Catch Me If You Can Musical Sets Broadway Debut Dates

The musical adaptation of the hit 2002 movie comedy Catch Me If You Can is headed to Broadway next spring: The show, featuring a book by Terrence McNally, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, will begin previews on March 7, 2011, at a Nederlander theater to be announced, with opening night set for April 10, directed by Jack O’Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. No casting has been announced.

Catch Me If You Can tells the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a world-class con artist who passed himself off as a doctor, a lawyer, and a jet pilot—all before the age of 21. With straight-arrow FBI agent Carl Hanratty on Frank's trail, we're off on a jet-setting, cat-and-mouse chase, as a jazzy, swinging-sixties score keeps this adventure in constant motion. In the end, Agent Hanratty learns he and Frank aren't so very different after all, and Frank finds out what happens when love catches up to a man on the run.

The show was first produced in July 2009 at the Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle with a cast that included Aaron Tveit as Frank, Norbert Leo Butz as Hanratty and Tom Wopat as Frank Abagnale Sr., as well as Felicia Finley, Rachel de Benedet, Kerry Butler, Linda Hart, Nick Wyman, Timothy McCuen Piggee, Clarke Thorell and Brandon Wardell.

In announcing the Broadway production, Shaiman and Wittman issued a statement explaining that they met with Catch Me If You Can film director Steven Spielberg to ask for the stage rights to the popular comedy, which starred Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken. “Our idea was to musicalize Catch Me with a score that would use as its inspiration the idea of a classic Ed Sullivan Show (since that was the time you might see and hear Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Judy Garland and Aretha Franklin all on one evening's entertainment) and he said yes right away! As we began writing, we immediately involved our favorite collaborators Jack O'Brien and Jerry Mitchell, who made the exciting suggestion of inviting Terrence McNally in, as well.”

Catch Me If You Can will be produced on Broadway by Margo Lion and Hal Luftig.