Showtime

What: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Who: Brian McKay

Where: Hamilton Place

When: Nov. 26 and 27

Tickets: 905-527-7666

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was a big hit on Broadway and guess what? It was also a smash at Drayton Theatre Festival's St. Jacob's Playhouse.

In spite of all those Direct From New York catchlines in the ads, it's the Drayton production that's coming to Hamilton Place as part of a big North American tour.

And what's wrong with that? By all accounts it was a whale of a show in St. Jacobs and the star performance from Canada's Brian McKay stopped the show.

No wonder American producers decided to send the show on the road.

McKay is one of Canada's best stage performers. He's been a leading man at Charlottetown, a character actor at Stratford and director of several Canadian theatre companies.

"I've been around," he says. His rich, musical voice crackles over he phone lines from Toronto where he has just finished a tour of his own show, Come To The Hills.

"I've done Broadway with Hal Prince, Stratford with Cynthia Dale and Charlottetown with all the big names in musical theatre."

Now McKay is about to go out on a six-month-tour with one of Broadway's smash musicals.

"The people who hold the touring rights were knocked out by the St. Jacobs show. They were thrilled with the quality of the Canadian cast."

McKay looks forward to travelling with the bus and truck tour.

"We open in Ohio and criss-cross the country.

"We have dates in Florida and California and we are at Hamilton Place Nov. 26 and 27.

"It's cut down a little from the New York production. There's no turntable, for instance. But there's still plenty of magic. We provide the spectacle ourselves."

McKay says Scoundrels is a stunning show to do.

"The costumes and set pieces are straight from New York. Even the wallets. When I open mine onstage there's a picture of John Lithgow, the New York star staring back at me. 'Don't change it', I said. 'I love it.'"

McKay loves his role.

"It's a great ride. I mean I play a hard-hearted con man who had his heart softened by affection. Now how great is that? I feel like Scrooge. It's about finding the goodness around you. And it's a sophisticated musical comedy that's a song-and-dance man's dream."

McKay thinks we're all intrigued with the master con sort of thing.

"Most of us couldn't lie the way characters do here. We're too honest. And yet, if we admit it, we're all fascinated by people who can pull it off. Trouble is though, people get hurt by their dishonesty."

McKay likes the way his character, Lawrence, takes big risks. He likes the way he isn't afraid to take big, unpredictable steps.

"I like playing characters that are larger than life. I love the way the audience embraces that. I can tell you playing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, I've had some of the biggest laughs and the warmest applause of my life."

"I wondered if I was TTT. That means too-old-to-tour. But not a bit. I'm energized. I know it's a cliche, but finding new audiences to charm every night is a gift."

McKay loves the fact he's making this tour with great Canadian theatre stars Karen K. Edissi and Patrick Brown.

"We've got to learn we've got great Canadian performers here. What's wrong with being Canadian? Not everything great in theatre comes from across the border. This time the talent's going the other way."

Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 25 years. He's watched Brian McKay perform for most of his long career.