Laughter is Catching At the Academy of Music's Presentation of Catch Me If You Can

 

The musical Catch Me If You Can is coming to Philadelphia so get your tickets now to catch this laugh out loud production based on the real life story of Frank W. Abagnale Jr. who conned his way in and out cities across the United States.

 

Tony Award®-winning director Jack O'Brien's latest Broadway production, based on a film directed by Steven Spielberg for Dreamworks, comes to the Philadelphia Academy of Music Tuesday, January 15-Sunday, January 20, 2012, so mark your calendar and save a night to enjoy this show with friends and family.

Laugh as you watch FBI agent Carl Hanratty chase con man extraordinaire Frank W. Abagnale Jr. as he uses his legendary charm, boyish good looks and imagination to go from one con to another kiting checks to pay for his expensive life style on the lamb, always staying one step ahead of the law. Not only does he outwit the law, he falls in love and gets the girl (truly a story perfect for a Broadway musical!) Hanratty is obsessed with catching Frank Jr. and watching 'the chase' is half the fun!

O'Brien is famous for his productions of playwrights from Shakespeare to Tom Stoppard, and he has also received acclaim for directing Broadway musicals including Hairspray, The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Now he adds Catch Me If You Can to his list of  hits. The show was created by a Tony Award®-winning 'dream team,' with book by Terrence McNally (The Full Monty, Ragtime), score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray), choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde). Teams that have previously wowed audiences with their expertise on the stage, the combination once again will have you on your feet clapping by the end of the show.

Photo courtesy of The Kimmel Center

 

Catch Me If You Can is part of the Broadway Flex Package available for 2012-2013. What is the Broadway Flex Package?

"This season’s remarkable Broadway lineup features toe-tapping scores, hilarious predicaments, and soul-stirring tales of friendship, discovery, survival, and love. Now you can create the Broadway season of your dreams! Simply select three or more shows to build your own flex package. Season ticket holders enjoy the best seats in the house, plus locked-in savings of 10%*, guaranteed parking, and priority access to Broadway’s hottest touring shows—BEFORE they go on sale to the public."  

This is a deal you cannot resist! Order tickets now.

Interested in winning a pair of tickets? Enter my ticket giveaway on WDW(Wedding Day Weekly)Blogging For Brides.


**Tickets were provided as compensation for writing this blog post. All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, January 15	7:30pm	buy tickets!
Wednesday, January 16	7:30pm	buy tickets!
Thursday, January 17	7:30pm	buy tickets!
Friday, January 18	8pm	buy tickets!
Saturday, January 19	2pm	buy tickets!
Saturday, January 19	8pm	buy tickets!
Sunday, January 20	1pm	buy tickets!
Sunday, January 20	6:30pm	buy tickets!

The Forrest Theatre Host Jekyll and Hyde

This week at this Forrest Theatre Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde visit the city of Brotherly Love. The book and lyrics of Jekyll and Hyde is by Leslie Briccusse. Music and Co-conceiver Frank Wildhorn and Co-conceiver Stever Cuden characters attack the stage at the Forrest bringing the duality of Jekyll and Hyde to Philadelphia audiences.

The good doctor is played by Constantine Maroulis, best known to the majority of Americans as a finalist on American Idol, but he is also a Broadway veteran of shows like Rock of Ages and The Wedding Singer. Female leads are played by Emmy Award winner Deborah Cox as Lucy and Teal Wicks as Emma, the doctor's fiancée. Cox first appeared on Broadway in the lead role in Elton John and Tim Rice's musical, Aida. She is also a Grammy nominated and multi-platinum recording artist and film and television actress. Wicks is best known for her role in Wicked, where she played Elphaba in the Los Angeles Company of that show.

Should you invest in tickets for Jekyll and Hyde? Fans of Maroulis will buy tickets just to see his performance. And Cox (as well as her understudy Emmy Raver-Lampman who was playing the role the night we were there) are well worth the ticket price. Raver-Lampman as Lucy owned the stage, stealing the show from Maroulis, and showing the audience just how good a 'bad girl' can be. She steals Teal Wicks' thunder as Jekyll/Hyde's fiancée, although when the two sing together they can't be beat. This show is owned by the women in the cast. (Sorry Constantine, loved you in American Idol, but the ladies own the stage in J&H.)

The show was directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun who recently staged Disney's Newsies and he brings the same look and feel to J&H. Lighting by Jeff Croiter and Sound by Ken Travis are also reminiscent of Newsies. Anyone who has seen Newsies will recognize the work of  these three as J&H progresses. (Not that this is a bad thing.)

The show is on it's way to Broadway, and hopefully they'll tighten up on the road. They missed a few opportunities to connect with their audience when a humorous line fell flat, but it's worth the ticket price just to hear Cox or River-Lampman as well as Teal Wicks sing. Some songs could use some work especially early in the show. Also of note, the chorus is Broadway ready, giving a tight and enjoyable performance every time they take the stage. 

Fans of Cox/Raver-Lampman, Teal Wicks, and Maroulis will enjoy the show. Maroulis' fans will think he's been robbed by the ladies in the cast but it's worth it to see his transformation from Jekyll to Hyde.  



**The author was provided with tickets as compensation for posting about Jekyll and Hyde's performances in Philadelphia. Any opinions are her own and have not been changed by the provision of tickets.