The Night of the Hunter

a new musical

Combines the warmth of a coming of age story with a gripping thriller.

When Ben Harper steals ten thousand dollars from a bank in depression era West Virginia and tells his young son and daughter never to reveal the whereabouts of the cash, he sets in motion one of the most thrilling, frightening, and heartfelt stories ever to fill the pages of a best selling novel. In 1954 Davis Grubb penned THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, a southern gothic tale that spent weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. The film version, named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th Century, starred Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish.

Stephen Cole (book and lyrics) and Claibe Richardson (music) have transformed this powerful tale into a bold, daring, and beautifully melodic work for the musical stage.

New York premiere

Quotes:

Winner of the Edward Kleban Award, an NEA Grant. CD winner of German Music Critics Award. "The best CD to introduce a new musical ever!" Review of SF World Premiere Production: "A SPELLBINDING PRESENTATION Claibe Richardson's powerful score sets the mood of the two-act piece. Stephen Cole, who wrote the book and the lyrics, has done a superb job. Claibe and Cole's score captures the drama, the suspense and the poetry of the piece." Talkin' Broadway " ÃƒÆ’Ã‚«HUNTERÃƒÆ’Ã‚ SINGS THE EERIE HYMNS OF A PERVERTED SOUL. This ÃƒÆ’Ã‚¬HunterÃƒÆ’Ã‚® shows plenty of potential. RichardsonÃƒÆ’Ã‚s score is most compelling. TouchingÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬"luminousÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬"heartbreakingÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬"and astonishing. San Francisco Chronicle "ÃƒÆ’Ã‚«NIGHTÃƒÆ’Ã‚SÃƒÆ’Ã‚ BRIGHT FUTURE! WOW! THERE ARE BIG TIME POSSIBILITIES FOR THE MUSICAL VERSION OF ÃƒÆ’Ã‚¬THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.ÃƒÆ’Ã‚® HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THE BIG LEAGUES The Contra-Costa Times