Catch Me If You Can at Flat Rock Playhouse
“Where’s Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio?”
Sir, I’m sorry, but the production of Catch Me If You Can at Flat Rock Playhouse has nothing to do with the excellent Steven Spielberg film or the Frank W. Abagnale Jr. memoir on which that movie is based.
This play is by Robert Thomas, adapted from the original French version by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, and it’s a corker of a comedic mystery. Flanked by top-notch production design from Dennis C. Maulden that’s both simple yet attractive and effective, the story concerns a honeymoon in the Catskills where newlywed Daniel Corban (Grayson Powell) reports his missing wife to Inspector Levine (Scott Treadway).
From there, the apparent disappearance takes a tantalizing turn when local priest Father Kelleher (Peter Thomason) shows up at the vacation house with a woman (Laura Woyasz) claiming to be Mrs. Corban. As the thoroughly planned gaslighting takes hold, the mind whirs thinking about how the flustered Danny might wriggle out of the predicament, though plentiful jokes keep the material from entrenching in pure Hitchcockian territory.
In addition to those four synchronized leads, comedic support comes from Patrick Halley’s Sidney, the local deli man, whose early second-act addition gives Danny a burst of confidence that his version of reality will be validated, and earns big laughs with his everyman comments. Director Chris Dolman ensures cohesion across the talented ensemble, while impressive props work from Paul Feral and Rebecca Xhajanka amplifies the very real sense of danger between the jokes.
But in addition to the pitch-perfect performances, witty writing, and heightened humorous tension, this Catch Me If You Can succeeds through its surprises, which I won’t spoil. All I’ll say is not everyone is who they seem — and that uncertainty leads to a deliciously suspenseful two hours at The Rock.
Catch Me If You Can runs through May 14. For details and tickets, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org.
(Photos by Scott Treadway/Treadshots, courtesy of Flat Rock Playhouse)
