“My name is Frank William Abagnale Jr., and this is my story,” said the voice of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Lucas Weals), a con artist and imposter who led an array of different lives all before becoming an adult.
The musical “Catch Me If You Can,” was performed last Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Friday night was sold out. The exceptional performance was based off a true story about a 19-year-old con artist who fakes his way through life.
After the divorce of Abagnale’s father and mother, whom he looked up to as role models, the teen leaves his home in New Rochelle, New York to lead a life of fraud. A pilot, doctor, lawyer and millionaire by the age of 21, Frank wants to “live, not just survive.”
Soon after he arrives in New York, Abagnale begins forging cashier checks to support his mysterious life style. Eventually, the FBI begins to catch on to his fraud. Not knowing anything about the imposter, FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Alistair Faghani) invests himself in the case and spends two years searching for “Skyway man,” as Abagnale is called during his time as a pilot.
After many trips around the world, Abagnale decides to end his career as a pilot, opting for a lower profile job as a doctor. With a forged diploma from Harvard and no medical experience, Abagnale is assigned the overnight ER supervisor in New Orleans. There he meets Brenda Strong, the best nurse at the hospital. Soon after meeting, they fall in love, prompting Abagnale’s decision to stop running and settle down with a family.
His love for Strong and his desire for a family all lead to his demise, as he’s eventually caught by the FBI while attempting to catch a flight from the Miami airport with Strong.
Whitman drama seamlessly presented a glimpse into Abagnale’s life, adding flair through exceptional singing and dancing to entice audiences throughout the two-hour production.
Weals combined his vocals, dancing, and acting skills to flawlessly portray Abagnale’s witty, creative character. The production cast successfully decorated each scene with an elegant set, ranging from a classic house to a shabby bar.
The back of the stage was overflowed with a 40-person orchestra that played throughout the production. For the first time in Whitman Drama history, the pit orchestra was positioned on-stage for the whole audience to see, replicating the Broadway show.
Junior Kaycie Goral, as nurse Brenda Strong, stole the show near the end of the second act as she sang her solo “Fly, Fly Away,” prompting a crowd-wide standing ovation.
“My favorite thing was [Goral’s] solo,” junior Ian Costello said. “It gave me some chills, it was really good.”
“Catch Me If You Can” was an entertaining story about a con artist and imposter, told through the impressive production design and musical talent of students, resulting in yet another amazing production.
