Review: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN at Arena Stage

From the moment the lights come up on Arena Stage's re-imagined production of Catch Me If You Can, you know you're in for a fun romp, and an evening of high-octane musical theatre. The stage at Arena - brilliantly decorated by set designer Alexander Dodge in 1970's era hues of burnt orange, brick red, and mustard yellow, and ringed with art deco benches - morphs into Miami International Airport, and comes alive with a bustling swarm of travelers, pilots and flight attendants. And FBI agents, who are there to arrest fugitive con man Frank Abagnale, Jr. - a forger, counterfeiter, and swindler who has spent the last three years impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer.

Oh, and Frank is only 20 years old.

For those not familiar with the plot, Catch Me If You Can is based on the semi-autobiographical (and largely fictitious and exaggerated) book and movie of the same name, and purports to tell the story of Abagnale's life as a master criminal and wanted man.

After he's cornered at the airport, young Abagnale (Christian Thompson) demands to make a statement before he's taken into custody - and he wants to do it on an hour-long, musical variety show, ala The Ed Sullivan Show. He's been living large on the run, and he wants his story to end with a bang, not a whimper. On cue, the airport denizens shed their overcoats, revealing an ensemble dressed in bright color block outfits, ready for the big opening number (Live in Living Color). It's a rousing number that sets the tone and pacing for the show, and it showcases an incredibly talented and versatile ensemble that drives much of the show's plot.

Through a series of flashback vignettes, we learn that Abagnale comes from a broken home. His parents, Frank Sr. (Jeff McCarthy) and Paula (Stephanie Pope Lofgren) divorce after she has an affair, and rather than face his dreary prospects (Someone Else's Skin), young Frank runs away with nothing but the clothes on his back and a checkbook full of blank checks. He swindles a hotel clerk into cashing a worthless check for him, and so begins his life of check kiting, counterfeiting and forgery. He quickly discovers the perfect cover - masquerading as an airline pilot (Jet Set), which allows him to travel the world, never staying in one place too long, with free uniforms supplied by Pan Am. He learns that hotels are eager to cash his forged Pan Am payroll checks, and he doesn't know that FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Nehal Joshi) is already beginning to track the movements of the mysterious con man that is passing bad checks all over the world (Here I Am to Save the Day).

The first act sets the stage for the rest of Abagnale's escapades, and also foreshadows a critical subplot - the relationship between fathers and sons (Fifty Checks, Butter Outta Cream, and My Favorite Time of Year).

The second act begins with another showstopper number (the sexy and suggestive Doctor's Orders) and Frank's latest transformation. He's now posing as a doctor, the pediatric specialist on call at the emergency room of a prominent Atlanta hospital. But dark clouds are on the horizon - Agent Hanratty is closing in. Separate interviews with Paula and Frank Sr (Don't Be a Stranger and the poignant Little Boy, Be a Man) provide vital clues in Hanratty's search.

Meanwhile, a chance meeting between Frank and Brenda Strong (Hayley Podschun), a young nurse working at the hospital, leads to love (Seven Wonders), and Frank and Brenda head for New Orleans to announce their engagement to Brenda's parents, Carol and Roger (Alexandra Frohlinger and Rhett Guter), with Hanratty in hot pursuit. Frank is warmly welcomed into the Strong family (Our Family Tree) after he tells Roger that he is a lawyer with a law degree from Berkeley (Strong's alma mater), and that he wants to join Roger's firm.

Alas, the course of true love never did run smooth, and Frank is forced to flee in the middle of his own engagement party (Fly, Fly Away), only to be caught at the Miami airport, bringing the story full circle (Goodbye and Strange But True).

Catch Me If You Can is a star vehicle, and Thompson shines brightly in the lead role - this show is a great chance to see a brilliant young actor whose star is on the rise. He's a picture of youth and vitality, with classic, leading man good looks, a powerful voice (and amazing range), and superb comic timing. It's easy to believe that so many people could be charmed and duped by his young Frank. And Joshi's Hanratty provides the perfect counterpoint. Joshi has the challenging task of making the gung-ho FBI Agent both the antagonist in the story, and (in many situations) Frank's foil, and the comic relief of the show, and he does yeoman's work moving seamlessly from one facet to another. Podschun's Brenda is the picture of a Southern debutante, and the chemistry between her and Thompson is genuine and unforced. Lofgren and McCarthy bring just the right touch to Paula and Frank Sr., the suburban femme fatale and the failed businessman forced to confront his own inadequacies. McCarthy in particular has to cover a lot of emotional ground, and he does so with equal parts bravado and introspective ennui. Ensemble members Frohlinger and Guter also deserve a nod for their turn as Brenda's parents - they are a wonderfully campy send up of Southern society, and Frohlinger in particular takes full advantage of her moment in the spotlight.

As good as the leads are, the true strength of this show is the ensemble. As a unit, they cover an impressive range of music and dance styles flawlessly, with multiple big production numbers throughout the show. It's impossible to keep track of all the costume changes, as they move quickly from pilots and stewardesses, to FBI agents, to lawyers and secretaries, to doctors and nurses, to southern society couples - all while handling all of the set changes for the show. The show was interrupted multiple times for spontaneous (and well deserved) applause for their work.

Music Director and Conductor Laura Bergquist has done a remarkable job with the ensemble's vocal performance, and does an equally remarkable job leading the orchestra, including surrendering the podium to Frank at the beginning of the second act. Director Molly Smith and Choreographer Parker Esse have combined to create a production that is fast paced and bursting with energy, but it never seems frenetic. This show zips along nicely, and the storytelling makes the most out of a somewhat spotty book.

Rounding out the creative team, Lighting Designer Nicole Pierce's work creates the ideal mood for each scene, and Sound Designer Daniel Erdberg has navigated a complex sound plot with great dexterity. Alejo Vietti's costumes and Charles G. LaPointe's wigs are simply perfect - one is instantly transported back to the late 60's and early 70's by their work.

This production is a completely re-imagined version of the show - Arena's creative team collaborated with the show's original writers (Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman and for Terrence McNally, Tom Kirdahy [Terrence's husband and manager of the estate]) to rework the show, restoring two songs not in the Broadway show, cutting three others, and reworking the book from several of McNally's drafts. Like any creative piece, there's a certain amount of artistic license taken with the material, on top of the significant amount or "artistic license" (to put it charitably) that Abagnale took when penning his own memoir.

That said, even though most of the story isn't even close to the real truth of Abagnale's life, it's a fun evening of delightful theatre. Enjoy it for what it is - and for the wonderful performances on display - and don't ask for anything more. Catch Me If You Can is an energetic, joyful night of escapist fun, and just what pandemic weary audiences have been waiting for - Catch it while you can.

Running Time: Two Hours and twenty minutes with one intermission.

Catch Me If You Can runs through April 17th. For more information about Arena Stage, click here.

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