Catch Me If You Can questions

[David10086]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 12:49am

I just finished watching the 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can on Netflix ( I did see it in the theater when it came out but didnt remember any of it). Thought it was very good. I know there was a musical based on the film about ten years ago. What did everyone think? Were the reviews and word of mouth good? Did it work as a stage musical? Did it have a decent run? Personally I would think a musical would slow the pace down , but maybe Im wrong.

TI A for any info you can share.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 3:17am

Personally, I didn't care much for it. I didn't hate it, but , truth be told, I have very few memories of it. I wasn't even interested enough to purchase the cd. I vaguely remember not liking the way women were used in the show, not because of the number or size of the roles but the over sexualized use of them.

Overall, I remember thinking both the book and the movie much more fascinating - in very different ways.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 9:12am

The format of the Broadway musical adaptation needs to be mentioned as it wasn’t a traditional stage format. The main character Frank breaks the fourth wall in the musical so using the format of a 60s variety show (with the orchestra on a platform on stage the entire show and dancers), he tells his story in flashback form. He introduces the characters in his story as “guests” on his variety show, etc. Norbert Leo Butz won the Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award in the Tom Hanks role.

 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 9:14am

The show used the framing device of a 60's variety show. This resulted in an ugly set and some fourth wall breaking. The problem is those shows were cheesy and forgettable. Audiences didn't have the nostalgia for them that the creators did.

Frank got some strong power ballads (Someone Else's Skin, Goodbye) but Aaron Tveit was accused of lacking vulnerability. His love interest Brenda, got a power ballad of her own (Fly, Fly Away) but the character was so underwritten that it was unclear why she was singing it. The most nuanced writing went to Detective Hanratty. His songs were middling but Norbert Leo Butz sold them and won a Tony for it.

There were also songs for Frank and Brenda's parents. But the characters were archetypes who ate up too much stage time. The women's chorus was objectified. They played the stewardesses and nurses that the underage Frank hooked up with. The touring Frank looked like a teen which made these scenes extra sketchy.

I walked away with three good songs in my head and little else.

[David10086]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 11:08am

Thanks everyone! The clip above wouldn't drive me to the box office to buy a ticket (though Aaron T was very good in the clips). I'm assuming the show was a bomb at the box office and hence why it didn't last long (or was it a limited engagement? ) ? 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 12:17pm

Word-of-mouth was terrible and it quickly ran out of steam. It wasn’t a limited engagement so like all new shows, it hoped to run for years.

[steven22]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 12:59pm

I enjoyed it for what it was. It wasn't perfect but it was a fun night at the theater. Aaron was fantastic; as was Norbert Leo Butz. Kerry Butler sounded amazing but was way too old to play that role.

[A.J.]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 1:12pm

The First National Tour opened about a year after Broadway closed and was non-equity, presented through Troika.

They reverted to the set used originally in the Seattle out of town tryout and it was.... a choice:

https://youtu.be/UImnBZbL9mk

 

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 1:13pm

As much as I absolutely love Norbert, I think his win can be partially accredited to a split in votes between Josh and Andrew in Book of Mormon.

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 1:14pm

I loved the show when I saw it on tour and was shocked to find that people on here hated it, LOL.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 1:32pm

I remember a lot of complaints about the set--the opening number promises an exciting tale told "Live In Living Color" but then reveals a big white unit set, with a cramped playing space downstage for dancers also dressed in a similar shade of white. It did evoke those 60s/70s variety shows that the musical used as a framing device, but the text of the show seemed like it wanted razzle-dazzle that the producers did not want to budget for. Many of the songs work wonderfully out of context (Norbert's big song played wonderfully on the Tonys, and "Fly, Fly Away" and "Goodbye" are now very common audition songs), but the upbeat, peppy Broadway style of the writers (which worked so well for them on Hairspray) felt at-odds with the story that they were telling.

I remember the writers saying they got the idea to write this musical when they saw a photo from the film of DiCaprio in a fancy suit, flocked by female flight attendants in matching blue outfits--very 60s, very stylized--and they thought "that's a musical!" But that's not really what that film was about--the film is about the feelings of loneliness that start to eat away at you when you're living a glamorous life on the surface. And while the musical had hints of that, it really just wanted to musicalize the big, flashy, glamorous part. Which, as I said, they didn't really deliver on the spectacle, so the whole thing just felt a little hollow.

