Germany McNally, Whitman and Shaiman, Catch me if you can: Soloists, Chorus, and Extras of Stadttheater Bremerhaven, Philharmonic Orchestra Bremerhaven / Davide Perniceni (conductor). Stadttheater Bremerhaven, 1.2.2025. (DM-D)
This musical was premiered on Broadway in 2011. It is based on the 2002 film of the same title, directed by Steven Spielberg (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks) and the memoires of con-artist Frank Abagnale Jr., (b.1948). In the musical, writer Terrence McNally devises an intriguing framework for the plot: the musical starts with the arrest of Abagnale Jr., after a long time on the run, for his long list of crimes. He asks the arresting FBI officer, Carl Hanratty, who spent a considerable part of his life chasing the elusive criminal, to be allowed to tell his story. What follows are episodes from Abagnale’s life, in chronological order. We witness Abagnale Jr. impersonating pilots, medical doctors, solicitors, forging cheques, his family life (his father is an alcoholic, his mother embarks on an affair, the divorce of his parents), his encounters with women, leading to his engagement with Brenda Strong after a successful, all-important meeting with her parents. Scenes depicting Abagnale’s memories are interspersed with those showing the much less colourful endeavour of the FBI agents in their day-to-day pursuit of the criminal. At the end the plot comes full circle, Abagnale Jr.’s time in prison is referred to, and we learn about his future as an FBI-agent specialising in detecting the kind of fraud he was so good at.
Shaiman’s music is in the typical 1960s Broadway style, familiar also from his famous show Hairspray. The German translation by Werner Sobotka of the English original (by established dramatist Terence McNally) and the lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Witman sounds fresh and fits in well with the music. For the Bremerhaven production, Till Nau was not only the director, but also served as choreographer. This rather unusual combination of roles worked very well indeed, resulting in a very smooth unity of plot and action, including the scene changes. Lukas P. Wassmann surrounded a central grand staircase, which could be moved around as needed, with different levels and layers, these were shifted as necessary, creating separate spaces within seconds by raising and lowering white gauze curtains, which also served as projection screens. Where the scene changes involved furniture or props to be arranged in the spaces created by lowered or raised curtains; those scene changes organically and seamlessly merged with the action on stage. They became part of the choreography because they were carried out by the performers rather than stagehands, and in many cases their steps and movements just as choreographed as the dance steps for the ensemble who were at centre stage during scene changes. The pace was swift overall, but the production also allowed for moments of more tranquil reflection, both in terms of music and action.
Conductor Davide Perniceni demonstrated a very sensitive feeling for the specific score of the musical and inspired the orchestra and singers accordingly. The cast consisted of guest artists, established or emerging musical specialists for the three main characters of Fank Abagnale Jr., FBI agent Hanratty and Frank’s fiancé, Brenda Strong, singers from the theatre’s opera company, and members of the theatre’s chorus who appear in smaller solo parts in opera productions as well. This combination of different training, practice and experience worked out well, a further credit to the production team and the conductor. Much work had clearly gone into the spoken dialogue, which sounded very realistic. In particular, cast members for whom German is not their mother tongue were able to successfully avoid accents betraying their linguistic origins.
Tobias Bieri as Frank Abagnale Jr. sang with a fresh, strong voice, outstanding when at full throttle as well as in gentler tones. Frank Winkels was very convincing as the FBI agent who made pursuing Abagnale Jr. the focus of his life. Winkels conveyed the agent’s loyalty to the principles of his profession, as well as his growing fatherly affection for the criminal. He sang in the spoken singing mode known from Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady which allowed him to maintain a suitably gravelly voice. Celena Pieper made the most of her main number, with a bright, balanced and enjoyable voice. Operatic tenor Andrew Irwin was fully at home in this musical genre, as was mezzo-soprano Boshana Milkov as Paula Abagnale. Her French accent as the wife from France sounded very authentic, and her song allowed her to display the low register of her rich voice to full effect.
The singers of the minor characters engaged as fully and as successfully with their roles and the music as the lead singers. They were joined by an ensemble of musical dancers and chorus members, who provided excellent work in their own right in line with the plot, an integral part of the whole rather than add-ons. All in all, this was a very entertaining performance at the highest professional level.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe
Production:
Book – Terrence McNally
Lyrics – Scott Whitman and Marc Shaiman
Music – Marc Shaiman
Director and Choreography – Till Nau
Sets and Costumes – Lukas P. Wassmann
Lighting – Till Nau, Frauke Richter
Chorus director – Edward Mauritius Münch
Dramaturgy – Markus Tatzig
Cast:
Frank Abagnale Jr. – Tobias Bieri
Carl Hanratty – Frank Winkels
Brenda Strong – Celena Pieper
Frank Abagnale Sr. / Doctor Wanamaker – Andrew Irwin
Paula Abagnale – Boshana Milkov
Cod – MacKenzie Gallinger
Branton – Róbert Tóth
Carol Strong / Director – Iris Wemme-Baranowski
Roger Strong / Judge / Motel manager – James Bobby
Musical Ensemble –
Ramona Halder, Nadja Kilchherr, Verena Kollruss, Valeria Croce, Stefan Preuth