TO CATCH A THIEF
Book & Lyrics: Peter Sham | Music: Kevin Purcell
Executive Producer: Quill & Quaver Associates LLC, New York, NY.
To Catch A Thief is beloved by generations of avid crime and mystery/thriller readers. For many, the title is synonmous with the Oscar-winning film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock for Paramount Pictures filmed in VisaVision in 1955.
The film is based on the 1952 novel by American mystery writer David Dodge (1910-1974) which 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 copycat 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.
CASTLE GILLIAN
Book & Lyrics: Victor Kazan | Music: Kevin Purcell
Executive Producer: Quill & Quaver Associates LLC, New York, NY.
Castle Gillian is based on a novel of the same name by famed Irish novelist, Maurice Walsh (1879 – 1964). Walsh is probably best known for his quintessential romantic Irish story The Quiet Man, made famous by the iconic John Ford film starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne.
Set in Ireland in 1948, Castle Gillian tells the story of Gill Morris, a young Irishman profoundly damaged by his experiences in the WWII, who regains his faith in love and the world as he fights to save his ancestral home – and once-famous racing stable – Castle Gillian. This is a story of how love, hope and courage can heal the wounds of the past and make miracles happen.
Castle Gillian is an immersive, digital streaming experience built for viewing in 360 degree virtual reality. It is the world’s first, fully motion-captured and immersive 2-Act musical created for spatial computing. You can watch the trailer below.
THE STRANGER FROM SEVILLE
Book & Lyrics: Victor Kazan | Music: Kevin Purcell
Executive Producers: Perry Street Theatricals, New York, and Music Theatre Melbourne
The Stranger from Seville is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by admired Spanish-Canadian author, Béa Gonzalez, published by Macmillan.
The Stranger From Seville was first performed Off-Broadway in under the title The Mapmaker’s Opera as a grand jury selection of the 2014 New York Musical Festival. It
subsequently was accepted for the 2nd Florida Festival of New Musicals in 2021 prior to a successful and critically well-received industry reading in New York City directed by Martin Platt.
Book & Lyrics: Victor Kazan | Music: Kevin Purcell
(withdrawn due to rights restrictions)