The show begins an extensive 22-week tour across North America beginning Nov. 17 in Rockford, Illinois and wrapping up in Temecula, California on May 16, 2009.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels first opened on Broadway in March 2005 to rave reviews.  It went on to receive 11 Tony award nominations, including Best Musical. 

To date, more than 100 performances are booked and confirmed in 28 states.  Major stops include Naples, Florida; Athens, Georgia; Toledo, Ohio; Utica, New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix, Arizona; Reno, Nevada; and Fresno, California.

Several Ontario stops are also planned in Hamilton (Hamilton Place Theatre, Nov. 26 and 27), London (John Labatt Centre, Nov. 29 and 30), and Brampton (the Rose Theatre, Feb. 13 and 14).

The tour is a real coup for Bestwick, who began his musical career while still at Huntsville High School. He went on to graduate from the jazz music program at Toronto’s Humber College with an honours Bachelor of Music degree. Bestwick joined the Deerhurst Resort stage show in the fall of 2002 and stayed for 18 months. Other gigs quickly followed, including Miss Saigon and Cats at the Huron Country Playhouse.

More recently, Bestwick was a member of the 20-piece Canadian Idol orchestra, with whom he played over two seasons. He then joined the North American tour of Evita from Oct. 2007 until May of this year.

Bestwick spent the past summer playing for Drayton Entertainment’s Canadian premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The show was seen by more than 20,000 people over eight weeks in St. Jacob’s and Grand Bend.  

One night in Grand Bend the audience included producers with Columbia Artists Theatricals, said Bestwick.

“They came up from New York to see our show in Grand Bend and were so impressed that Drayton won the rights to tour through the States for six months.”

Bestwick wasn’t sure at first that he wanted to go back on another long tour so soon after Evita. “It’s a long time away and life on the road isn’t easy. You spend more time on the bus than actually performing. I’m going back primarily because of the people I’m working with,” he said.

Nevertheless, travelling does have its perks. “It’s a great way to see the country. You couldn’t afford to see all the places taking a vacation.”

There’s also a one-week stop in Thousand Oaks, California, just north of Malibu. “It’s absolutely beautiful there. I stopped there when we were on tour with Evita. It will be the one place where we play for a whole week because the theatre community there is so strong.”

While the tour is scheduled over six months there will be some breaks when Bestwick will get home to his family in Huntsville.

“I’ll have three weeks over Christmas and one week at Easter. Good Friday happens to be my birthday this year,” he said. Bestwick will be 28.

When he is home, Bestwick likes to spend time with Huntsville High School Grade 10 and 12 music students, talking to them about his life as a professional musician and encouraging them to follow their dreams. “I like to think I’m giving something back,” he said.

While in Grand Bend, a former colleague from the Deerhurst days, Parres Allen came to see the show and thought it was great, said Bestwick. “He’s coming back to see it when we are in Hamilton. My parents will see it then too, and, hopefully, anyone else in Huntsville who sees this story.”

Based on the popular 1988 film, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels follows the dastardly deeds of  two men of ill repute enjoying the high life on the French Riviera. Both make a lavish living by talking rich ladies out of their money. But the town isn’t big enough for the two of them, so they agree on a settlement: the first one to extract $50,000 from a young American heiress wins, and the other must leave town.

Bestwick was due to leave Huntsville today, Nov. 12, to travel to Grand Bend for two days of rehearsals. “Then we fly to Chicago on Nov. 16 and open in Rockford the following day. It’s going to be an exciting trip,” he said.

For more information and updates, visit Bestwick’s website at www.bestwick.ca.