PETTY CRIME - the musical

Petty Crime is a musical set in a Pet Shop/Animal Shelter and the Rat who lives in the basement turns the Pet Shop into  a nightclub after Doris, the owner goes home at night.  It's also a bit like a half way house for 'woofs and strays'.  

The show opens with Hoody, the King Rat,  auditioning singers to replace Vermine who has mysteriously disappeared and it's not till Catrina the 'Pusstitute' falls in the door that they eventually hear of Vermine's fate and the Testing Lab. A plan is hatched!

The highly colourful cast includes Catrina - a Pusstitute, Daniel - the Cockney Spaniel, Ted the Turtle who dreams of being a song and dance man, Strut- a bi-sexual Bull Terrier, Piaf - a Pole Dancing Poodle, to name a few.

PET'S PALACE is a Pet Shop come Animal Shelter and all about animals celebrating their dreams and living with the reality of a world controlled by humans. When they learn from the laboratory-born Pusstitute that VERMINE may be the newcomer to the testing lab, a plan is set for her rescue, and the fallout impacts on the entire family of animals.

It is a comedy with a hard-hitting twist and wonderfully melodies songs- lyrics by Grant Bridger and Music by the late and definitely great Matthew Brown. The entire set is being designed and constructed from recycled materials sourced on Waiheke during Inorganic Rubbish time. Impressionist and deconstructed - Sustainable Theatre at it's best, with costumes designed by the brilliant Kristen Sorrenson.

Says creator Grant Bridger - "She has taken the 'impressionist' baton and hurled it into the sky ; taken it far beyond my wildest".

Local musicians Steve and Mark Robinson will morph into rat musicians as will MD Reg Towers - pianist in THE INFESTORS. I'm forever amazed at how people turn up at the right moment - it inspires me to keep plugging on. More harvesting of talent to come.

PETTY CRIME will hopefully have it's WORLD PREMIERE on Waiheke, April 21st to be followed(hopefully) by a short season at the Mercury Theatre, Grant's old stamping ground where he learned much of what he will be passing on as writer/director.

I am grateful to the people who have stepped up thus far, the singers, designers, creatives and musicians and animals who have inspired this work's creation. I believe, after being in many musicals, that this show has  magical components - entertainment, passion, great songs, inspired character creation and as we travel it's time to stop off and ask help from you to bring the show to life next April.  Thanks in advance for your generosity- I hope you get to sit in the audience sometime, and NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL. 

Arohanui- Grant