"Director Tracey Flye adroitly captures the fun and excitement of the con and grifter. Jonathan Goad and Liam Tobin are this year's Martin and Lewis of the Stratford Festival."

Based on the 1988 film of the same title with Michael Caine and Steve Musical, 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' follows Lawrence Jameson (Jonathan Goad), a charming British con man who has a gorgeous home on the French Riviera by the sea. The time and setting are the present.

Lawrence has money.  There are women, lots of wealthy women around, eager for attention.  However, issues arise in Lawrence's supposedly idyllic life. A potential and mysterious rival, known as 'The Jackal,' begins to circulate. Lawrence soon finds himself confronted with American con man Freddy Benson (Liam Tobin).

The two men begin clashing with each other to see who is the savviest in their pursuit of conning others. To get Freddy off his turf, Lawrence wagers a bet with the new rival to see who can swindle naïve heiress Christine Colgate (Shakura Dickson) out of her fortune. With the loser exiled, the winner will reap the benefits of the world of the Rivera with all its fortunes.

What follows is an often hilarious, 'twists and turns' plot of gullible individuals who might deserve what they get in the process. There's much laughter, so be prepared to listen carefully as dialogue whizzes by.

Once again, Lorenzo Savoini's Set Design, Sue LePage's Costumes and Michael Walton's Lighting Design continue to remain visually impressive. The beautiful azure-blue shimmering lighting behind the cut-out golden palm trees magically transforms the Avon Stage into the French Riviera. LePage's selection of a striking array of colours and fabrics nicely accentuates each of the characters right down to the terrific ensemble of singers and dancers. Ranil Sonnadara's sound design is perfectly adjusted to appreciate much of the comic humour in David Yazbek's fine music and witty lyrics.

Stephanie Graham's choreography remains razor-sharp, with often pointed, angular moves that convey a mix of grace and seduction. Performed by a lithe and muscular ensemble of singers and dancers, two musical numbers are worthy of mention: 'The More We Dance' and 'Give Them What They Want.'

With an explicit fine-tuning of enunciation in consonants and syllables, Music Director Franklin Brasz wholly captures the zany innuendo behind Yazbeck's wonderful and sometimes dirty lyrics. There are some memorable musical numbers: 'Oklahoma' (performed by Michele Shuster as Jolene Oakes and the ensemble). 'Ruffhousin' with Shuffhausen' where Lawrence tries to unnerve a supposedly injured below-the-waist Freddy by slapping him on the knees with a branch, nearly bringing the house down. 'Love is My Legs' is gloriously performed with a nudge, nudge, wink, wink sexuality by Liam Tobin's Freddy and Shakura Dickson's Christine.

Director Tracey Flye's Programme Director Notes are essential to read before the show begins. She writes about the "world of complicity where everyone is a willing participant in the grift."  Even the audience becomes a willing participant when it's others who become conned.

What do all of us get out of being this willing participant?

Flye answers this in her Director's Note again: "Excitement, danger, the THRILL OF THE ROLLERCOASTER, the lure of the swirling eddy."

She adroitly and smoothly captures this excitement and thrill of the moment with the Stratford production. The pacing is quick, but nothing ever feels rushed. The ensemble moves set pieces off and on efficiently.
Her cast delivers the lure of the swirling eddy confidently. My eyes were constantly moving across the stage to see which set pieces were flying in for the next scene. The outstanding ensemble remains aglow with energy and vitality in all the dance numbers.

Several supporting cast members deliver the goods with laughter.

Sara-Jeanne Hosie is a hoot as the witty and eager Muriel Banks, ready to pull out her chequebook to please Lawrence in any way he would like. (and you can investigate the double meaning behind the sentence). When Derek Kwan's crooked cop, Andre Thibault (friend to Lawrence), becomes entangled in Hosie's Muriel, the laughter broadly ensues. As Jolene Oakes, Michele Shuster broadly captures the country and western twang.

As Christine Colgate, Shakura Dickson looks great and belts with a powerhouse voice that resonates to the back of the Avon Theatre. Dickson is terrific with the comic demands of the character, especially when she suddenly knocks into people.

Jonathan Goad and Liam Tobin are the Martin and Lewis of this year's Festival season.

While Goad's Lawrence is classy, I admire Tobin's cardiovascular system, as he's getting quite a workout during the show. (Spoiler alert) How Tobin ends up in a box seat of the house within a matter of seconds is a wondrous sight to behold. His bit in the wheelchair during the second act is a masterclass in musical theatre.

Their syncopated chemistry in their scenes, as they try to outdo each other, becomes showstoppers. Goad and Tobin listen carefully, never trying to overshadow or steal the light from one another. There are terrific moments where you wonder if Goad and Tobin might break out in laughter upon hearing the audience and believably playing out the incredulous moment in front of them.

A highlighted line from the program caught my attention:

"But now and then, you might RECALL the moments when you had it all – you had the CHARM, you had the talent and, my God, you had some FUN."

This programme quotation is the reason to see 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' at Stratford. There's talent, there's charm.

And there's FUN. So much fun.

I better see the film now.  I've never seen it before.

Running time: approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one interval/intermission.

The production runs until October 25 at the Avon Theatre, 99 Downie Street, Stratford. For tickets, stratfordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600.

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
Book by Jeffrey Lane
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek
Based on the film written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning

Directed by Tracey Flye
Music Director: Franklin Brasz
Choreographer: Stephanie Graham
Set Designer: Lorenzo Savoini
Costume Designer: Sue LePage
Lighting Designer: Michael Walton
Sound Designer: Ranil Sonnadara

Performers:  Jordan Goodridge (was on for Eric Abel at the performance I attended), Carla Bennett, Devon Michael Brown, Jarret Cody, Christine Desjardins, Shakura Dickson, Henry Firmston, Jonathan Goad, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Aisha Jarvis, Derek Kwan, Kelsey Lacombe, Amanda Lundgren, Jordan Mah, Jamie Murray, Stephen Patterson, Ali Powell, Jason Sermonia, Michele Shuster, Liam Tobin.