Sneak Peek: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels heads to the West End

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opens at London's Savoy Theatre in March 2014 In March 2014, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - the musical will open at The Savoy Theatre.

Prepare to be transported to the luxurious lap of the French Riviera where the decadent world of sophisticated conman Lawrence Jameson is set to come crashing down with the arrival of larger-than-life Freddy Benson – a conman of an entirely different order.

Soon realising the town ain’t big enough for the both of them, the two find themselves going head to head in the con of their lives, pulling out all of the stops in a bid for the affections of millionaire soap heiress Christine Colgate. Little do they know what they’ve let themselves in for.

Rehearsals for the musical were recently opened up to the media and BritishTheatre.com were invited to take a look. Robert Lindsay said he wished that more shows would open their rehearsal room doors to the media. He admitted he had initially had reservations about allowing the media into watch songs being performed prior to the musical’s opening, claiming rehearsals are normally “private”.

Starring Olivier, Tony and BAFTA award winning Robert Lindsay (Me And My Girl, Becket, Oliver!, My Family) and Rufus Hound (One Man Two Guv’nors, Celebrity Juice, and the winner of the recent Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special) as the conmen Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson competing for the riches and the heart of the young impressionable heiress, Christine Colgate played by Katherine Kingsley (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Singin’ in the Rain). Samantha Bond (Passion Play, Amy’s View, Downton Abbey, James Bond Outnumbered) plays Muriel Eubanks, a glamorous divorcee looking for love in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and John Marquez (Privates On Parade, The Taming of the Shrew, Doc Martin) plays Andre Thibault, Beaumont-sur-Mer’s Chief of Police.

Further casting for the UK Premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels includes Lizzy Connolly as Jolene, Gavin Alex, Darren Bennett, Niamh Bracken, Lisa Bridge, Darren Carnall, Andy Conaghan, Phoebe Coupe, Claire Doyle, Alice Fearn, Selina Hamilton, Ian Knauer, Lisa Mathieson, Zak Nemorin, Genevieve Nicole, Javier Santos, Todd Talbot, Dominic Tribuzio, Jon Tsouras and Zara Warren.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winning Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots – currently Broadway’s biggest Tony Award winning hit and Legally Blonde) in his debut production for Jerry Mitchell Productions, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award winner David Yazbek (Late Night with David Letterman, The Full Monty) and book by the Golden Globe and Emmy-Award winning Jeffrey Lane (Mad About You) and will run at the Manchester Opera House from 12 February – 22 February, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from 26 February – 1 March before arriving at the Savoy Theatre on 10 March 2014. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has set and costume design by Olivier Award winning Peter McKintosh. It is a co-production between the Ambassador Theatre Group, Jerry Mitchell Productions and Tulchin/Bartner Productions. The production is supported by American Airlines.

This musical is based on the legendary 1988 film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, directed by Frank Oz. It will be the UK premiere of this new production, which has been reconceived and reimagined for the UK stage.

Jerry Mitchell Productions is a partnership between the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. Jerry Mitchell Productions will work to develop, create and produce new productions, focussing on a wide range of projects from new commissions to fresh, innovative versions of classic pieces for ATG Theatres in London, New York and around the World.

Book tickets for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Rehearsal Image - Robert Lindsay & cast - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Photo Helen Maybanks

Rehearsal-Image-L-R. Samantha Bond Rufus Hound Robert Lindsay John Marquez Katherine Kingsley Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Photo-Helen Maybanks

Rehearsal Image L-R. Robert Lindsay, Jerry Mitchell. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Photo: Helen Maybanks

Rehearsal Image: Ensemble Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Photo:Helen Maybanks

Rehearsal Image. Rufus Hound. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Photo: Helen Maybanks