Review: The Explosive Duality of Double-Casting in Jakarta Art House's Catch Me If You Can

Review by Nabila ‘Hana’ Hananti, editing by Rakaputra Paputungan, and photos by @Imanbrain (Show 1) and @cwetp (Show 4) through Jakarta Art House

Just recently, Jakarta Art House hosted its latest stage production, Catch Me If You Can the Musical. This was an adaptation of the 2002 movie of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio, following the same storyline: the alleged true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a convicted felon who committed plenty of frauds at his young age and has now reformed as a security consultant. 

The show took place on 22-24 November 2024 at Teater Besar Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta. The production house performed a total of four shows with two sets of cast for the two main leads, with each pair performing twice. Fadli Hafizan served as the Executive Producer with Amanda Auliasari managing it. The show was directed by General Director Aldy Inzaghi Dermawan with the assistance of Co-Director Zaya Maurina. Dinda Lisa Redeika acted as the Choreographer and Felita Kezia Chandra as the Music Director.

Frank Abagnale Jr. is a young man who committed plenty of frauds costing millions of dollars. After a long chase, he was finally cornered by the FBI at the airport. We then flashed back to his life, starting from his youth. He grew up in a broken family: with a father under the IRS investigation and an unfaithful mother. Eventually, his parents’ marriage fell apart and when the custody battle began, the overwhelmed Frank Jr. decided to take a one-way trip to Manhattan.

In New York, he applied the skills he learned from his old man. Frank began to forge fake checks and assumed multiple identities. This led Carl Hanratty, a senior FBI agent, to suspect him of fraud. Thus began the FBI’s hunt for the man responsible for the multiple scams.

An encounter with a group of stewardesses incited Frank to become a pilot. He created a fake ID and uniform, before finding a job as a co-pilot at Pan American World Airways. He made a living from his job, flying all over the world, and shared this achievement of his with his father. Frank Sr., already losing his flame, told Frank to not worry about him and enjoy the success he has now. 

Eventually, Hanratty’s chase led him to a hotel room that Frank stayed at. The two encounter each other, but Frank escapes after tricking Hanratty into believing that he’s a Secret Service agent. Knowing that he’s being chased, Frank indulged in his lavish lifestyle more often. Still, with a life full of trickery, Frank can’t help but want to feel a semblance of something true. Thus, on Christmas Day, he called Hanratty through a pay phone, and the pair acknowledged each other. They spend the day of Christmas Eve understanding each other better, ending the 1st Act.

The Second Act begins.
Eventually, Frank settled into the ground and began living a life as a doctor, forging a medical degree to work at Atlanta General Hospital. There, he met Brenda, a young enthusiastic nurse, and fell for her immediately. Meanwhile, Hanratty figured out the whereabouts of Frank’s parents but found that neither of them knew anything or was concerned about their son.

Frank and Brenda then left Atlanta to go to New Orleans to meet her parents. There, he charmed her parents with another false identity as a lawyer, getting the green light to put a ring on her finger. He went home to tell his father of his plan to settle down, but his father was insistent that he shouldn’t get married, for his ex-wife (Frank’s Mother) had moved on with her life, remarrying, and paying no mind to her former partner or even to Frank himself. Desperate, he gave Hanratty a call, expressing his wish to live an honest life and marry his partner, Brenda. This led to Hanratty discovering where he was, looking to catch him.

Frank decided to flee, but this time, he wished to take Brenda with him. He went to the airport ahead of her, leaving Brenda with a briefcase of money and their rendezvous point. At her family house, Hanratty confronted her of his whereabouts, but she kept her mouth shut. However, as she herself tried to go to the airport, she was followed by Hanratty and his men, leading him to Frank.

At first, Frank considered escaping, but, after receiving news of his father’s death, he was devastated and decided to surrender to Hanratty. In the end, he got sentenced to fifteen years in prison but was released after seven for good behaviour and was hired by Hanratty and the FBI to track down counterfeits. Thus began the partnership of Frank Abagnale Jr. and Carl Hanratty.

Catch Me If You Can the Musical on Broadway received four Tony Awards nominations, including one for Best Musical. The team from BroadwayWorld Indonesia was given the opportunity to watch Jakarta Art House present this show twice with the two main cast, and here is our review.

Note:
1st Show – Andreas Lukita as Frank Abagnale Jr. & Bukie B. Mansyur as Carl Hanratty
2nd Show – Benedict Herdianus as Frank Abagnale Jr. & Andovi Da Lopez as Carl Hanratty

A Tale of Growth
The first show we watched was the Andreas/Bukie pair. The two were a dynamic duo; with Andreas’ heartfelt performance and Bukie’s stage presence, they, alongside the whole cast and ensemble of CMIYC brought a performance that tugged at the audience’s heartstrings.

