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| Matt Hetherington and Tony Sheldon |
Book by
Jeffrey Lane: Music and Lyrics by David Yazbeck
Presented by
James Anthony Productions and George Youakim
Theatre
Royal, Sydney - media preview - 23rd October 2013.
Season
continuing.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Based the popular
film of the same name, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” translates into a fresh, funny sophisticated musical
with a catchy, tuneful score, courtesy of David Yazbeck, and a clever, witty
book by Jeffrey Lane. Slyly spoofing musicals like “My Fair Lady” and “Fiddler of the Roof”, with
characters commenting directly to the audience, and a non-stop
stream of hilarious vocal and physical gags, this show provides a gloriously entertaining
evening of musical theatre.
The plot
revolves around two con- men who compete to swindle rich women visiting the
Riviera. The fun begins when they find themselves both targeting the same woman,
eventually agreeing that whichever of
them fails to relieve her of $50,000, would leave the Riviera.
 |
| Tony Sheldon and the female ensemble |
Tony Sheldon
makes an auspicious return to the Australian stage following his international
success in “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” . He oozes star quality as the suave, elegant con- man, Lawrence
Jameson, bringing his
stylish stage presence, excellent articulation and highly polished comic
timing to a role that fits him like a glove.
He is
brilliantly matched by Matt Hetherington, as his brash young adversary, Freddy Benson. Together they make a
formidable team. Hetherington is well-known as a fine singer, but his seriously
inspired clowning and inventive comedy schtick come as quite a surprise. His wheelchair
scenes with Sheldon and another gorgeous
surprise- packet, Amy Lehpamer, as the too-good-to-be- true Christine Colgate,
are a joy to behold and have the audience literally rolling in the aisles.
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| Matt Hetherington, Tony Sheldon, Amy Lehpamer |
Katrina
Retallick turns in another funny,
fire-cracker performance as the over-bearing, boot-scooting, Jolene
Oakes, and Anne Woods, as cool and dry as a martini, and looking a
million dollars, is all class as the wealthy lush and luscious, Murial Eubanks,
(Has anyone thought of mounting a
production of “Pal Joey” on this woman
?). Woods nailed every laugh on her way to nailing her man in the unlikely
persona of John Wood, looking slightly sheepish
as Andre Thibault .
 |
| Anne Wood and John Wood |
The
attractive ensemble make the most of Dana Jolly’s rather pedestrian choreography, and Guy Simpson and his excellent orchestra capture the authentic Broadway sound. Teresa Negroponte’s costumes are pretty and
colourful, but Michael Hankin’s equally colourful scenery
looks a bit sparse on the Theatre Royal stage, with some wayward lighting
exposing a couple of surprisingly clumsy scene changes, which will no doubt be
rectified for future performances.
Quibbles
aside, director, Roger Hodgman has achieved a slick and joyously entertaining production. A breath of fresh
air, enhanced by at least two genuine star-quality performances from Tony
Sheldon and Matt Hetherington, which should not be missed by anyone who
relishes a superb night of musical theatre.
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| Tony Sheldon, Katrina Retallick, Matt Hetherington |
Photos by Kurt Sneddon