Give Them What They Want! Robert Lindsay & Rufus Hound to Lead Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in the West End
Tony winner Robert Lindsay and comedian Rufus Hound are set to star as the comedy duo Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson in the U.K. premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, the "reconceived and reimagined" musical will run at the Manchester Opera House from February 12, 2014 through February 22 and at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from February 26 to March 1, before arriving at the Savoy Theatre on March 10. Opening night is set for April 2. Further casting will be announced soon.
Featuring music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is based on the 1988 film of the same name, and tells the story of two conmen competing to swindle money from an American heiress. Lindsay will play the suave upmarket fraudster Lawrence Jamieson, while Hound will play his loud, cocky rival, Freddy Benson. In addition to Lindsay and Hound, Katherine Kingsley will play Christine Colgate in the musical. Mitchell previously choreographed the original 2005 production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway.
Lindsay received a Tony Award for his performance as Bill Snibson in 1987's Me and My Girl. His other stage credits include Oliver!, Becket, The Entertainer and The Lion in Winter. Lindsay's TV credits include My Family, Jericho and Falcon. Hound's theater credits include Utopia, One Man, Two Guvnors and Neville's Island. Kingsley is currently playing Helena in Michael Grandage's Midsummer Night's Dream at the Noel Coward Theatre. Her other theater credits include Singin' in the Rain, Relative Values and Aspects of Love.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on March 3, 2005. Directed by Jack O'Brien, the cast included John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott, Joanna Gleason and Gregory Jbara. The show received 11 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and Butz was awarded Best Actor in a Musical.