Broadway and West End debuts as Director and Choreographer of the Olivier award winning Legally Blonde the Musical. His other credits as a choreographer include: the Broadway productions of Catch Me If You Can, Gypsy, The Rocky Horror Show and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and the West End productions of Love Never Dies, La Cage aux Folles (winning Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Awards), Hairspray and The Full Monty.
Katherine Kingsley (pictured left) most recent starred as Helena alongside Sheridan Smith and David Walliams in Michael Grandage’s production of A Midsummer Nightʼs Dream (Noel Coward) and played Lina Lamont in Singinʼ In The Rain (Chichester Festival /Palace) for which she was nominated for the 2012 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
Just a few of her other theatre credits include: Relative Values (Bath Theatre Royal), The 24 Hour Musical Celebrity Gala (Old Vic), Heart To Heart (Minerva, Chichester), The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee (Donmar), Aspects Of Love (Menier), The 39 Steps (Liverpool Playhouse/UK Tour), Piaf! (Donmar/Vaudeville, nominated for 2009 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical) and High Society (Shaftesbury).
Just a few of her other theatre credits include: Relative Values (Bath Theatre Royal), The 24 Hour Musical Celebrity Gala (Old Vic), Heart To Heart (Minerva, Chichester), The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee (Donmar), Aspects Of Love (Menier), The 39 Steps (Liverpool Playhouse/UK Tour), Piaf! (Donmar/Vaudeville, nominated for 2009 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical) and High Society (Shaftesbury).
I loved the preview performance, the show is really taking shape! How are you feeling?
KK: It was great! It was a daunting thing to do!
JM: It was very good, if only I could get that John Marquez to get it together, I don’t know what to do with him!
KK: I know, that John Marquez is being a real diva [both laugh].
Katherine, are you feeling the pressure with your big number? Before you had even started rehearsals everyone was talking about it!
KK: ‘Here I Am’ is such a good song because it’s a big number to sing, but also I feel so supported by such an amazing ensemble every time I do it that it’s just fun!
JM: I have to say I think it’s one of the greatest entrances for a female in a musical ever written. There’s 35/40 minutes of story and then suddenly here comes this girl, literally out of nowhere and then she sings this song which literally grabs you! And, she starts in a hotel lobby and ends in a casino, it’s an integral number.
KK: It is an amazing song, David Yazbek who wrote it is just so great!
Jerry, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the first show from Jerry Mitchell Productions, this must be a very exciting time for you!
JM: I am feeling really excited, I did the show on Broadway, I was the choreographer and it was a very good successful show, and I learned a lot about what worked and what didn’t work. Now I’m getting the chance to re-do the production in a new way with a new team of stars and I’m also directing as well as choreographing it so I’m shaping it a little differently.
One thing that really stood out for me during the performance was its charm which I think British audiences are going to love. Do you agree?
JM: I’ve always thought it was a European story and I’ve always thought it would fare better here than anywhere else. I think it’s witty, it’s the most witty lyrical show I’ve ever had my hands on and it’s funny. I just have a feeling it’s going to be a hit with British audiences.
KK: It’s really nice because it’s quite male, and often musicals don’t appeal to a male audience but I think Dirty Rotten Scoundrels really will because Rufus (Hound) and Robert (Lindsay) are just so funny doing their double act!
Samantha Bond, Rufus Hound, Robert Lindsay, John Marquez & Katherine Kingsley
There was such a good vibe in the rehearsal room, so much energy and passion! Is that something which is important to you both?
JM: I don’t like to work any other way. I really love what I do!
KK: Jerry is always so positive!
JM: I just think we’re so fortunate! Look what we do for a living – we get paid to do this! If you can’t have fun doing this you really should get out of the business!
KK: Whenever I have a moment when I’m like “Oh god…” I just have to think ‘don’t go there’ because we’re so lucky to be doing this! Especially with this cast, they are all really gorgeous.
JM: I’ve worked with three or four of them before, these dancers are just stunning! And they’re killing themselves! Seriously killing themselves!
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| Robert Lindsay & Jerry Mitchell |
Too often shows open in the West End that aren’t quite ready, but with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels you’re doing a Broadway style ‘out-of-town try-out’ before bringing the show to the West End. Was that something you were keen to do Jerry?
JM: Oh yes, I said to Howard (Panter, Joint Chief Executive & Creative Director of ATG) that was one of the things I wanted to do with every show that we do with ATG. It’s worth the investment – most people don’t do it because it costs money, you have to pay to take everything there and back. However, the money you pay is worth every cent. It’s the same as having double tech time, or double rehearsal time – you can really make something better. I mean I took Kinky Boots out of town to Chicago and if I had just opened the show straight away on Broadway it wouldn’t have had the same response. We used every day to make sure it was better.
KK: I think it’s really reassuring to know we’re doing that because when we get to the Savoy we can have a, well not a re-think, but it gives you a different perspective. We’ll know how the audiences respond.
JM: I’m not worried about the story, it’s the comedy. When you’re with an audience, if they don’t laugh at a particular joke then you take it out or re-write it. That’s why we do it, you need time to figure these things out.
If you could bring any show to the West End tomorrow, what would it be?
JM: Well I’m actually working on a new show, I’ve got the rights to a British book I read on the plane called Becoming Nancy by Terry Ronald who just did Denise Van Outen’s new show. It’s about a young boy, David Starr, who gets cast as Nancy in his school’s production of Oliver and he starts to fall in love with the guy who gets cast as Bill Sykes who is captain of the school football team. It’s an amazing, amazing story about accepting people for who they really are and also about how the adults work around these two children. I’m really looking forward to developing it into a full musical!
KK: Wow – well I can’t bring shows to the West End [both laugh], but I would like to do some Tennessee Williams, I really would. I mean there are so many things I want to do, I like to keep it varied and do a variety of things. I love new writing, I would always be up for a doing a new musical or a new play… or an another amazing big musical – who knows?!
Finally, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels hasn’t even opened yet but there is already so much support for the production! What is it like having that support behind you?
KK: It feels amazing actually, because there definitely feels like there is a bit of a buzz about this particular show. I guess we’ve just got to go with that and enjoy it rather than think “oh god, what are people expecting?!”
JM: There are no expectations; I mean we’re going to put on a great show. There is a buzz from the people who already know the material and they’re excited that the show is being brought here. I think there are going to be some surprises for those people because I’ve changed things specifically for this great cast and to make it even better than it was in its first incarnation.
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opens at the Savoy Theatre on Wednesday 2nd April 2014 (previews from 10th March) following short runs at the Manchester Opera House from 12th February – 22nd February and Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from 26th February – 1st March. Click here to book tickets.
Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
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