Catch Me If You Can - The Musical Hits Surprising Highs and Lows

It seems I'm on a theatre roll lately, but considering it is their award season (with the Tonys only weeks away), lets keep the reviews coming. Catch Me If You Can - The Musical is an original musical based on the life of eventual FBI analyst Frank Abagnale Jr. After Abagnale's own autobiography and the film version of his life, as directed by Steven Spielberg (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks),  some may wonder how this story can still be told and compel audiences. Well, here's apparently what you do: bring in a witty lyricist (Scott Wittman), stylish composer (Marc Shaiman), an experienced and clever writer (Terrence McNally), a choreographer that can give panache to even the most odd of dance sequences (Jerry Mitchell), a director with a strong vision (Jack O'Brien), and throw in some of the finest performers that have graced Broadway in the last decade (we'll name some names in a bit).

Aaron Tveit with "The Jet Setters"

For the uninitiated, here is the basic plot: The show begins at the end of the line for Frank (Aaron Tveit) as he is finally caught by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Norbert Leo Butz) at an airport. Yet, we don't know why Frank needs to be caught or why he has a suitcase full of cash; that's what the rest of the show is for. In order for Carl to even understand exactly why and how we are here; we must follow Frank's lead and go back to his youth during the 60s. After witnessing the quick demise of his parents' (Tom Wopat & Rachel de Benedet) marriage, a sixteen year old Frank decides to go in search of the happiness, fortune, and women that he was not finding at home. After an early con went all too right (the boy managed to masquerade as a teacher at his own school for a week before anyone figured out that he was having parent-teacher conferences and planning a class field trip), Frank decides to forge checks (defrauding the government of nearly 3 million dollars in the process) and worm his way into a number of professions (doctor, lawyer, air pilot) that he is in no way qualified to perform. These are the events that cause FBI grunt Carl to latch onto the case, chasing Frank across the continents, exploring now their mutual past and present leading to their many fateful encounters. Of course, it all ends up coming down to a girl, Frank's paramour Brenda Strong (Kerry Butler), but we're then getting into the real spoilers and nitty gritty of the fun.

Aaron Tveit

Aaron Tveit has had a staggeringly impressive career on Broadway including turns as Link in Hairspray (which was written by Wittman & Shaiman, choreographed by Mitchell, and directed by O'Brien), Fiyero in Wicked, and probably most famously, originating the role of Gabe in the Pulitzer-prize winning musical Next to Normal. Where Tveit has primarily been a supporting player in the past, here he practically holds the entire show on his shoulders. If you don't like Frank, you're not going to like Catch Me If You Can, thankfully you should like Aaron and therefore Frank here. Tveit has the slick charm that makes every inconceivable thing Abagnale actually did seem plausible. His strong voice and dance skills hit each note on a technical level, but it is only when he hits his final solo number (the aptly titled "Goodbye") that he really seems to let his voice and heart soar. You are not only seeing Frank in wonder over the audience that he has held captive, taking in his story, you get to see a glimmer of Tveit's own glee (which may not be professional but its refreshingly fun to see). Hopefully we will see much more of him on stage (although I'm sure some of his fan girls would love him to go back to Gossip Girl for weekly doses).

Norbert Leo Butz & the Ensemble

Norbert Leo Butz has been in the original Broadway and Off-Broadway casts of shows that have defined the last two decades of theatre (Rent, The Last Five Years, Wicked), performed in a number of solid plays that had unfortunately abbreviated runs (Enron, Is He Dead), and even won the Tony for the inescapably catchy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Amazingly this may be Butz's finest hour as the beleaguered Hanratty (a debate could still be made for Scoundrels); having already won the Fred Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer and nominated for the Best Lead in a Musical Tony for his performance. He hits every joke, even some of the less-than-appealing jests, and grounds his search in wonder over who Frank could be without ever letting the audience forget that he is looking to arrest the kid in the end. His chutzpah and bumbling joy make this man come alive, elevating it significantly in comparison to Hanks' dour turn in the movie version. His act one number, "Don't Break the Rules" is a showstopper in the best of ways: jubilant, exciting, and the best demonstration of the casts' dance talent; first time I've ever seen an audience give a standing ovation before an intermission.

Aaron Tveit & Tom Wopat

The supporting cast is strong. The standout is Wopat as Frank Sr. who shares a number of scenes with Tveit, where you'd understand why Frank Jr. idolized his wayward father. It is in his scene with Hanratty (where they bemoan the father-son dynamic) that he really gets to shine. Frank Sr. is not the showman his son is proving to be, but a glimmer of a man who dreamed so big that his kid could only hope to put it all into action. In the hands of Wopat its not a kill joy, but a celebration of life with a chaser of regret. Those expecting to just see a variation on his The Dukes of Hazzard role are in for a wake-up call. De Benedet has elegant grace as Frank's French mother, who has her own illusion acts to play on the authorities when the knock on her door. Then there is Butler (veteran of many shows big and small herself) who brings a sweet vulnerability to the naive Brenda, who gets involved with Frank while he's under one of his aliases. It's shame she didn't get more time for the audience to develop a rapport with her because her number "Fly Fly Away" is a lovely glimpse at a plot that could have been developed nicely in her hands. Yet, this show really is for the boys.

Aaron Tveit & The Ensemble

The set (by David Rockwell), costumes (by William Ivey Long), and lighting (by Kenneth Posner) convey the time and aesthetic of the show in unique and sometimes surprising ways (especially when we see Brenda's "family tree"). Mitchell's choreography is big, brash, and captures the early 60s variety show style admirably. Wittman & Shaiman's respective lyrics and score have a rhythmic bounce, cohesive theme, and a flow to them that will make the cast soundtrack enjoyable, but this is not the show you're really listening to the soundtrack for songs to pull to your iPod on their own (maybe, maybe "Don't Break the Rules" but its still not as standalone like "Defying Gravity" or "Take Me Or Leave Me" havebecome). McNally's book effectively tells the story that has been told many times before with some fresh reveals, clever one-liners ("I Like Girls" will be a popular T-shirt, I forsee), and generally solid structure. Some may gripe that the father-son metaphors are a bit too heavy-handed between Frank and Hanratty, particularly at the end of Act One, but its a necessary evil for the most part based on the story being told. Director O'Brien uses his stage well, every inch is utilized to tell the story and keep it moving; there are no awkward pauses for expansive sets or dancing girls to be moved here.

Aaron Tveit & Kerry Butler

Hopefully Catch Me If You Can enjoys a long life being performed, its a solid piece with an incredible back story (wait till you hear what Frank did after the songs inevitably end). Any fans of Tveit or Butz need to make their way to see the show now before they move on to the next big thing. Their chemistry here is strong and its fun to think how despite having played some of the same roles before (Fiyero, Roger) that they are such drastically different performers to make this such a culture clash of age and precision. This is also one of the few shows I would recommend to men who don't normally like the theatre; the swinging big-band style and evocative male relationships really seemed to move the men surrounding me in the audience. Plus, there's beautiful chorus girls wearing tiny costumes and always with a seductive smile for you (now there's quite a perk).

The show is currently playing at the Neil Simon Theatre with tickets available through ticketmaster, by phone (212) 757-8646, and the theatre's own box office located at 250 West 52nd St. (between 7th and 8th Avenues).

All production photos by Joan Marcus.