The Game Ain't Worth Winnin' but the Show Maybe Worth Watchin'

In a time filled with Hollywood movies turning into flashy musicals, I was still surprised when Catch Me If You Can announced that it was going to take a spin on the Great White Way. Don't get me wrong--I loved the movie. It was very clever and kept you guessing all the way through. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of its Broadway counterpoint. Now, now. I will concede that I already knew the story this time around, but even when watching the movie a second or third time, you still ride the roller-coaster that is Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life. Despite the lack of twists and turns, Catch Me does deliver some Broadway style. The framing device, a 60s musical tv show-flash back, is cleverly used and maintained throughout; in fact, it was probably one of the better things about the show (I happen to thoroughly enjoy when characters are aware that they are in a show and make mention of this to us, like when Frank asks the conductor for "a little light piano" or when he tells Brenda at the beginning of her song that "the spotlight’s on you now"). Personally, I felt they spent way too much time on his parents (particularly his mother!) and not enough time on his relationship with Brenda. Kerry's one song, the eleven o'clock number, was quite lovely, and I, like most other critics, feel she use very under-used (can we see Kerry a little more please? We all know she's backstage!) . I'd like to take a brief moment to make up an award and bestow it right here and now. Ready? *Ah-hem* I'd like to present Catch Me If You Can with the award for sexiest chorus girl ensemble! (Though I have no doubt in my mind that they are already fully aware of this!) Every number had leggy chorus girls strutting their stuff across stage, whether the song called for it or not. The number that took down the house was not lead by these beauties though, no-no. It was lead by the clear star of the show: a stooped over, shuffling, mumbling, middle-aged and overworked Carl Hanratty, played here by the brilliant Norbert Leo Butz. Butz was the best thing about this show, hands down. Forget that he's chasing Frank, his quirky lines and wonderful delivery made you wish he was back onstage every time he left. I would recommend this show to someone, but only so that they could experience Butz's phenomenal performance (after all, he took home this season's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical!).
Stage Door: It was a lot more crowded than I expected, mainly because I saw a Saturday matinee (While I generally avoid matinees, I knew the stars would come out today because they were all scheduled to be at Broadway Barks). The main stars all came out and signed. Norbert would say "I am not posing for photos" and then strike poses for people to take while he was signing (If only I had someone with me!). I mainly wanted to get a photo with Kerry to continue the "Kerri" collection (the past two times I've been to NYC, I've gotten my photo with something "Kerri"-related. First, it was a photo of "Kerri with Kerry," when I met Miss Kerry Ellis at the Wicked stage door. Then, it was "Kerri at Carrie's" when I visited the filming location of Sex and the City. Now, once again, I went for a "Kerri with Kerry," though this time with Miss Kerry Butler). I did get a photo, though thanks to tourist who snapped the shot for me and no thanks to the pushy crowd around us, it is an extreme close up (She couldn’t back up). Oh well. I still got to meet Kerry, and she was very sweet and lovely. I did get a photo with Aaron Tveit as well. Funny side story here: I've actually met Aaron before, and it was when I was taking my last "Kerri with Kerry" photo. Aaron happened to be playing Fiyero in Wicked at the time, so while I did get his signature on my playbill and told him he did a fantastic job, I didn't get a photo with him because I didn't know who he was, granted, at the time, he wasn't the big post-Next to Normal star he is now (also, his role on Gossip Girl must be a decent size because he had a ton of fan girls waiting for him for that reason).   

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“The musical comes to ecstatic, surprising life during that song, and it’s all the more exciting because — unlike everything else in “Catch Me if You Can” — you didn’t see it coming.” 

–Ben Brantley on “Don’t Break the Rules”