On Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to catch Catch Me If You Can before it closed on Broadway. I had been looking forward to the show since its' Seattle tryout because I had enjoyed the film, and I loved Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's score for Hairspray, so I was surprised when many of the reviews and a lot of the word-of-mouth was mixed-to-negative. The only part of the production which consistently garnered praise was Norbert Leo Butz's performance as FBI Agent Carl Hanratty. Even so, I was interested in seeing the show for myself to decide what I thought.
I'm very glad I saw the show for myself, as I thought it was very enjoyable, and much better than I was expecting. One of the conceits of the show is that the format of a 1960's variety show is used as a framing device, which means the entire show is basically one long flashback with commentary. At times, this idea works well, and it times it seems corny or awkward. This was the most uneven part of the show for me.
Norbert Leo Butz is quite hilarious, and I was reminded of his performance in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He does a great job of playing the highly competent but highly lonely FBI Agent following the trail of a young con artist. Aaron Tveit is quite likeable as said young con artist Frank Abingale Jr, who travels across the US and eventually the world, leaving a trail of bad checks in his wake. I first saw Mr. Tveit as Link Larkin in the national tour of Hairspray, and I was struck by his talent and charisma back then, so it was great to see him in another leading role. He looks young enough to play a high school student, but also able to mature and play Frank over a period of years.
Tom Wopat appears as Frank's father, a man full of dreams he is unable to achieve. He is obsessed with power, prestige, and money, so he actually approves of his son's shenanigans and lives vicariously through him, especially after he gets divorced and his wife moves in with his former friend. Rachel de Benedet has the smallish role of said wife, Paula, who isn't a fully developed character. She loves her son but has grown apart from her husband, and seems unsure about what she wants out of life. Also getting a small role is Kerry Butler as Brenda, a nurse at the hospital where Frank pretends to be a doctor, and the object of his affection. She doesn't have a whole lot of stage time, or material to work with, but she does the best with what she is given. Veteran actors Linda Hart and Nick Wyman play Brenda's parents, but have little stage time and little to do except play typical Southern people, although their "Family Tree" song is one of the more entertaining, albeit cornier, songs of the show.
Three henchman accompany Norbert Leo Butz on most of his trailing excursions: Joe Cassidy, Brandon Wardell, and Timothy McCuen Piggee. Most of their dialogue involves poking fun at their supervisor, or the hapless Agent Dollar (Wardell), an inexperienced younger agent. The scenes are mostly filler, and some exposition about Frank's exploits. The ensemble has a few standouts as well, especially Michael X. Martin in a flurry of small roles, including bandleader Mitch Miller. Angie Schworer and Alex Ellis were also quite noticeable, on both ends of the height spectrum.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable show, and I'm sad that it closed prematurely, as I believe this show was stronger than some other shows which also opened last season and are still running. I guess being at the Neil Simon Theatre on 52nd St and further away from Times Square could have been a factor, but it's across the street from Jersey Boys, and Sister Act is still further north, so that can't be a main factor. I wish the cast well in their search for new roles, and it's a shame the Neil Simon lies fallow until Jesus Christ Superstar comes in during the spring. This show is primarily a visual show, as the songs are a bit hard to remember at this point, but the sets and costumes stay with me.
I apologize for the delay in posting this review, and posting on this blog in general, and I hope to get more reviews up in the next month and a half to close out the year!
