BWW Interviews: Actor Stephen Anthony Bids Bon Voyage to CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Tour

If you're one of the many people who have already caught a glimpse of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: THE MUSICAL, the Broadway stage adaptation of Frank Abagnale, Jr.'s real-life adventures that has been touring the country since October of last year, then you would have no doubt sat up and took notice of the charming young man at the center of the show.

Fresh-faced Stephen Anthony---who literally snagged the lead role during his final month in college---plays Frank Jr., the sixteen-year-old con artist who stole and swindled his way through multiple identities and trysts, evading police and FBI alike with the greatest of ease.

As I and many other critics have raved, Anthony's impressive performance in the show was one of its most entertaining assets, introducing audiences to a brand new rising musical theater star we should all look out for in bigger and better projects in the near future. As he sings, dances, and romances his way through the hip Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman songbook that envelopes the musical, we bear witness to real, honest-to-goodness talent we can't help but applaud.

But, alas, all good things---at least this part of his journey---must inevitably come to an end. This week, the first national tour of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN will end its run with a week's worth of shows right here in Orange County, California (June 25-30). The good news, though, is that Anthony is freed up to tackle something else---and if his positive across-the-board accolades are any indication, this incredibly talented kid is destined for a steady stream of great roles ahead of him. Something tells us this won't be the last we'll see of this performer.

So, before the national tour plays its final-ever shows in Costa Mesa this week, Anthony agreed to answer a few silly questions from BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos.

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BWW: Hey, Stephen! Before we get started, I just wanted to say how extremely impressed I was with your performance when I caught the show up in Los Angeles at the Pantages back in March!

Stephen: Oh, well, thank you very much!

No, thank you! Alright, first of all, where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. And then I went to Florida State for musical theater---and graduated in 2012. So this tour is kind of my first time seeing the country and getting out of Florida!

Cool! So your role in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN---wow, how awesome that you got the lead role right off the bat, straight out of college! How has this whole experience been for you?

It's been incredibly exciting! I mean, it was kind of a whirlwind at the start, but---ohmigosh---you learn so much when you do a show 200-plus times. It just becomes your baby, you know? It becomes a part of you... you live and breathe it.

How far apart time-wise did you go from rehearsals to your actual very first opening night on the road?

Well, I found out that I got the part in May [of 2012]. I got the materials around June or July and started doing my own work [on it]. And then we started [full rehearsals] in September and then we opened right at the end of September/beginning of October. We rehearsed for about a month.

Awesome. Okay, so did you know while growing up that you had a knack for musical theater?

Well, I started off playing the piano, actually, and then that turned into singing. I did my first musical when I was 10 or 11 years old---and I literally never looked back for a minute. I think I did my first musical during that summer and then I ended up doing four more musicals that year at the local theater. And then every summer... I just haven't stopped! [Laughs]

What was that first role?

I was in the ensemble of THE SECRET GARDEN at the local professional theater. It was the theater for young audiences for that season. I was hooked!

Nice! So, growing up, who were some of the artists that have influenced you?

Everybody! I mean, I think I'm too easy to please! [Laughs] I will literally listen to any type of music and generally enjoy it. I like rock and... well, growing up I was always the Backstreet Boys/*NSYNC kid, which, I think, is part of why playing Frank [Abagnale, Jr.] is so much fun for me! He's just so pop-y and light! He's such a Backstreet Boy! [Laughs]

Yeah, I can totally see that! [Laughs]

Right? I also love Justin Timberlake---I think he's such a good musician.

Totally. Okay, so for the benefit of our readers who've never seen the show or have never even read the biography or the [Steven Spielberg-directed] film it's based on, can you tell me a little bit about the real-life kid you play, Frank Jr.?

Sure! He's this kid who runs away from home when he was 16 years old because his family has sort of fallen apart. So, he's got this broken home. But his family's romance is sort of something of a legend to him, and it's what he bases his beliefs off of, I feel---but then they fall apart. And so he runs away from home and [is forced to] figure out a way to sustain a life. So he starts forging checks. He pretends to be a pilot just to earn some respect when he has to walk into these banks. But then he realizes, "Ha! Everyone believes that I'm this pilot... might as well be on these planes!" Everything takes off from there. He lives this life of adventure and glamour and sex and riches. He's having an adventure of a lifetime---everything he could have ever imagined is sort of a dream come true. A fantasy come true. But through it all, he's still just this lonely kid. He just wants the same things we all want---love, and for someone to take care of him. You tend to forget who you are when no one's holding you accountable.

