The Gentleman Thief
The Nutshell
A throwback to the romantic comedies of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The Gentleman Thief is about a handsome millionaire who makes a bet with a friend that he can break into a house. He meets the girl of his dreams, is mistaken as an internationally known thief, and struggles to keep his new friend, Spike, from stealing all of the valuables at a castle in England. And maybe, just maybe, he actually is an internationally renowned cracksman.
The Backstory
After I finished The Quest for Don Quixote I was in another holding pattern for Tom Jones – The Musical. I was contemplating what to write next. I usually spend a long time writing a script and I wanted to try and write something a bit quicker. I stumbled upon the novel A Gentleman of Leisure by P.G. Wodehouse. I loved it immediately. From the time I read it until the time I finished the script was about three months. It would have been quicker but I had to wait a few times to get my friends together to come over for some read-thrus. That’s very fast for me. If Cary Grant and Myrna Loy were alive today I would want them to star in it. I think it’s a fun script with loads of fun characters.
Photos from the New Play Festival at Florida Rep and Playfest at Orlando Shakes
- The play was originally entitled Love, the Cracksman.
The script is available for its World Premiere.