DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Begins Performances at the Stratford Festival!

Prepare for the Avon Theatre to be transformed into the glamorous French Riviera as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels hits the stage tomorrow offering huge laughs and high energy.

This playful and irreverent production unites Director Tracey Flye, Choreographer Stephanie Graham and Music Director Franklin Brasz.

It showcases exhilarating performances by Shakura Dickson as Christine Colgate, Jonathan Goad as Lawrence Jameson, Liam Tobin as Freddy Benson, Sara-Jeanne Hosie as Muriel Eubanks, Derek Kwan as Andre Thibault, and Michele Shuster as Jolene Oakes.

Lawrence Jameson is no stranger to the high life–he’s lived it for years by separating lonely rich ladies from their fortunes in a swanky Riviera town. When he and his chief competitor in the con business, Freddy Benson, make a bet to swindle an heiress out of $50,000, the professional scoundrels soon discover they may not always be the smartest people in the room. Inspired by the hit 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the musical comedy earned 11 Tony Award nominations for its hilarious hijinks and frivolity.

“It may appear, and appearances can be deceiving, that this world could be a wholly distasteful place. But I beg to differ,” says Flye. “It is, in total, a whirlwind of mayhem and confusion, of vulgarity versus sophistication, of discovery and choice, of longing and love and unexpected revelation. It’s really not much different from the one we live in. And while each character we meet appears to be masked–guarding who they truly are–in each of them, there is an untapped humanity, a loneliness and longing for something else.”

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels features magnificent performances by Eric Abel, Carla Bennett, Devon Michael Brown, Jarret Cody, Christine Desjardins, Henry Firmston, Jordan Goodridge, Aisha Jarvis, Bonnie Jordan, Alex Kelly, Heather Kosik, Kelsey Lacombe, Amanda Lundgren, Gracie Mack, Jordan Mah, Jamie Murray, Stephen Patterson, Ali Powell, and Jason Sermonia.

From left: Jonathan Goad as Lawrence, Shakura Dickson as Christine Colgate and Liam Tobin as Freddy Benson, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Stratford Festival 2025. Photo: Ted Belton.

The creative team brings together Set Designer Lorenzo Savoini, Costume Designer Sue LePage, Lighting Designer Michael Walton, and Sound Designer Ranil Sonnadara.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has its press opening on May 29 and runs until October 25 at the Avon Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1.800.567.1600.

The 2025 season also features As You Like It,Annie, Sense and Sensibility, Dangerous Liaisons, Macbeth, Anne of Green Gables, The Winter’s Tale, Forgiveness, Ransacking Troy, and The Art of War. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca.

The 2025 season is generously supported by Ophelia Lazaridis.

Proud 2025 Season Partners: BMO Financial Group, Canada Life and RBC Royal Bank.

Production Co-Sponsors: Sylvia D. Chrominska and The Whiteside Foundation.

This production is dedicated to the memory of Bobby Garcia, a director of international reputation who was preparing this musical as his Stratford Festival debut before his tragic passing in December 2024. We honor his legacy through our work.

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Eric Abel	Nikos, Ensemble
Carla Bennett	Renee, Ensemble
Devon Michael Brown	Gerard, Ensemble
Jarret Cody	Conductor, Ensemble
Christine Desjardins	Ensemble
Shakura Dickson	Christine Colgate
Henry Firmston	Ensemble
Jonathan Goad	Lawrence Jameson
Jordan Goodridge	Swing
Sara-Jeanne Hosie	Muriel Eubanks
Aisha Jarvis	Usherette, Ensemble
Bonnie Jordan	Swing
Alex Kelly	Swing
Heather Kosik	Swing
Derek Kwan	Andre Thibault
Kelsey Lacombe	Lenore, Ensemble
Amanda Lundgren	Sophia, Ensemble
Gracie Mack	Swing
Jordan Mah	Waiter on Train, Ensemble
Jamie Murray	Ensemble
Stephen Patterson	Croupier, Butler, Ensemble
Ali Powell	Ensemble
Jason Sermonia	Ensemble, Dance Captain
Michele Shuster	Jolene Oakes
Liam Tobin	Freddy Benson

ARTISTIC CREDITS

Book	Jeffrey Lane
Music and Lyrics	David Yazbek
Director	Tracey Flye
Choreographer	Stephanie Graham
Music Director	Franklin Brasz
Set Designer	Lorenzo Savoini
Costume Designer	Sue LePage
Lighting Designer	Michael Walton
Sound Designer	Ranil Sonnadara
Fight and Intimacy Director	Anita Nittoly

Assistant Director	Steven Conde
Associate Choreographer	Kyla Musselman
Associate Conductor	Éric Charbonneau
Assistant Set Designer	Angel Everett
Assistant Costume Designer	Rebeccca Chaikin
Assistant Lighting Designer	Arantza Luna
Assistant Lighting Designer	Emilie Trimbee
Assistant Sound Designer	Adam Campbell
Apprentice Sound Designer	Bex Tralli

Stage Manager	Maxwell T. Wilson
Assistant Stage Manager	Holly Korhonen
Assistant Stage Manager	Kim Lott
Assistant Stage Manager	Théa Pel
Production Stage Manager	Bona Duncan
Production Assistant	Maddie Bennett
Technical Director	Eleanor Creelman