Right. So, the role you play is an interesting one---because it is based on an actual person who truly exists in real life and truly did these things you're dramatizing on stage. What was it like to finally meet the real-life Frank Abagnale Jr.?

Oh. Incredible! Incredible! It was really moving for me. I think it's kind of an actor's dream to get to play somebody who's a real person, not to mention someone who's still alive---and not just some historical figure, but a person today. You know, [meeting him] kind of drives the story home. I actually thought I was going to be incredibly nervous to do the show when the real Frank Jr. watched it, but it actually made me feel more invested in telling his story. He was sitting in the room---the person to whom this stuff actually happened to. It's an inspiration to "spin a lie" every night. It's our reason to tell his story---it's because we're honoring someone's legacy. And he's just the nicest guy, too. Very humble and very down-to-earth. And he loves the show! It was a very special experience meeting him.

Before going out on the road for the first national tour, did you get to "talk shop" at all with Aaron Tveit who originated the role on Broadway?

No... He's, well, you know... got a lot going on for him right now [Laughs]. But we did get to work a little bit with Jack O'Brien, the original director. And Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman were around during rehearsals, and definitely had a hand in some of the changes.

Did you ever catch the show in its original Broadway run to compare some of the changes?

No, unfortunately I was still in school. But I wish I had.

Ah, I see. So, overall, what has been the most rewarding aspect of playing Frank Jr. in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN?

The heart. The heart of it. I think audiences are always kind of surprised by the way it ends. I think [Frank Jr.] sort of always tries to keep everyone around him at bay from getting too close to him---because he's living a life on the run. So there's definitely a surface quality to the chase because he can't let anyone in. By the end, though, he's faced with this choice of continuing to run or turning himself in and thereby having a chance at a real family... a real love... real connections... and getting a sort of father figure and getting to do some good in the world. This always kind of catches me off guard, too---how special the ending is. I think that's what's so cool about playing him---and to do it within such a fun, glitzy, glamorous musical that just catches up and strips down to the bare bones of... well, needing love.

Orange County is the final stop for the show, right?

It sure is. And I just cannot believe... [Pauses] I can't imagine not doing this show every night, and not being with these people who've become my family over the year. I just know that our final week [there] is going to be a special week, and that we're really going to be giving it everything every night.

So, what's next for the talented Mr. Anthony? Do you have an upcoming project you can talk about with us?

No, not yet. I can't talk about it yet, but, you know, I'm doing lots of auditions and callbacks for a few different things. But, really, I'm just excited to get back to New York and take more classes and to keep training. I think I surprised myself on the road with this show doing things that I didn't even necessarily think that I could do. So, I'm excited for myself to learn more things.

Well, judging by the reactions from people I've talked to and by what other critics have said about your specific work on this show, I speak for a lot of us when I say we are totally looking forward to seeing what you do next.

Well, me too! Knock on wood! [Laughs]

Okay, brace yourself. My next set of questions is what I call my "Lightning Round!" I'll ask you some quick, short questions and all you have to do is give me the first thing that pops into your head. Is that cool?

Um, okay, I'm bad at this, but let's go! [Laughs]

No worries, you'll do fine.

Well, I'm a rambler. I think you know by now, I'm a rambler [Laughs].

Ha ha. Alright... first question: Okay, you've been on tour for a while now... what's the one item that means the most to you that you cannot live without on the road?

Hmmm... My iPad! I'm an avid reader. I read so much.

Cool. Do you get to have a lot of down time to do that?

Yeah... on the bus and on the plane. And, you know, we have all day before the show to do whatever. So I have, like, six books in the works on my iPad.

Great. Okay, so do you have any pre-show rituals that you do before each performance?

Merritt David Janes, who plays Hanratty... he's usually in the dressing room next to me. Every now and then he'll start singing some song. He'll sing one line and I'll sing the next line. And we'll just go back and forth like that for a while. That's always fun playing off each other. [Laughs] Well, that's not really a ritual, but...

Hey, nah, that's cool! It's very unique. Now, in one word describe for me what goes through your head right before you step out on stage?

In one word? You're killing me here! [Laughs]

Fine, one phrase! Actually, I'll give you three... [Laughs]

Um... [Pauses] "I honestly can't believe this is happening," every time. "I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world!" "I have the best job in the world!"... that's what I feel every night.

Awesome, that works! Okay, what's the song that you like belting in the shower or when you're all alone in the car?

