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Catch Me If You Can Reviews
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A CRIME THAT A SHOW LIKE THIS IS CLOSING. Review by: Len M, Sep 4, 2011 |
| A CRIME THAT A SHOW LIKE THIS IS CLOSING. The performers spectacular from the orchestra, chorus to the amazing leads. The show has it all, great singing, great music, great dancing, great performances, comedy, tragedy-- everything you want in a broadway musical comedy. Last performance today-- Run, do not walk to see it! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family, Anyone
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| 2 |
ITS TURKEY LURKEY TIME Review by: bobk49, Sep 2, 2011 |
| Attended the 9/1 evening performance and really wanted to love this show. However this was not the case.The cast and leads work so hard,are so full of energy and enthusiastic about their roles that I wish they could all be transported into another show.The show itself is just plain dumb and the story does not work as a musical.It's 10 minutes of dialogue and then okay let's break into a number.This same MO continues through the entire show.The ... read more dance routines become repetitious and sitting in C1 it was the same moves set to different types of music.What I find most off putting on Broadway is this habit of having a waiter come down the aisle to take drink orders.The victims who do spend $$$ for watered down drinks wind up clinking the ice which is distracting and then leaving the dripping plastic cups on the floor.As I was exiting after the curtain came down and the house lights went up the theater floor looked like a movie theater would look. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 3 |
Review by: BroadwayBabySawIt, Aug 30, 2011 |
| Great show - sorry to see it go! Great acting and some of the best choreography ever! Do yourself a favor and see this one before it closes! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
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| 4 |
Catch it....Now......before you can't ! Review by: Diract 66, Aug 22, 2011 |
| Wonderful fresh musical with a lot of story to go along with the music. The two main characters played by Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz have a chemistry on stage that make this play move along at a fast comedic and musical pace. This show also has the most attractive and long leggy chorus girls. Not an inch of fat on the belly they expose in their first musical number. The star is Aaron, and he is magnetic as a performer with a great voice, ... read more and even though he is a scoundrel we seem to want him to escape and be safe. Norbert, his nemesis an pursuer, is very funny and the real life of the show, but only has one true number in the show, yet it garners the most applause. Kerry Butler is very good also, but she is only in the second act and also has only one truly good number, a long song very near the end of the show. This production is not as flashy with its sets and costumes as ‘Sister Priscilla’, but the musical numbers are just as good and the use of the stage is much more creative. The orchestra is on stage and the set pieces, raised and lowered, trap doors, and from the wings,are used create a feeling of each scene. The story seems very hard to believe, that young boy between the ages of 16 and 21, forged so many checks, became a co-pilot of a major airline, a supervising doctor in a hospital, a lawyer, etc., and all the time being pursued by the government, but it is all true! Even more fantastic if you read about the true character, Frank W. Abagnale Jr. Discounts are available and you can get really good seats. I sat in the eighth row center. Catch it now…..it closes in a few weeks! On the road and moving…. just like the main character in the show. I think the whole family will like this show. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family
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| 5 |
Wonderful Fun Show ! Review by: merlin53, Aug 11, 2011 |
| Saw "Catch Me" at an 8/10/11 matinee. Simply put... a great fun production. All facets of the Broadway musical comedy are perfectly blended to create an enjoyable piece of B'way entertainment. Sets,costumes,lighting, stage direction ( the pace of this musical is flawless ) and the orchestra....WOW !!!. To the cast, Aaron and Norbert are perfectly paried as Frank and Carl, reminiscent of Hope and Crosby , Lewis and Martin, ... read more as their onstage chemistry is effortlessly seamless, unforced and rubber/glue complimentary. Supporting cast is wonderful with a special nod to Kerry Butler as Brenda whose 11th hour "Fly Fly Away" will make the hair on your neck stand straight up ! Unfortunately, "Catch Me" is slated to end(prematurely , in my opinion) it's B'way run on Sunday 9/4, so if you have an opportunity to see this engaging musical comedy, do it soon. Parents, this is not a show for young children...find a baby sitter and everyone will have a better time, trust me on this one ! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
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| 6 |
A good entertaining musical Review by: pilgrimpal, Aug 7, 2011 |
| A very bright, energetic show, with a strong cast, good singing dancing and music- what a musical comedy should be. I've seen the movie, and so I don't know whether someone who hadn't would have a different perspective. If you're looking for something highly original, ie weird plotless and depressing, you may not like this. If you're looking for an evening's entertainment, this works. It's very much an ensemble piece, and the overall cast is ... read more good. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Anyone
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| 7 |
Outstanding Broadway Show that is Everything Wonderful Magical and What Broadway is About Review by: Atl2015, Jul 28, 2011 |
