By Oline Cogdill
Slow Burn Theatre Co. soars into its 16th season with a lively production of the musical Catch Me If You Can, now through Oct. 26 at the Amaturo Theatre in the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Under the assured direction of Patrick Fitzwater, Slow Burn delivers a highly entertaining production that benefits from its young cast enhanced by South Florida veteran actors and on point choreography of Cat Pagano.
Catch Me If You Can follows the true exploits of Frank Abagnale Jr., who before his 19th birthday managed to fool people across the country that he was a pilot for Pan Am airlines, a doctor, a secret service agent and a lawyer. He also forged more than millions of dollars in payroll checks that he cashed at a variety of banks across the country under his various aliases, raising the attention and ire of the F.B.I., especially agent Carl Hanratty.
The musical drama, with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is based on the 2002 movie that starred Tom Hanks as Hanratty and Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank. The movie, in turn, was based on the 1980 autobiography of the same name by Abagnale and Stan Redding. The musical opened on Broadway in April 2011 and closed in September 2011, after receiving four Tony Awards nominations, including one for best musical, winning best actor in a musical for Norbert Leo Butz.
Despite the star power of the movie that also featured Martin Sheen, the musical version is more involving, and Slow Burn capitalizes on that as it shows how and why Frank become a con artist.
Set in the mid-1960s, the musical imagines Frank’s life as a TV show, especially Hullabaloo and Shindig, musical variety series of the era that focused on rock ’roll’. The multi-level inviting scenic design by Nikolas Serrano uses that milieu to showcase the talented singers and dancers.
Frank grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., the son of Paula and Frank Abagnale Sr., who met at a dance in France at the tail end of WWII. Early on, Frank Sr. showed his son little con games, swapping money he didn’t have, manipulating others. “People only know what you tell them” and “People see the uniform not the person” are two maxims Frank Sr. tells his son. The advice sticks. Frank’s imposter persona begins kinda innocently—he is mistaken for a substitute teacher because he is wearing a jacket.
But in response to his parents pending divorce, Frank runs away. He finds he’s good at cashing bogus checks and convincing others as he spins tall tales while saying he’s older than he looks. All those bogus checks bring in the F.B.I.
Frank’s charm is his secret weapon and charm oozes from Jarod Bakum, last seen in Slow Burn’s Anastasia. Bakum’s strong voice, sure-footed dance moves and charismatic attitude make his Frank Abagnale a star making role. Who wouldn’t believe he is a pilot, lawyer and doctor, even if the sight of blood makes him ill? Even though we know he is breaking the law, the audience is always on Frank’s side.
But Frank meets his match i the tenacious Agent Carl Hanratty, persuasively played by the award-winning Ben Sandomir, who also has the audience on his side. Catching the elusive Frank becomes an obsession for the F.B.I. agent, but Sandomir’s multi-layered performance also shows the character’s humanity.
Slow Burn elevates Catch Me If You Can with a top-tiered supporting cast including Matthew Korinko (Frank Sr.) Jeanine Levy (Paula Abagnale), Samy Berman (Brenda Strong), Michael Cartwright (Roger Strong) and Britte Steele (Carol Strong) among a cast of 26 that includes first-rate singers and dancer, many of whom will, no doubt, be featured in upcoming Slow Burn productions.
Adding to the production values are lighting design by Eric Norbury; costumes coordinated by Rick Pena; sound design by Dan Donato; music direction by Paul Tine and dance captain Taylor Hilt Mitchell.
Catch Me If You Can starts Slow Burn’s 2025-2026 season with a bang. Next up is “Frozen,” Dec. 13 to Jan. 4, 2026.
Catch Me If You Can presented by Slow Burn Theatre Co. runs through Oct. 26 in the Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Running time approximately two hours, 20 minutes with one 20-minute intermission. Tickets start at $91.45. Call 954-462-0222 for tickets, at www.browardcenter.org or in person at the Broward Center’s Auto Nation Box Office. Info at www.slowburntheatre.org.
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