About the Musical

Many years ago, I read Basil, the second novel by Wilkie Collins, written in 1852. From the moment I encountered it, I was struck by how powerfully theatrical the story felt—and how naturally it seemed to invite musical treatment. That first spark became the germ of an idea that ultimately grew into North Villa - A Gothic Musical.

The choice of the title North Villa is deliberate and twofold. While Basil is a familiar English name, its pronunciation is less settled in American usage, where this production is first being staged. More importantly, North Villa is the house in which the central love interest lives and where much of the action takes place. It is a place heavy with secrets—a house where much has happened, and much is concealed. Many of the production’s visual motifs reflect this idea of a seemingly respectable home hiding darker truths within.

When Wilkie Collins wrote Basil, he described it as “a tale of modern life.” While it is no longer our modern life, the novel was strikingly bold for its time in its treatment of marriage, power, and relationships across rigid social boundaries. Questions of social class—so central to the works of Wilkie Collins and his friend Charles Dickens—lie at the heart of the story, shaping the characters’ choices and their consequences.

Collins himself referred to Basil as a form of “domestic Gothic,” and that description provided the final key. To reflect both the emotional intensity of the story and the musical language of the piece, the title North Villa - A Gothic Musical felt not only appropriate, but inevitable.

Brandon Goldsmith