Hayes Theatre, May 27
8/10
Soham Apte’s set is as cute as a cavoodle: a cross between the French Riviera strand and indoor hotel luxury. A semicircular balustraded landing revolves to reconfigure the stage in multiple ways in a jiffy, while a fountain ingeniously becomes a roulette wheel. The pastel shades, combined with James Wallis’s lighting, set off Angelina Daniel’s dazzling costumes, which look like the product of a much fatter budget than was likely the case.
More and more routinely, if you want to see the state of the art of theatrical design in Sydney, go to the Hayes. Just like the constraints of the sonnet form produced great poetry 400 years ago, the size of the Hayes stage pushes designers to the limits of their imaginations.
The musical version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels derives, of course, from the 1988 film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. This Redfern Lane production doesn’t quite match Sydney’s benchmark 2013 one, with Tony Sheldon, Matt Hetherington and Amy Lehpamer, but it ticks many boxes, including the main one: comedy. On a night when the traffic, parking and weather had frayed me somewhat, I sat there contentedly smiling for most of the show – and laughing for the rest.
As was plain in 2013, this is a cut above most 21st-century musicals and most musicals derived from movies. Jeffrey Lane’s book and David Yazbek’s music and lyrics fizz with wit and sparkle with classy compositions. Director Rebecca McNamee has nailed the casting, and musical director Dylan Pollard has admirably solved the problem of shrinking the score to a polished sextet. The only aspects that sometimes seemed a little rougher than ready were Cameron Boxall’s choreography and its execution, but even these triumphed in the Latin-flavoured Act Two centrepiece, The More We Dance.
Much of the comedy pivots on the chemistry between the Freddy Benson character (Martin in the film) and Lawrence Jamieson (Caine in the film). Rowan Witt and Blake Erickson excel in all aspects of their performances. Although Witt is a much more boyish Freddy, the dynamic of this small-time hustler bumping up against Lawrence, the debonair old-hand conman, works a treat.
Both are then taken to the cleaners by the much sharper Christine Colgate, played with elan by Kristina McNamara. Jordan Shea also stands out as Andre Thibault, the bent police chief, and amusing turns from Scarlet Lindsay and Aurelie Roque complete the leads. The five ensemble members shine and work hard, moving set and props when they’re not busy performing.
The singing is generally a step up from the dancing, and Em-Jay Dwyer’s beautifully balanced sound allowed us to revel in Yazbek’s lyrics, containing such zany gems as, “His teeth were clean and straight and white/Just like a picket fence/I couldn’t look directly at them/They were that intense.” If you’re due for a laugh, this will assuredly provide it.
Hayes Theatre until June 21; Riverside Theatre, June 25-28.