The opening of the show started off a tad bit awkward—as they attempted the performance with some gags during Hanratty’s pursuit of Frank. Then, follows the iconic ‘Live in Living Color’ – the show’s big musical number in which we are introduced to Andreas’ character, Frank Abagnale Jr.

It was a wonderful opening with lively choreography, but unfortunately wasn’t delivered with the energy needed to start such a big, glitzy show. Although Andreas has a great and charming voice, his suave, princely charms were overpowered by the vivacious ensemble. Frank, our main character, sadly blended in a little too well with everyone else, making for a beginning that lacked a strong central character and, thus, lessened its impact.

We are soon introduced to Frank’s immediate family members: Frank Abagnale Sr. (played by Arsy Fadillah) and Paula Abagnale (played by Ajeng Sharfina). The three family members had a considerable lack of chemistry that makes you wonder whether they’re truly related or not. This carried throughout the play, and the awkwardness between Andreas’ Frank with his family troubled my suspension of disbelief. Although the family may be in ruin, he still grew up in their house, but he never felt truly comfortable there, making for an uncomfortable watching experience – though, perhaps, this was intentional.

Ironically, despite the weak beginning of his interaction with his family, the show was at its most engaging at the moments the supporting cast led the scene.

Frank’s scandalous interaction with Cheryl Ann (played by Jodie Maran) was a scene that truly engrossed the audience. Jodie’s confidence as she approached Andreas’ character was responded to in kind, and that made for a scene that exudes plenty of tension while maintaining its comedic aspect and relevance to the story.

Another instance is Frank’s first encounter with Carl Hanratty (played by Bukie B. Mansyur) at the hotel. Bukie brought his character in a way that challenged Andreas – we could see how Andreas was getting more and more confident and comfortable with his role the longer they spent interacting on stage.

Bukie’s return to the stage in three years served as a reminder of what a powerhouse he truly is. With his consistently serious demeanour and straight-faced delivery, he brought Carl Hanratty to life. He played a middle-aged man who devoted his life to his job without any family to return to, while also displaying the tenderness which makes one’s character four-dimensional. His comedic timing was incredible, and he even managed to improvise the technical problem that occurred in the first show seamlessly. This is without mentioning his vocal prowess, such as his crystal clear articulation and vocal range. Truly a stellar performance, and I look forward to seeing him on the stage again soon.

Interestingly enough, a small exception to this was his interaction with his love interest, Brenda Strong (played by Fei Luthfy). The play itself was written to have Brenda “be led” by Frank. He was the one who came up to her first, and his approach exudes shyness which gradually builds as the two’s romance develops. Their interaction felt dorky and awkward—as how falling in love is supposed to be. In a way, Brenda’s presence guides Frank to want to change himself for the better. He was vulnerable with her, and that – leading up to the ending of the story – brought forth a satisfying growth in his character.

Fei Luthfy herself brought an incredibly sentimental performance as Brenda Strong. This was especially apparent in her solo number in the 2nd Act: “Fly, Fly Away”. In just one act, she stole the heart of the audience, playing such a heartfelt character that brought tears to the audience.

All in all, it could be said that the Andreas/Bukie pair, alongside their fellow cast members, brought a performance that spotlighted the growth of their character. While the beginning may feel lacklustre, by the end of the show, we grow to care and love Frank Abagnale Jr. and root for him as a character. They also showed how Hanratty’s dedication was what led to Frank and Carl’s partnership in the following days, and how the story of Catch Me If You Can manages to come to life.

The Reform and/or Fall Down of a Mastermind
Meanwhile, the grand opening of the Benedict/Andovi show served as a powerful beginning that lifted the audience’s spirit. A tension-filled confrontation ran beat-to-beat, led by Andovi’s explosive chase, followed by an exciting number sung by Frank Abagnale Jr – this time played by Benedict Herdianus. From the get-go, he exudes charisma and charm befitting of his character, starting the show with a bang that keeps the audience’s energy up.

This energy was transferred onto his fellow castmates and ensemble, for every interaction throughout felt well-expressed and defined. Frank Abagnale Jr. cons the audience into thinking he’s a guy without any struggle in his life, up to the point how he openly scammed the person in front of him. However, the momentum broke once he left the spotlight, and, unfortunate as it was, his return later couldn’t muster up the same energy he had in his entrance. 

This attrition began in his interaction with Cheryl Ann. In Benedict’s attempt to give Jodie the spotlight, he blended with the background and the set, making for a one-sided performance that only left the audience dazed.