I saw "Catch Me If You Can" tonight and can say, without reservation, it is an AMAZING WONDERFUL top notch Broadway Show !!! It is a show I would see again in a heartbeat. It is everything Broadway should be - great
music, great actors who can act sing and dance in what can only be said is a 10/10 in all three categories. The acting, The story, The characters, … Everything theater should this show has it at its very very best. ... read more While I did get my ticket at TKTS I would not hesitate to pay full price for this show - it is worth every penny. And I am a tough critic - I saw The Adams Family last night and was frankly pretty harsh in my opinion of Brook Shields and that the show was mediocre. This show restored my faith that a great show can move you and simply have truly magical moments. There were two different songs which both the crowd and I were moved in what was a genuine magical moment - a song that moved everyone - performers that gave 100% of their soul to the song and the moment. My review may seem over the top - but in truth, I am an attorney from Atlanta, GA who appreciates great performances and this was one of them. Kudos and thanks to all that put this production on. We in the audience appreciate the brilliance of all that it took to put this show on for us. It was outstanding. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| 8 |
Wonderful and Entertaining Review by: zooland, Jul 28, 2011 |
| We went to see this show on 7/26/2011. It was a great and entertaining evening. The main characters as well as the supporting cast were top notch. Go see this musical when in NYC. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family
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| 9 |
Best show this year!!!! Review by: joy, Jul 23, 2011 |
| amazing show, had front row seats, which obstructed view briefly for 2 scenes.....I cries, I laughed....can't wait to see it again! All actors were fantastic, I was so sucked in! You have to see this play!!!! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 10 |
Good show! Review by: Trish, Jul 19, 2011 |
| Show is very good and entertaining. Made for a nice afternoon. This show would be fine for the whole family. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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The Jet Set Is The Only Way To Go! Review by: quizking101, Jul 7, 2011 |
Before I commence with this review, a congratulations is in order for the Broadway production of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which celebrated 100 performances last night (Wednesday, July 6th, 2011).
One of the hottest new shows to come out of the 2010-2011 season is CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, based off of the 2002 DreamWorks motion picture, which in turn, is based off of the real life story of Frank Abagnale Jr., whose claim to fame was his years ... read more as a conman during his youth (ages 16-21), after escaping a broken home and divorced parents. Abagnale disguised himself as a host of personalities and occupations over this time, including a substitute teacher, a pilot for Pan-American Airways, and a doctor, until he was eventually caught and imprisoned. Ironically, he became employed by the FBI after his release and has since been a leading force against counterfeiting and check fraud.
Ok, enough of the backstory. Now, many theatre geeks often deride screen-to-stage adaptations as shows that are the original source film (verbatim), with only some songs and choreography thrown in, and they therefore render the show to be uninventive. The book of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (by Terrence McNally) decides an alternate course of flight by staging the story against an “American Bandstand”-esque variety show reminiscent of the days of yore, with the majority of the stage being overtaken by a large bandstand (which changes colors via LED lights when required), and occasional set pieces moved/lifted/flown in during a change of scene. This interesting approach to storytelling yields moderate success, with some lapses in the story regarding some characters, as well as some of Frank’s lies and cons. But for the most part, the backdrop is engaging to the audience and keep the show running on all cylinders.
Aaron Tveit, despite looking burned out by the end (which may be how the character is written, or the fact it was a two-show day), played the role to perfection with an impish charm and charisma that make Frank to be the likeable antihero we’ve come to root for. Norbert Leo Butz, who won the 2011 Tony for Best Actor in a Musical award for this role, didn’t really meet the expectations I had, though deserves a litany of applause for his high-stepping anthem “Don’t Break The Rules”. As Frank’s mother Paula, Rachel deBenedet epitomized elegance and sex appeal as her character, despite a noticeable lack of stage time (which confused me about some storylines that involved her). Tom Wopat, as Frank’s slowly deteriorating father, gave one of, if not, the best performance of the entire company. His character was reminiscent of Willy Loman (“Death Of A Salesman”) in terms of confidence, pride, and his assertion that he can take care of his family without assistance, which slowly culminates into him becoming a sad, pathetic drunk disowned by Frank. Despite my misgivings about Butz’s performance as Hanratty, he is still leaps and bounds better than the trifecta of actors who made up the rather annoying Strong family (Nick Wyman, Linda Hart, and Kerry Butler). The parents were as opposite as yin and yang, with Wyman playing a father with a intimidating conservative/warm Southern hospitality dichotomy, and Hart playing a consistently cheery and chirpy mother with an arsenal of home-fried sayings that made little sense other than to define the character’s origin. And, despite the fact that she beautifully belted her tits off in “Fly, Fly Away” Kerry Butler’s Brenda doesn’t really deserve that lovely moment, as her relationship with Frank never seems fleshed out enough for her to actually have a reason to miss him.
