Book by Jeffrey Lane. Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek. Based on the film written by Dale Launer and Stanley Shapiro & Paul Henning. Presented by Redfern Lane Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co. Hayes Theatre. 22 May – 21 Jun 2026.
Go back to a time when grifters were charming and handsome, and not just Russian bots or slaves in scam farms somewhere in Southeast Asia. Urgh… modern life sucks – I’d rather escape to the musicals.
Welcome to Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, an enclave for the rich and bored, and prime hunting ground for debonair con-artist Lawrence Jamieson (Blake Erickson). While he’s slowly fleecing the uber-rich widows, he spots a gauche American scammer, Freddy Benson (Rowan Witt) working nearby and worries that this is the infamous competitor known only as “The Jackal”. Deciding there isn’t room for both of them in this small town, they agree to a bit of friendly competition. The first person to swindle $50,000 from clumsy American heiress Christine Colgate (Kristina McNamara), “The American Soap Queen”, can stay and the loser has to leave town. As the competition escalates, they’re both about to get more than they banked on.
I’m a fan of the Tony and Grammy Award winning David Yazbek’s work, which includes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tootsie and the recently and shamefully overlooked Dead Outlaw. The score for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has some of my favourite musical theatre songs, “Give Them What They Want” and “Here I Am”. Plus, the 1988 Michael Caine and Steve Martin film was one of my favourite films as a kid. But that kind of love and attachment can sometimes work against a new staging.
Thankfully, this production feels not only fresh but also reverent to the tone of the original. A lot of the success comes down to Jeffrey Lane’s witty book that manages to adapt the film without feeling like a cheap photocopy (*cough-Pretty-Woman-*cough). The wordplay comes fast and furious, and Yazbek’s lyrics follow suit. This is a show to listen to for the loving way the dialogue and songs have been crafted. There is a knowing touch of the absurd about it all.
The three leads, and three main supporting performers (Aurélie Roque, Jordan Shea & Scarlet Lindsay) each put their stamp on the material. Director Rebecca McNamee has cast for comedy chops as well as vocal skills and it pays off. There is a sharpness to the humour that elevates the show above other musical comedies – an attention to timing that gives the show an edge over even other terrific recent Hayes comedies.
The double act of Blake Erickson’s suave stoicism and Rowan Witt’s physical comedy skills is wholly satisfying to watch. Witt’s malleable facial expressions go to battle with Erickson’s arched eyebrow to see who can get the bigger laugh. Watching them wage war on each other is pure gleeful joy. Witt adds a layer of youthful charm to Freddy that gives him a likability even when he’s being despicable. They are matched by Kristina McNamara’s delightfully guileless Christine – whose vocals range from big MT belting to soulful balladry.
Along the way we get some brilliant MT set pieces, like “Oklahoma” (a scene-stealing moment from Scarlet Lindsay), the ridiculous “All About Ruprecht” and the double-crossing “Ruffhousin’ Mit Shüffhausen”. Not all the tunes work however, Freddy’s big intro “Great Big Stuff” lacks the lyrical finesse of other numbers and its reprise can’t carry the weight the plot needs it to, and “Like Zis/Like Zat” treads water.
Soham Apte’s set design evokes European wealth with a clever onstage revolve (that is perhaps overused, but once you’ve paid to have it installed you want to get your money’s worth I guess). Angelina Daniel’s costumes have an elegance with neat character traits. Along with James Wallis lighting, the show looks fantastic.
The result is another big win for Hayes. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has a tighter focus than David Yazbek’s Women on the Verge… and a more satisfying plot, while holding on to that same high energy. With Yazbek’s Tootsie premiering at Teatro, that just leaves his acclaimed The Band’s Visit and cult-hit Dead Outlaw waiting to be brought to Australia. May the theatre gods be kind and send them to us soon.
Cultural Binge 
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