Review: Catch Me If You Can

Musical: Catch Me If You Can
Venue: Neil Simon Theatre
Date: 7th April 2011 at 20:00
Cast: Aaron Tveit (Frank Abagnale, Jr.), Norbert Leo Butz (Agent Carl Hanratty), Tom Wopat (Frank Abagnale, Sr.), Rachel de Benedet (Paula Abagnale), Kerry Butler (Brenda Strong), Nick Wyman (Roger Strong), Linda Hart (Carol Strong) 
Rating: ***1/2

Review: It's my first night in New York and my brother got me a ticket to see the new musical "Catch Me If You Can" which was still in preview back when I saw it (it was due to open on the following Sunday). The main reason we went for this one is purely the cast. How could you say no to Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz??!! and we weren't disappointed at all in that aspect of the show.

After a nice meal at Public, we went straight to the Neil Simon Theatre (where I saw Hairspray 6 years ago) and ready to enjoy the show. We got to our seats which was in the front orchestra right, very much to the side. We had quite a bad overview of the stage but what's good was we got to see the actors really close.

The Neil Simon Theatre

The musical is based on the 2002 movie of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. It started as Frank, Jr. was arrested at the Miami Airport and he demanded that his story to be told to the "audience" by putting into a show "live in living color" despite Agent Hanratty's objection. I think it was quite neat in terms of how the show was told. It gave all the characters a chance to address the audience. However, there were times when I felt that the show relied too much on narration which became boring after a while. 

Live In Living Color

The script in the musical by Terrence McNally was very similar to that in the movie (and probably in the book). I like it since it reminded me of the good moments in the movie but my brother disagreed, he felt that it left nothing new for the audience who had seen the movie. My favourite scene was towards the end of Act One where Frank, Jr. made a phone call to Hanratty on Christmas Day. I think it captivated the vulnerable side of Frank, Jr. very well.

The music was written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman of Hairspray and it reminded me a lot of Hairspray. I must say that the music is not the strongest part of the show. There were some catchy tunes, of course like 'Seven Wonders' 'Fly, Fly Away' and 'Live in Living Color', but most of them were 60s music which, again, became quite boring after having listened to so many of it like 'Butter Outta Cream' and 'Little Boy, Be a Man'.

The real star of the show was probably the actors. Aaron Tveit was just phenomenal! He had the charm of a conman and his acting was just terrific, especially in the sadder moments in the show. And his singing voice, what can I say about that voice! It was a pleasure to hear him sing live. 'Good-Bye' was my favorite song of the night. 

Aaron Tveit as Frank Abagnale, Jr.

Then we had the amazing Norbert Leo Butz. Nothing more to be said of this man. His comedic timing was just impeccable. His expressions when Frank, Jr. was about to tell the story was hilarious and his solo number 'Don't Break the Rules' received several minutes of thunderous applause. I wonder what they would do if he ever left the show.

Norbert Leo Butz as Agent Carl Hanratty

However, what bugged me was that the two of them kept reminding me of Lawrence and Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels especially in the last song 'Strange But True' which resembles 'Dirty Rotten Number" a lot but didn't really give the show as good a closing theme as DRS.

I also needed to mention the rest of the cast, Tom Wopat, Rachel de Benedet and Kerry Butler who portrayed their roles very well, both acting and singing. Another thing I need to mention are the GIRLS. Oh, wow! They all were very beautiful and really stole the show whenever they came on to the stage and I guess the producers know that so they put them on the stage fairly often.. ;) Visually, the scenes were simple and you also have your orchestra on the stage so at times it made you feel like you were watching a concert.

with Tom Wopat at Frank Abagnale, Sr.

Kerry Butler as Brenda Strong
during "Fly, Fly Away" number

The graceful Rachel de Benedet
as Paula Abagnale (Frank's Mother)
during 'Don't Be a Stranger' number

Overall, I can't totally say that I love the show. It was good, entertaining and enjoyable but a bit old-fashioned to my liking. I must admit that I did yawn at several points in the show, probably because of the music and the narration and wasn't sure if I want to see it again. But I wouldn't say that it was a disaster. It was worth the ticket price to see all these actors performing live on stage together but I doubt that it would do well on this year's Tony Awards against big contenders like Anything Goes, Mormon and H2$. So, if you're curious about the show, I say give it a go. If you're a fan of Aaron and Norbert, definitely come and see it, but if you have a limited number of shows to see, I'd say go for other ones first.

'Jet Set' with beautiful flight attendants

'Doctor's Orders' with even more beautiful nurses

I went to the stagedoor after the show with my brother and got my pictures taken with both Aaron and Norbert. :)

Me with Aaron Tveit (if a bit far..)



Me with the ever-amazing Norbert Leo Butz

 

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT ONE

Overture

Live in Living Color... Frank, Jr. and Company

The Pinstripes Are All That They See... Frank, Sr., Frank, Jr. and Company

Someone Else's Skin... Frank, Jr. and Company

Jet Set... Frank, Jr. and Company

Live in Living Color (Reprise)... Frank, Jr.

Don't Break the Rules... Hanratty and Company

The Pinstripes Are All That They See (Reprise)... The Ladies
Butter Outta Cream... Frank, Sr. and Frank, Jr.

The Man Inside the Clues... Hanratty

Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year... Partygoers

My Favorite Time of Year... Hanratty, Frank, Jr., Frank, Sr. and Paula

ACT TWO

Entr' Acte

Doctor's Orders... Nurses

Live in Living Color (Reprise)... Frank, Jr.

Don't Be a Stranger... Paula and Frank, Sr.

Little Boy, Be a Man... Frank, Sr. and Hanratty

Seven Wonders... Frank, Jr. and Brenda

(Our) Family Tree... Carol, Roger, Brenda, Frank, Jr. and Strong Family Singers

Fly, Fly Away... Brenda

Good-Bye... Frank, Jr.

Strange But True... Frank, Jr. and Hanratty