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" So much of theatreland these days is obsessed with making you think. Deep underlying themes. Gritty realism and emotional gut punches. Even the comedies can tend towards the clever-clever, playing with stage conventions and self-consciously deconstructing their art. Sometimes though, you don&amp;#039;t want to think. You want to plonk yourself down and laugh yourself silly to a delightful, daft, old-school romp.      Based on the 1988 movie of the same name starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels absolutely delivers. Jeffrey Lane (book) and David Yazbek (music/lyrics) took it to Broadway in 2005 with John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz, and it has been revamped by choreographer (and now director) Jerry Mitchell for this West End run. Robert Lindsay is conman and charmer Lawrence Jameson, aided by his French right-hand man Andre Thibault (John Marquez). Gearing up for another profitable summer on the Riviera, he crosses paths with young buck Freddy Benson (Rufus Hound). After a quick con job on Muriel Eubanks (Samantha Bond), the pair collide with bolshy soap queen Christine Colgate (Katherine Kingsley) and are pitted one against the other, with Colgate as the prize/victim.      The songs are tuneful enough to enjoy and sharp enough to keep the audience smiling and story moving (especially early numbers &amp;#039;Give Them What They Want&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;Great Big Stuff&amp;#039;), if not so catchy that they get themselves properly lodged in your head like the very best musical numbers can. There are a few missteps - there&amp;#039;s an uncomfortable scene where Freddy poses as Lawrence&amp;#039;s repulsive brother\u00C2\u00A0Ruprecht in a bid to shake off the attentions of a previous con victim Jolene Oakes (a hilariously OTT Lizzy Connolly). The depiction of Ruprecht steps over the line from &amp;quot;disgusting vulgarian&amp;quot; into &amp;quot;quite clearly mentally unwell&amp;quot;, which doesn&amp;#039;t sit easy. But in the main, it&amp;#039;s a riot. Lindsay and Hound channel the real-life old hand/young upstart relationship into the roles with flair. Marquez&amp;#039;s heavily-accented police chief evokes &amp;#039;Allo &amp;#039;Allo! on more than one occasion but he&amp;#039;s endearing enough to win you over. Bond is all sex appeal and smiles and a proper giggle.      Hound&amp;#039;s big stage break came with One Man, Two Guvnors - a fantastic transition role for a stand-up, with its regular breaking of the fourth wall and pantomime/end-of-the-pier vibe. He&amp;#039;s still obviously raw, but is also completely game and shows some gleeful acting chops. He&amp;#039;s absolutely found his home on the live theatre stage. Lindsay walks that line between smarm and charm while staying completely on the right side of it. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels just doesn&amp;#039;t work unless you&amp;#039;re utterly with Lawrence, and Lindsay&amp;#039;s slick moves mean that&amp;#039;s never in doubt. But the star of the show is Kingsley. While Lindsay/Hound/Marquez/Bond can hold a note and definitely give a spin, when Kingsley waltzes onto the stage everything goes up a dozen notches. If the rest of the cast are just getting by singing-wise, Kingsley is showing off, and it&amp;#039;s an absolute delight.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/review/a562206/dirty-rotten-scoundrels-review-a-delightful-daft-romp/>