Alex Gaumond will take on the role of Freddy Benson in the hit West End production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical in November, replacing comedian Rufus Hound as the larger-than-life conman.
Gaumond, who most recently appeared on the London stage as the tyrannical headmistress in Matilda The Musical, will take over the part from 11 November He joins original cast members Robert Lindsay and Katherine Kingsley, and recent newcomers Bonnie Langford and Gary Wilmot.
The musical theatre star’s other West End credits include Olivier Award-winning hit Top Hat, Queen musical We Will Rock You and the Sheridan Smith-led Legally Blonde The Musical, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical transports audiences to the luxurious lap of the French Riviera where the world of sophisticated conman Lawrence Jameson is set to come crashing down as he goes head to head with Benson to win the affections of millionaire soap heiress Christine Colgate.
Since opening at the Savoy Theatre in February the show has been seen by more than 200,000 theatregoers and garnered acclaim from an abundance of critics including The Guardian’s Michael Billington who described the production as “a prime, and highly pleasurable, example of the musical as escapist fantasy and source of fun”.
Featuring music and lyrics by David Yakbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical is booking until 7 March.