Enjoy a cruise down the French Riviera with Roger Hodgman’s award-winning production.

Theatre Royal, Sydney, October 24

Isn’t it refreshing to have a musical in Sydney that’s cast with people who are, in every conceivable way, qualified (in many cases, over-qualified) to play their roles? The closest thing to a reality star out of their depth is Matt Hetherington as Freddy. But the music theatre stalwart played this role to great acclaim long before he joined ‘Team Delta’ on The Voice, and absolutely excels this time around. The closest thing to a Bert Newton cameo is John Wood as André. But he’s charming, hilarious, and shows some surprising vocal talent. And at the centre of it all is Tony Sheldon, a true master of his craft.

Director Roger Hodgman’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels arrives like a breath of fresh air, with a bit of laughing gas mixed in. Based on the underrated 1988 Steve Martin and Michael Caine film of the same name, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the musical is witty, brisk and full of madcap slapstick antics that escalate beautifully in the tradition of farce. The set-up is simple – two vastly different con men compete to see who...