Review: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN a Must Catch at the Barn Players

A must catch it if you can, Catch It If You Can The Musical! opened on Friday February 27 at the Barn Players in Mission, Kansas. Guy Gardner directs and choreographs the Barn Players production with music direction by James Levy. Catch Me If You Can The Musical! is music with libretto by Terrence McNally and theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Catch Me If You Can The Musical! opened on Broadway in April of 2011 at the Neil Simon Theatre. Based on the autobiography of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a con artist who posed as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer before being arrested for fraud. A portion of the musical seems to come directly from the 2002 film of the same name. The Broadway production received four Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and Best Actor.

After catching his mother in a compromising position with his father's best friend, Frank runs away from home to Florida. There he counterfeits credentials, in order to convince an airline to hire him as a pilot. After running the scam as long as possible and passing numerous fraudulent checks, he abandons the scheme and moves to Georgia. In Georgia, he again manipulates documents and is hired by a hospital as an Emergency Room overnight supervisor.

His attention then turns to a young nurse, who he falls head-over-heels in love with. Upon meeting her parents, he tells her attorney father that he is giving up medicine to practice law. The young attractive nurse proves to be his downfall as the authorities close in on him.

Preston O'ffill is magnificent in the role of Frank Abagnale, Jr. He has a marvelous voice and his high energy engulfs the cast and audience. His dialogue, like his dance steps, flowed effortlessly as if he had become Frank and not an actor playing the part. O'ffil will next appear in the Barn Players presentation of Avenue Q.

Kipp Simmons if superb as Frank Abagnale, Sr., the father of the con artist who is losing not only his business but also his wife. I have watched Simmons perform several times and each time he is delightful, performing to the highest professional level. He has previously performed with Quality Hill Playhouse, The Unicorn Theatre, and Musical Theater Heritage among others.

Valerie Dykes returns to the Barn Players stage as Paula Abagnale, Frank Jr's mother. Her vocals were very good and she was delightful to watch. She previously appeared at the Barn Players in La Cage Aux Folles.

Kelsie Clark provided one of the strongest vocal numbers as Brenda Strong singing, "Fly, Fly Away." What a number it was, her powerful voice flowing through the small theater leaving me awe struck. She was the Musical Director for Spring Awakening at the Barn Players and West Side Story for The Culture House in Olathe, Kansas.

Andy Massey stars as the FBI Agent in Charge who is determined to bring Frank Jr. to justice. Massey does an adequate job though at times his overacting (either designed by the director or his own interpretation of the character) can be slightly distracting. He will next appear at the White Theatre in Of Mice and Men.

Other members of the cast include Bill Bergman as Roger Strong and Kathleen Marx as Carol Strong. The Jet Set includes Kristen Altoro, Katie Pugh, Natalie Baughman, Erika Shirrell, Renee Blinn, Kenzi Parsons, Emmy Hadley, Mary Caitland Williams, Alyssa Hoedl, and Alyssa Winters. The Ensemble is made up of Corinne Bakker, John Edmonds, Debbie Blinn, Jake Leet, Andy Brown, Max Mammele, Ryan Casey, Joy Richardson, TJ Chafin, and Miles Wirth. James Levy conducts the 12-piece orchestra that fabulously accompanies the large cast.

Catch Me If You Can The Musical! is highly entertaining and deserves a look by all Kansas City theater patrons. The musical runs through March 15. Purchase tickets online at The Barn Players website. Photo courtesy of The Barn Players.

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