Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can
Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman. Book by Terence McNally. Marie Clark Musical Theatre (SA). Directed by Charissa McCluskey-Garcia. The Arts Theatre, Adelaide. May 27 – June 4, 2016

On the opening night of the Marie Clark Musical Theatre group’s latest show, an audience member suffered from a near-fatal seizure and the performance came to a halt partway through act one, so that the company could call an ambulance and paramedics could see to the unfortunate patron. This is a situation that would’ve rattled the nerves of seasoned pros, but the amateur cast and crew handled things with commendable calm, empathy and promptness. Once the safety of all concerned was assured, they carried on with the show, despite the fact that some of the microphones were malfunctioning, resulting in an oddly unbalanced sound mix during a few musical numbers and the odd bit of crackling over the speakers.

I mention these incidents, not to make excuses for poor performances, but rather to emphasise the extraordinary talent and professionalism of this cast – they all delivered impassioned, energetic and technically stunning performances that would’ve dazzled even under less trying circumstances. The frequency of laughter from the audience, the loudness of applause and the buzz of fervently excited conversation during intermission is testament to the fact that Catch Me If You Can ultimately emerged as a cracking night’s entertainment, despite the various technical difficulties and a major medical emergency interrupting the proceedings.

This musical tells the strange but true story of precociously intelligent teen, Frank Abagnale (Jason Bensen) who, thrown for a spin by the divorce of his eccentric parents (Gavin Cianci & Shelley Crooks), drops out of high school and becomes a jetsetting con-artist, fraudulently raking in millions through various schemes before he turns 21. But even the wiliest fox sooner or later makes a mistake, and Frank’s outrageous crime spree attracts the attention of doggedly determined FBI Agent, Carl (David MacGillivray), just when he’s making plans to go straight and settle down with a kindly nurse, Brenda (Georgia Broomhall).

Set in the early 1960s, Marc Shaiman’s score is an infernally catchy, toe-tapping delight that effectively emulates the prevailing pop styles of the era. The lyrics (which Shaiman wrote with Scott Wittman) are more uneven. Generally, the dramatic pieces (particularly “Someone Else’s Skin”, “Goodbye” and “The Man Inside The Clues”) are both poignant and cleverly worded. But some of the comedic songs (“Butter Out Of Cream” and “Little Boy Be A Man” especially) are built on a foundation of incredibly lame puns, and most of the laughs provoked by these sequences came about because of the cast’s flair for physical comedy in performing them, rather than the sophomoric wordplay.

Yup, three times already in this review, I’ve alluded to how glorious this cast is… now I’ll spend the rest of this paragraph going into further detail of their wondrousness… Bensen is a real star in the making as Frank, bringing just the right mix of cocksure bravado and boyish vulnerability to this likeable rogue. He’s well matched against MacGillivray, who has a “so-serious-it’s-hilarious” demeanour, and delivers various dryly sarcastic put-downs with impeccable timing. Cianci plays Frank’s washed up alcoholic Dad in an oddly suave manner, his smooth, old-school crooner voice ensuring that the audience never loses sympathy for him, despite his bad parenting and irresponsible lifestyle choices. Much the same can be said about Shelley Crooks as Frank’s Mum, whose characterisation is an intriguing mix of worldly cynicism and coquettish sensuality. Finally, Broomhall brings some surprising nuances to the somewhat underwritten role of Frank’s love interest, and her soulful rendition of the tender-hearted ballad “Fly Fly Away” positively soars, emerging as the musical highlight of the evening.

The remaining ensemble, from the chorus to the extras, all commit to their roles with 110% emotional integrity and technical finesse. This ensures that the high-spirited dance sequences all pack a considerable punch and kudos to Rachel Dow and Rebekah Stonelake, whose choreography is both inventive and unpredictable.

Sets are sparse, with the production relying mostly upon video projections and subtle lighting cues to set the scene. But this isn’t a big deal, considering that Catch Me If You Can is a musical more focused on character than spectacle, and the costumes are quite vividly evocative of the period setting.

Hopefully, Marie Clark will get on top of the sound problems that blighted opening night and this show will enjoy a smoother run from here on in…  Catch Me If You Can is a rollicking good yarn, with a big heart and it deserves to be a box office hit.

Benjamin Orchard

 

Photos: Mark Anolak

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