The score, written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (of HAIRSPRAY fame), is a lovely and original, if not formulaic. Some music pays homage to the Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin style of the time (“Butter Outta Cream”, “Little Boy, Be A Man”), which sound amazing through the voice of Tom Wopat (who is a participant in each out these numbers). Other songs take the 1960s pop route, which provides bouncy and engaging fun for the audience and takes form in some of the show’s biggest numbers (“Live In Living Color”, “Don’t Break The Rules”, “Jet Set”). Of course, not all songs in the show are hits. “Doctor’s Orders” is a miss that comes across as a cheesy novelty song underneath a parade of nurses in skimpy outfits. Also, “(Our) Family Tree” (which is the only song in the show where Nick Wyman and Linda Hart sing) is an abrupt pause in the action to create a show-within the show-within the show (Get it?) that gives the Strong family something to do to annoy us further. Despite those mentioned lapses, the score is basic and solid (which I mean in the nicest way possible). The choreography (by Jerry Mitchell, also of HAIRSPRAY fame) is also something to behold, especially in the larger production numbers where it takes a decent amount of stamina to simply watch the performers This refers to “Don’t Break The Rules”, where one can be astounded by the energy Norbert Leo Butz can throw into one song and dance, as well as “Jet Set”, which boasts a picturesque kickline of chorus girls in flight attendants outfits (beautifully designed by William Ivey Long, yet another HAIRSPRAY veteran).
Despite some bumps in the road in terms of performances, story, and score, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a thoroughly engaging, old-fashioned musical that is a feast for many senses. I definitely recommend seeing this show, especially since I doubt you’ll be able to score tickets to THE BOOK OF MORMON for QUITE a long time.
NOTE: Aim for cheaper seats, since there are virtually no bad seats in the Neil Simon Theatre.
RATING: 7.5/10
STAGE DOOR: All of the principals came out to sign (Tveit, Wopat, Butler, Wyman, Hart, deBenedet, Butz, and Rachelle Rak). NOTE: From what I’ve been told, Norbert doesn’t always come out or sign everybody’s stuff (he has his reasons, which I respect), so I guess I got lucky.
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| Acting: |
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family, Tourists, Anyone
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| 12 |
Catch It ..Again ..and Again !! Review by: Javy, Jun 26, 2011 |
I decide to check out this Broadway Version from the Movie Version some years past. I was totally SURPRISED by this production. The First thing you must do is to take away from your mind the Movie version and accept this Broadway version as its merit.
Tony Winner Leo Burtz entertains the crows with his dancing , his comic timing, and his sheer presence. You want more of him and he delivers every time. The Supporting cast compliments ... read more both the main actors, while delivers their moments to shine.
The Music is from the Big band Area of the 40's and 50's so it will bring back a lot of memories to the older generation, but if you love Music this is an added treat.
Catch me if you can to me is ; CATCH IT AGAIN, AND TELL Your FRIENDS " !! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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Not For Me Review by: Thomas, Jun 23, 2011 |
| If you saw the production number from this show (on youtube now, I believe) at last week's Tony's it should be obvious why everyone is singing the praises of Norbert Leo Butz. A Star is Born, to be sure. But if you also saw the production number from the pure original musical "Book Of Mormon" from the same telecast, it should also be obvious what is wrong with Catch Me If You Can. A Mormon zealot would have every reason to sing passionately ... read more about his faith and calling. But a cop? Is this a joke? As a musical this show has no reason to exist.There's also the flat songs and the fact that it's the five hundredth adaptation of a movie script with no room for surprises. Sorry, not for me. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 14 |
Had a great time! Review by: Runzo3, Jun 21, 2011 |
| Saw this show last week(6/18) and was expecting a dud. However , I liked the show very much-the acting, the script, the singing and dancing and especially the music were wonderful. GO! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| 15 |
Good performances--OK show Review by: RickyD, Jun 20, 2011 |
| This is not a great show, but it is OK and I found that I like it better than I expected to. The actors were very good and I liked the sets and overall style. A good adaption of the movie. What made it only OK was the music and songs. Nothing memorable. Nothing you come out singing. Nothing horrible. Nothing that you hate. Just OK. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Anyone
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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