FLYINGTHEMUSICALSKIES:AaronTveit(center)&thecastofthemusicaladaptationofCatchMeIfYouCan.Photo:JoanMarcus

Theater Review

Catch Me If You Can never quite takes off

CATCHMEIFYOUCANBookbyTerrenceMcNallyMusicbyMarkShaiman

LyricsbyScottWittmanandMarcShaimanChoreographybyJerryMitchellDirectedbyJackO'Brien

TheNeilSimonTheatre250W.52ndStreet.(877‐250‐2929),www.catchmethemusical.com

ByDavidNouNou

Themind‐bogglingquestionhereishowdoesoneexpecttotakeaclassic,multifaceted,fast‐pacedcrimecaperthatisconstantlyonthemoveandturnitintoamusical?Theansweris,simple:Youcannot,asthematerialdoesnotlenditselftothestage‐musicalformat.Instead,yougetadull,slow‐paced,one‐dimensionalmusical.Basedonthebrilliant2002StevenSpielbergmovieofthesamenamewithLeonardoDiCaprioandTomHanks,CatchMeIfYouCanchroniclestheearlylifeofFrankAbagnale,Jr.,droppingoutofhighschoolatage16and,throughdifferentdisguises,howhemanagedtoforgeover$2milliondollarsinfraudulentchecksthroughvariousprofessions.Thestorymadethefilmandwhatthisyoungmanachievedisanunforgettableandinterestingexperience.Onthescreen,itisathrillingcat‐and‐mousechasebetweenFrankandhispursuer,AgentCarlHanratty,muchlikeVictorHugo'sLesMisérables,inwhichInspectorJavertisinendlesspursuitofJeanValjean,thethief.Butthenagain,whowouldhaveeverdreamedorsuspectedbackinthe1980sthatLesMiz,asitbecameinternationallyknown,couldbeturnedintoastagemusicalandendupbeingoneofthemostsuccessfulmusicalsofalltime,aroundtheworld?ThesamecreativeteamthatfashionedJohnWaters?1988cultfilmHairsprayintoa

wonderfullyjoyful,deliriousmusicalwithsubstancehadtherightmaterialthatlentitselftobeturnedintoaBroadwaymusicalandwoneightTonyAwards,includingBestMusicalin2003.(Afterall,Mr.WatersbasedHairsprayonareal‐lifeTVdanceshowinBaltimoreintheearly1960s.)Unfortunatelyforthisshow,thereisnoroomformusicalnumbersanddancesequences.Theylookforced,silly,andoutofplace.Insteadofmovingtheactionforward,thesongsbringittoascreechinghalt.Itbecomesa"musicalbythenumbers”:insertsonghere,insertdancenumberthere,andthesupposedproductionnumbersfeelevenmoreoutofplace.ThebookbythevenerableTerrenceMcNallytriestokeeptothescriptofthemovie,butsomehowthedialoguehereistriteandbanal.ThescorebyMarcShaimanandScottWittman,bothofwhomdidabrilliantjobwithHairspray,issounmemorableandforced.Eventhesongsthatsupposedlyhavethe"razzledazzle"arelistlessandcumbersome.ThepremisenowisthatFrankJr.(AaronTveit)isrecreatinghislifeofcrime,afterthebreak‐upofhisparentsasamade‐for‐TVextravaganza,repletewithshowgirls,singinganddancing.Abadideafromtheonset.ThereareacoupleofbrightthingsintheshowandtheirnamesareBroadwayveteransNorbertLeoButz(CarlHanratty)andKerryButler(BrendaStrong).Mr.Butzhasbeenasaviortomanyashow.Hewasbrilliantinlastyear'sEnron,butunfortunatelyitclosedwaytooprematurely.Heistheonerealthinghere.Hisshow‐stoppingnumber"Don'tBreakTheRules"istheonesparklingmomentintheshow.Heactuallyistheoxygentothischokingmusical.Ms.Butler(lastseenonBroadwayinherTony‐nominatedroleinXanadu,andabriefstintinthehitjukeboxmusicalRockofAges)doesherearnestbesttobringBrenda(Frank'sgirlfriend)tolife.Unfortunately,sheentersinthesecondact,butbythenitistoolatetoresuscitatethismoribundshow.Mr.Tveit,extremelytalentedandattractive,hasagoodvoiceasheprovedinNextToNormalin2009.However,heplaysFrankJr.asacute,one‐dimensionalcharacter.Hedoesnotgivethecharacteranyshading.Inthemovie,yourootedforMr.DiCaprio'sFranktoneverbecaughtbythefeds,butinthisBroadwayshow,youarerootingforMr.Butz'sHanrattytocaptureFrankandgetthewholethingoverwith.Obviously,whenoneisrootingforthefedsinsteadofthehero,thedynamicshavechangedandthepowers‐that‐beshouldhaveknownthatsomethingwasterriblywronghere.ThetempoandenergythatJackO'BrieninfusedinhisdirectionofHairspray(heiscertainlyoneofBroadway'sbestandmostimaginativedirectors)istotallymissinghere.Insteadofbuildingthecharactersandoverseeingtheproductiontomoveswiftly,Mr.O'BrienjustreliedonMr.Tveit'sgoodlookstodothework.Mr.Tveitisevenforcedtodisrobegratuitouslyintwoscenes.AddingfurtherinsulttoinjuryisJerryMitchell'slacklusterchoreography,whichiswoodenandlifelessandslowsdowntheproceedingsevenmore.Thetalentandpedigreetobringinanothersmashhitwasallhere.However,thecreatorschosethewrongpropertytotrytheirluckwith,

andthefinalresultisatepidBroadwaymusicaladaptationofCatchMeIfYouCan,anair‐travel‐themedthrillerthatneverquitetakesoff.

PublishedApril15,2011ReviewedatpressperformanceonApril14,2011

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ORIGINALMUSICALS

FASTENYOURSEATBELTS:AaronTveit(center)andtheleggyflightattendantsofmusicaladaptationofCatchMeIfYouCan.Photo:JoanMarcus

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Believeitornot,IwasreallylookingforwardtoCatchMeIfYouCanandwantedsomuchtoloveitorevenlikeit,oratleastbeindifferenttoit,becauseitis,afterall,bythesamecreatorswhogaveusthewonderfulBroadwaymusicaladaptationofJohnWaters'Hairspray.ThedifferenceisthatHairspraylentitselftoberevampedintoastagemusical,whileCatchMehadnobusinessbeingturnedintooneinthefirstplace.Withasluggishbook,unmemorablescore,unimaginativedirection,andsluggish,dulldancing,thismusicalisnotthefast‐paced,nonstopthrill‐a‐thonbasedonthe2002StevenSpielbergmovieofthesamename.Musicalnumbersanddancesequencesdonotbelonginacapersuchasthis,fortheyonlybringthingstoascreechinghalt.AaronTveitasFrankAbagnale.Jr.,issupposedtobethehero,buthislackofshadingforsucha

complexcharacterismissing,andallweendupwithisahandsomeconartistwithawinningsmile.TherealperformerisNorbertLeoButzasCarlHanratty,theFBIagentinpursuitofFrankJr.,andMr.Butzisthesolelifelinetotheshow.WhateverlifetheshowhasisdueinlargeparttoMr.Butz.Thesadpartisthecreativeteamconsistsofaverytalentedgroupofmen.However,theymadeapoorchoiceintryingtoadaptCatchMeIfYouCanintoaBroadwaymusical.

NEILSIMONTHEATRE,252West52ndStreet,(212‐239‐6200).www.catchmethemusical.com

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