Fly High in the PanAm Skies At Marriott Lincolnshire’s Theatre With “Catch Me If You Can”
Five-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally created the libretto for the musical drama Catch Me If You Can. The theatrical score was written by the impressive dream team of composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, a recipient of two Grammys, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with seven Academy Award nominations, alongside Scott Wittman, who has two Tony Award nominations, two Grammy wins, one Primetime Emmy Award, and four Academy Award nominations. Together, all three have created a high-spirited, glitzy production that soars.
First came the semi-autobiographical book, Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale, Jr. Then, in 2002, Steven Spielberg, known for his sentimentality, directed an American crime comedy-drama film based on the globe-trotting confidence scam orchestrated by the charming Frank Abagnale, Jr. Catch Me If You Can, starring Leo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken. It was a huge success, generating $352 million worldwide. In 2011, the musical Catch Me If You Can premiered on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre. It received four Tony Award nominations and a Best Actor win for Norbert Leo Butz as Agent Carl Hanratty, a composite character of F.B.I. agents, primarily Joseph Shea, who worked tirelessly to catch Abagnale and then aids in redeeming him.
J.J. Nieman is perfectly cast as Frank Abagnale, Jr., making his debut at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. He has the energy, charm, hunkiness, and sweet baby face to play this teenage confidence criminal manipulator. He also has quite an extensive Broadway resume, including playing Charles Lee in Hamilton. In Back to the Future, he was part of the ensemble and served as a cover for Marty and George McFly. He was a swing in The Book of Mormon on and off for four years. One of Marriott’s favorite veteran actors, Nathaniel Stampley, stars as Agent Carl Hanratty, a driven, heroic, and powerful protagonist. Mariah Lyttle dubs herself a multi-hyphenate artist. She has an exquisite voice, resonant and soulful. She is cast as Brenda Strong, Frank’s love. She received vociferous love from the audience during her solo Fly, Fly Away.” Actor, director, and writer Jessie Fisher skillfully portrays Paula Abagnale, a French femme fatale meant for high society, not motherhood.
Catch Me If You Can also features 2009 Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, Sean Fortunato as “Frank Abagnale Sr. the father. He impressively and effortlessly switches from a dapper, suave style to a broken, desperate man. Actor, singer, and dialect coach Justin Albinder appears as Agent Dollar. Labeled as one of Chicago’s favorite comedic actors, Alex Goodrich is cast as Railroad Agent Cod. The talented, gifted Karl Hamilton plays Agent Branton and the Judge. Extraordinary vocalist Alexis J Roston embraces her multiple roles of Carol Strong, Principal Owings, bank teller, and ensemble member. James Earl Jones II is a commanding Roger Strong Pan Am Executive. The stellar ensemble includes Emma Grace Bailey, Brian Bandura, Katie Scarlett Brunson, Sophie Liu David, Nichole Forde, Ron King, Emma Ogea, Alexandra Palkovic, Tommy Rivera-Vega, and Lucas Thompson.
The artistic team skillfully supports the production of Catch Me If You Can, a delightful, dynamic, entertaining musical comedy based on a semi-true story about chasing your dreams and not getting caught. This masterful team features Associate Choreographer Shanna VanDerwerker; her dance numbers are dazzling and exude pazzazz. Conductor Christopher Sargent leads the Marriott Orchestra to create big, beautiful sounds that have us reliving the 1960s. Scenic Designers Andrew Boyce and Lauren Nichols’ sets are minimal but cleverly fascinating and highly stylized. Costume Designer Sully Ratke sets us firmly in the 1960s fashionable jet set mode. Video/Projection Designer Anthony Churchill and Lighting Designer Jesse Klug set the ideal mood with excellent 1960s graphics and illumination. Sound Designer Michael Daly, Props Designers Rae Watson and Sally Zack, Wig, Hair & Makeup Designer Miguel A. Armstrong, Assistant Director Sunnie Eraso, Intimacy Director Katie Johannigman, Fight Choreographer David Blixt, and Stage Manager Christine D. Freeburg all add their expertise to the success of this high-flying, entertaining performance. The audience showed their appreciation with a long-standing ovation. There were two delightful young girls in the audience who I asked how they were enjoying the show. One was ten going on eleven, and the other young lady was thirteen. They told me they didn’t know the story, but both loved the show and were enthralled by J.J. I believe that is a solid, worthy recommendation. I told them about the film and Leonardo DiCaprio’s starring role. They told me they also loved DiCaprio and will see the movie.
There has been a vociferous debate over the veracity of Frank Abagnale Jr.’s hyperbolic claims. Abagnale Jr. insisted he impersonated a Pan American World Airways pilot, a hospital physician in Georgia, and an assistant to the Louisiana state attorney general. In the 1960s, he committed millions of dollars in fraud with credit card and payroll check schemes. Thankfully, Abagnale Jr. never piloted a plane; instead, he used deadheading, which allows pilots to enjoy the benefits of free boarding and transport. Pan Am estimated that he deadheaded 250 flights over one million miles to 26 countries between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.
Abagmale, Jr. plays fast and loose with the truth, but let us face it, how can you be sure of the truth when you are dealing with a charming fraudster? Exaggeration and hyperbole reign supreme in his world. As outrageous as these felonies are, it sure makes for fun, raucous on-stage entertainment. We are on a journey with Abagnale Jr. as he skates one step beyond the long arm reach of the law. Frank Abagnale Jr. is the son of Frank Abagnale, a con artist, who followed in his father’s footsteps. Frank Jr. ran away from home after his parents’ divorce, but never far enough to avoid the legacy his con man father left him.
“I’m excited to bring Catch Me If You Can to the Chicagoland area with a truly show-stopping cast,” said Jessica Fisch, a Jeff Award-winning director. “Our production will be a celebration of what makes live musical theatre so indispensable: gorgeous singing, heart-stopping dancing, and compelling storytelling-all in a stylish, fizzy container. Woven into this unbelievable true tale of high-flying and hijinks is a surprisingly moving story about families: the imperfect ones we’re born with, the aspirational ones we forge, and the ones that sneak up on you…maybe with an FBI badge and a gun.”
