Every new musical has its own path through a development process from ideation to creation. Developing a musical as an adaptation of an existing literary source; in this case the crime-thriller novel, To Catch A Thief by American author, David Dodge, is no exception.
The writers owe a debt of gratitude to the Estate of David Dodge for permission to adapt this quintessential whodunnit into a new stage musical.
To Catch A Thief – The Musical shares none of Hitchcock’s adaptation and is based solely on the storyline, plot, and action intrinsic to Dodge’s remarkable romantic thriller. Nevertheless, the interconnection between Dodge the novelist and Hitchcock the filmmaker has spawned an enduring love of the story that has captivated audiences for generations. Several sources of interest to us as writers are noteworthy:
Now in its eighth printing, the first version of the novel appeared in the December 1951 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine; the film is ranked 46th on AFI’s 100 Romance Films of All-Time, and boasts an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes; In 1963, the premise of a jewel thief who must come out of retirement was adapted in the famous caper-comedy, The Pink Panther; In 2009, the novel was featured in the compendium The Golden Age of Film: Four Novels That Captivated Hollywood, published by Reader’s Digest, Australia; and In 2011, an abridged version of the novel was dramatized as a radio play for BBC 4 (more on this below).
Of most importance is the website dedicated to the work of David Dodge curated by Randal Brandt. For those interested in David Dodge’s remarkable career and output, this is the singular comprehensive resource on the Internet. The writers wish to thank Mr. Brandt for his immeasurable support and guidance throughout the process of our musical stage adaptation.
Two other sources of interest for devotees of Hitchcock’s film are online resource available through Amazon as either an audiobook or for Kindle:
Mr Dodge Mr Hitchcock And The French Riviera by Jean Buchanan (2014)
Of interest in Buchanan’s research is the intersection between the true story of the events behind the novel and the film. Originally made as a radio documentary for the BBC, Jean Buchanan tells the story and attempts to locate the Villa Noel Fleuri. Jean visits Golfe Juan, the fishing port between Canne and Nice where the Dodges arrived in France; she’s given a tour of the Carlton hotel in Cannes by the Chef-Concierge, Stephane Fanciulli, and, lastly, makes a notable discovery in the Nice-Matin newspaper archives consolidating her discovery with maps held in the village of Vallauris.
Following in Hitchcock’s Footsteps: The Definitive Location Guide To The Classic Film “To Catch A Thief” by Dirk Dominick (2018)
Of interest in Dominick’s research is the location of the villa where David Dodge wrote the novel. This discovery allowed the writers to visualise how Dodge imagined the opening and closing scenes of the story. The villa is not the one used in Hitchcock’s film however.
Lastly, the location of the “Sanford Villa” of the story – the location of the climax of the action in the novel – is the very beautiful Château de la Croix des Gardes. We are indebted to current day owner of the chateau, Hollywood film financier, Chris Parker, and the chateau’s Head of Marketing, Nathalie Dinulescu for providing us with unparalleled access to the Chateau for the purpose of understanding the layout of both the exterior of the chateau and, most importantly, the roof!
