Adaptation

To Catch a Thief, the 1952 novel by American mystery writer David Dodge (1910-1974) tells the story of John Robie, an American expatriate who is trying to live a quiet life in a villa, which he audaciously names Villa des Bijoux (Villa of the Jewels) in the South of France.

Before World War II, Robie had put his acrobatic training to use as a jewel thief operating on the Côte d’Azur and was nicknamed Le Chat (The Cat) by the French press for his gravity-defying ability to soundlessly enter and exit hotel rooms and apartments of his wealthy victims. He worked alone and “was never known to employ violence or carry a weapon more dangerous than a glass cutter.”

Eventually, he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in a French prison. When the Germans occupied France during the war, they emptied the jails. Robie, along with his cellmates, went into the maquis, the French underground, and fought against the Germans. In exchange for their service to France, the ex-prisoners were extended an unofficial amnesty for their crimes—provided they stay out of trouble.

Now a new thief is at work on the Riviera, using Robie’s exact methods, and the police are convinced that Le Chat is back in business. So, Robie determines to catch the thief himself.

(Extracted from R Brandt. “The Easiest Eighty Thousand Words Ever Put Together”: The Story Behind the Story of David Dodge’s “To Catch a Thief” Used with Permission.)

At first glance this short synopsis suggests a seemingly simple premise for a stage adaptation. Certainly, it is one filled with myriad possibilities, gloriously aided by location, period style, glamour, and a cast of richly drawn characters – most of whom being not who they profess to be – as well as the obvious potential for riveting suspense and action sequences.

But, behind these immediately attractive attributes one starts to glimpse the musical and dramatic possibilities of characters who are propelled to action and thought; not in the act of stealing or attempting the recovery of a dizzying array of stolen jewels, but by the deeply ingrained human desire to find purpose in their individual lives.

This is the heart of To Catch A Thief – The Musical.

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