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 1/3/21 at 8:42pm

I saw it on Broadway and thought at the time that it was pretty terrible. However I still got the cast recording and there are several songs that grew on me and that I still play to this day.

I think Fly, Fly Away is the standout song from the show, and there’s a version of Aaron Tveit doing Fly, Fly Away on YouTube that is absolutely lovely.

[nsguy45]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 12:01am

The show was far better in previews in Seattle than what opened on Broadway.

Aaron's role was reduced, Norbert's role was enhanced and some good songs were eliminated.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 12:13am

I enjoyed it at the time, but I'd probably be more critical of it now. Still, it had some great qualities, namely about half of songs. Some were very catchy and fun, others were dull and generic. But overall I have fond memories of the show and the score. Even today I occasionally find myself listening to "Seven Wonders," "Goodbye," "Someone Else's Skin," maybe even "Doctors Orders." But the best numbers were the 2 big Hanratty songs: 

"Don't Break The Rules" was a fantastic number, though I think Hanratty's other big song "The Man Behind the Clues" is underrated, and is possibly the most emotionally resonant number in the show. And both numbers were significantly elevated by Norbert Leo Butz's phenomenal performance. A very well-deserved Tony win - and that category was very strong that year. 

As for Aaron Tveit - he sure was attractive! 

[Erin V]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 8:18am

There is a full bootleg of the Broadway show on YouTube if you want to watch!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 8:55am

The set/ bandstand looked like an oversized plastic laundry basket.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 9:17am

I went in wanting to really like this show, and ended up leaving annoyed. It was too "in your face" for my liking. It was the show that made me dislike Aaron Tveit as a performer. The poor ensemble having to go up and down the set of stairs throughout the show became tiresome very quickly.  I liked Kerry Butler's pink dress.  At the end I couldn't figure out why Rachelle Rak had her own bow, unless her role was drastically decreased during previews. At the performance I attended, I couldn't help but feel there were plants in the audience trying to muster enthusiasm with their overzealous applause throughout the show.

Updated On: 1/4/21 at 09:17 AM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 11:38am

This show was a tricky one. There may have been too much focus on the parents. “Don’t Be a Stranger” probably should have been cut but then the mother wouldn’t have had much to sing and the dad got serval songs he likely wouldn’t have otherwise had they been writing what was best for the show and not writing for their “star” casting. Kerry Butler also got the best song in the show and we never really got to know her character.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 12:33pm

Forgettable show, an eh score with a bland lead. Completely misguided direction too.

[David10086]

Posted: 1/4/21 at 6:02pm

Erin V said: "There is a full bootleg of the Broadway show on YouTube if you want to watch!"

Thanks ! I will look for it...

[George in DC]

Posted: 1/5/21 at 10:14am

Arena Stage in DC was going to do a production of the show this past December for their big winter show. It was going to star Corbin Blue who had a big success with their revival of "Anything Goes" in 2018. Of course the pandemic killed that as it has every other theatre production  this year. It's too bad, I really wanted to see what they were going to do with it.

[nealb1]

Posted: 1/5/21 at 11:28am

I saw the show twice in New York during its run.  Loved it.  It was very stylish, very slick.  Great score, wonderful songs, and Nobert Leo Butz was so deserving of his 2nd Tony Award.  Aaron T was so polished, and was the ultimate con man.  Really, really enjoyed it.  It's unfortunate that it had such a short run.  

Updated On: 1/5/21 at 11:28 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/5/21 at 2:20pm

The only impact the show made on me was Kerry Butler singing “Fly, Fly Away”, which has become one of my favorite songs written for a show so far this century.

[A.J.]

Posted: 1/5/21 at 3:07pm

George in DC said: "Arena Stage in DC was going to do a production of the show this past December for their big winter show. It was going to star Corbin Blue who had a big success with their revival of "Anything Goes" in 2018. Of course the pandemic killed that as it has every other theatre production this year. It's too bad, I really wanted to see what they were going to do with it."

I was really looking forward to this production as well. Corbin is very talented and it would be great to see how a modern revisit to this show would look/feel. Hopefully Arena Stage can find a way to make this production happen once things are safe again.