Later on, Frank shared a moment with his love interest, Brenda Strong. Fei Luthfy played Brenda perfectly in a way that followed her scene partner—that is, Benedict’s Frank. Unfortunately, Benedict immediately leads the romance with such confidence and not enough vulnerability, overlooking the opportunity to develop their relationship dynamic – and giving room for Frank to grow through this romance. I saw Brenda then as just another one of Frank’s trophies—his achievement—which made his declaration of love as he made his escape to the airport, and the subsequent kiss, felt jarring.

Still, the differences in Benedict’s Frank were most notable in his relationship with his family. Their interaction felt natural, and he felt much more like a kid in front of them—most obvious in his moment with Paula (played by Ajeng Sharfina) once he found out that she’d been sleeping with his father’s friend.

Andovi Da Lopez delivers a performance as Carl Hanratty that I would describe as rough.
His depiction of Hanratty has a one-track mind; he focuses on capturing Frank, with little characterization beyond that. Throughout the show, I felt his job—particularly, this case of fraud involving Frank Abagnale Jr.—was Andovi’s Hanratty’s reason to live. There was a sense of desperation in his investigation. It might've made for an interesting character study if we could've learned more about what motivated this tenacity, but as it was, it came across as one note.

While Hanratty’s supposed to lead his investigating team and the scenes involving them, there were times where I felt like he navigated through those in confusion. His fellow agents were the ones who proceeded to guide him through them. Agent Branton (played by Dimas Rehand), Agent Dollar (played by Haggai Pesakh Percival), and Agent COD (played by Andi Ainul Yaqin) made for occasional funny moments as a total wreck of a team under Hanratty’s lead–which led to a particular logical gap in the end in regards to how Hanratty and his team managed to catch Frank Abagnale Jr. when they’ve been quite a mess the entire play.

All of this could be a simple case of Andovi not “playing” more into his role. It came across as him not making the character of Carl Hanratty his own and instead tried to be someone he’s not. It was a good attempt, for the accent and energy he did stayed consistent throughout the show, showing a deliberate choice rather than a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. But, I only saw the actor Andovi playing a role instead of Agent Carl Hanratty in the show. 

It’s quite interesting how a different set of casts could lead to such differences in how one perceives a play. Especially, the person getting the spotlight affects how we look at the scene as a whole. For example, the 2nd Act began with the opening number “Doctor’s Order” with sexually suggestive choreography by the nurses. Andreas’ Frank received their courting with a more reserved attitude, which limited the audience’s reaction; Benedict accepted them in full confidence, making for an explosive return to the show.

Dinda Lisa Reideka’s choreographies were full of synergy and range, exuding various undertones. Starting from the powerful show-stopping opening (“Live in Living Color”), an incredibly fun and whimsical number (“(Our) Family Tree”) which made good use of props, down to the provocative choreography (“Doctor’s Orders”) that involves over twenty ensembles in each number. This certainly could not have been done without the help of her team, Andita Mardhiaputri and Braxton Roosevelt. 

Catch Me If You Can makes use of a levelled set, filling each side of the stage, separated into three parts. The side parts had several levels, graduating upwards to the back—used for multiple scenes, stretching from the Abagnale’s House, The Courtroom, and even Hanratty’s office. The centre of the stage was what truly stood out, as it made use of an elevated rotating segment with two sides that could be used for a quick change on the stage. There was also a memorable moment when a cut-out of a plane took off to the sky, highlighting Frank’s fake stint as a pilot, flying high and free.

However, the set’s base color of silverish grey sometimes felt surprisingly sterile compared to the action unfolding on it. While the lighting could’ve gone bigger and bolder for such a glamorous show, the overall design still made for effective storytelling as the show rotated through the many locations throughout. This was the work of Set Designer Kamila Mardhiyyah and Lighting Designer Brandon Alexander Barends.

The colours came mostly from the wardrobe team. Head of Makeup and Costumes, Gisella Almayda & Leonardus Gafrila, did wonders in making the stage lively and sparkling, especially in “(Our) Family Tree”. However, for the much more homogeneous scenes involving uniforms,they certainly could use a lot more help from the lights.

All in all, the two shows served truly different performances – contrasting through the spectacle they deliver and the heart they touch. However I have a small complaint regarding the show’s starting time, as both shows I attended started 45 minutes late from their initial schedule. This was quite a let down as we attended quite early on, expecting it to start on time. Still, it ultimately was an incredible show nonetheless and was the hard work of the many cast, ensemble, and crew who participated in the play.

It was a tremendous work from everyone involved, and I look forward to Jakarta Art House’s next production.

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