Um... let's see... I've been singing a lot of [the pop band] .fun lately. But a song from the show that I sing a lot by myself is "Fly, Fly Away" because I don't get to sing it in the show. It's so beautiful.

Cool. What's your favorite musical cast album of all time?

Oooh... that's a toughie! Again, you're killing me. [Pauses] I... I... I don't think I will ever get over THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA or FLOYD COLLINS. Adam Guettel is just so phenomenal.

Great choices! So, what's your dream role in another show that you hope to portray someday?

Hmmm... Lord knows. Honestly, I would love to just surprise myself and do something completely unexpected. I would love to do something completely different... something quirky and weird and goofy.

What do you like to do on your day(s) off?

We definitely do a lot of exploring of the cities [we're in] and we always look up the best restaurants. And, um, unfortunately... shopping [Laughs].

Oh, well, then you are going to love Costa Mesa, if you've never been...

Oh, nooooo... don't tell me that! [Laughs]

Yeah, the theater you'll be performing at is literally across the street from South Coast Plaza, one of the largest shopping malls in Southern California.

Oh...it's gone! End-of-tour bonus... gone! [Laughs]

Ha ha. Okay, let's see... what's your one guilty pleasure?

Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Wow. Uh... neat!

[Laughs]

Alright, what or who irritates you the most?

What or who irritates me the most? [Pauses] Hmmm. I don't know. I'm crazy easy-going. Um... well, having to answer questions! [Laughs] No, I'm just kidding!

Ha ha, okay, well then... what instantly puts a smile on your face?

Hmmm... actually, I'm loving all these commercials with the kids---what's the name of that?

Do you mean the AT&T commercials where the one adult guy asks a bunch of kids questions?

Yeah! With the kids sitting in a circle! I die every time... I think all those kid videos are so funny.

Okay, if you could trade lives with someone for one day, who would that person be and why?

Beyoncé. [Silence]

Because?

[Laughs] Just kidding! I don't know!

Well, you wouldn't be the first person I've interviewed to answer Beyoncé.

[Laughs] Oh, gosh. Who knows? [Pauses] I don't know! I wasn't prepared for a fun interview! [Laughs]

You weren't? This is BroadwayWorld! [Laughs]

Okay, okay... if I could trade lives with someone... hmmm... I don't know! I've been so bad at giving you answers! [Laughs]

Oh, no, not all. Tell you what, we can skip this one or come back to it later if you think of someone else. But, for the record, I still like your first answer.

[Laughs] Thanks.

Okay, if you weren't an actor, what other profession do you picture yourself doing instead?

I think like a lot of actors would say, I considered going into psychology... psychotherapy. Because, you know, I'm very interested in how people's minds work and why people do what they do and think the way they do.

Alright, what has been the funniest or perhaps the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you so far on this tour?

Well, there have been a few times where I almost made it on stage without pants. Quite a few times. Almost.

Oh, wow. Well, that would have made it a completely different show.

I know, right? Oh, and also... well, it wasn't really embarrassing for me, but, hey, I'll go ahead and spill the beans on here. There was once when Aubrey Mae Davis who plays my character's love interest Brenda on the show... in the song "Seven Wonders," instead of saying "Mount Rushmore" she said "Mouth Mushmore." And I just could not say my next line and I just sort of looked at her and waited for the next line to roll over. We both just laughed. [Laughs] It was just a genuinely fun moment where we're supposed to just be playing with each other anyway, but that... was just awesome.

Did the audience even notice?

I'm sure, but it didn't get a laugh the way we laughed at it. [Laughs]

Fun! Alright, one last question: A lot of our readers on BroadwayWorld are young musical theater students who dream of someday doing exactly what you're doing right now. What's your one piece of advice for them?

Yeah... you just have to believe it and be able to taste it. Because if you believe it, then you will put everything you've got into your training. And, actually, that's the other thing: it's equal parts believing in yourself, and getting all of the lessons---really, everything---out of the classes and teachers as you can. And take as many classes as you can. I think those two things go hand-in-hand. It's pointless to be in a class if you're just doubting yourself the whole time.

Follow Contributing Editor Michael Lawrence Quintos on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

Photos from the First National Tour of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: THE MUSICAL by Carol Rosegg.

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Final performances of the First National Tour of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: THE MUSICAL at Segerstrom Center for the Arts continue through Sunday, June 30. Tickets can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

For tickets or more information, visit SCFTA.org.