{"id":145905,"date":"2023-05-16T04:58:39","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T18:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=145905"},"modified":"2023-05-20T12:55:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T02:55:32","slug":"catch-me-if-you-can-cloc-musical-theatre-musical-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/catch-me-if-you-can-cloc-musical-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Catch Me If You Can (Cloc Musical Theatre) &#8211; musical theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tony Burge, who assumes the role of lead FBI agent Carl Hanratty chasing boyish con man Frank Abagnale Jr. excels in Cloc\u2019s production of Catch Me If You Can.\u00a0He is strong vocally and as an actor, with a fine command of comic timing, which is a key ingredient in the musical.\u00a0With book by Terrence McNally, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, it is based on the 2002 film, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abagnale Jr. (played by understudy Daniel Steer) is a convincing liar. He is a shyster extraordinaire, a trait he learnt from his father, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Ric Birkett).\u00a0As a teenager in the 1960s, recognising that clothes maketh the man, for a week he got away with impersonating a substitute French teacher.\u00a0With his parents\u2019 marriage in trouble, he runs away from home and learns how to forge cheques.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_145907\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-145907\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-145907 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_latin_quarter_pinstripes.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_latin_quarter_pinstripes.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_latin_quarter_pinstripes.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_latin_quarter_pinstripes.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-145907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos by Ben Fon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In no time, he has swindled his way into a job as a Pan Am co-pilot and, later, as a doctor.\u00a0He finds that all it takes is a counterfeit document or two and the gift of the gab.\u00a0Hot on his tail is the FBI, but cornering him proves far from straightforward.\u00a0And then, after snaring an overnight hospital job, Abagnale Jr. meets the love of his life, young nurse Brenda Strong (India Morris).<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-145908 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_brenda.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_brenda.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_brenda.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_brenda.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloc brings impressive production values and choreography to Catch Me If You Can.\u00a0Nine large video screens surround the stage and signpost the settings*, complemented by a handful of simple, but effective props.\u00a0The set designer is also the director, Richard Perdriau, while the choreographer is Felicity Bender.\u00a0The costuming, by Victoria Horne, is another impressive feature of the show.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neatly positioned at the back of the stage, with musical direction from Tony Toppi, the band is excellent.\u00a0The chorus numbers really hit the mark and Daniel Steer makes a decent fist of the lead role, notwithstanding some dropped lines.\u00a0His confidence and stagecraft grow in the second act.\u00a0India Morris exudes charm and vulnerability as Abagnale Jr.\u2019s girlfriend cum fianc\u00e9. She nails her one solo number.\u00a0But the standout for me was Tony Burge, who \u2013 as Carl Hanratty \u2013 is a commanding force throughout.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-146013 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_hanratty.jpg?resize=560%2C374&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_hanratty.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_hanratty.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_hanratty.jpg?resize=272%2C182&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catch Me If You Can The Musical is a fun-filled romp, which indicates that truth is stranger than fiction.\u00a0It is playing at The National Theatre in St Kilda until 27<sup>th<\/sup> May, 2023.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">* The only issue with the images on the video screen came very near the end of the show.\u00a0That is when the pre-prepared package had the intended lead, Will Woods, as Frank Abagnale Jr.\u00a0Of course, the problem was \u2013 as referenced early \u2013 in the matinee I attended Woods wasn\u2019t present because he fell ill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tony Burge, who assumes the role of lead FBI agent Carl Hanratty chasing boyish con man Frank Abagnale Jr. excels in Cloc\u2019s production of Catch Me If You Can.\u00a0He is strong vocally and as an actor, with a fine command of comic timing, which is a key ingredient in the musical.\u00a0With book by Terrence McNally,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":145909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[804,801],"tags":[8753,8754,3,18,124],"class_list":["post-145905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-theatre","tag-catch-me-if-you-can","tag-cloc-musical-theatre","tag-drama","tag-music","tag-musical"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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For me, this is up there with the best musicals brought to the stage. It is based on the successful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_a-1225-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_a-1225-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_a-1225-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_a-1225-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":150459,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/chess-the-musical-the-national-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":145905,"position":1},"title":"Chess: The Musical (The National Theatre) &#8211; musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"October 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Subterfuge and skullduggery abound, with the Russians and the Allies at loggerheads during the Cold War in Chess: The Musical.\u00a0The maneuvering is intense, the stakes are high at the World Chess Championships.\u00a0With music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, and book and lyrics from Tim Rice, CLOC has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_12119.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_12119.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_12119.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_12119.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":168978,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/mamma-mia-ag-theatre-at-princess-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":145905,"position":2},"title":"Mamma Mia! (AG Theatre), at Princess Theatre","author":"Alex First","date":"February 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A star is born. Such is the impact of sweet-voiced Belle Parkinson in the lead role in the up-tempo musical inspired by many of ABBA\u2019s hit songs. From her first melodic note, she is utterly captivating as the bright and breezy Sophie Sheridan, who \u2013 on the cusp of her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rsz_1002a4026.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rsz_1002a4026.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rsz_1002a4026.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rsz_1002a4026.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":143117,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/chicago-national-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":145905,"position":3},"title":"Chicago (National Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"October 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"CLOC\u2019s production of the hit musical Chicago sizzles.\u00a0It is cheeky and cheery and holds its own nearly half a century after it was first produced and more than a quarter century on from its revival.\u00a0The music by John Kander with lyrics from Fred Ebb and book by Ebb and Bob\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_15436.jpg?fit=800%2C361&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_15436.jpg?fit=800%2C361&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_15436.jpg?fit=800%2C361&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_15436.jpg?fit=800%2C361&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":156362,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-grinning-man-alex-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":145905,"position":4},"title":"The Grinning Man (Alex Theatre) &#8211; musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The bawdy meets the bizarre in the Australian premiere of the tragicomic musical The Grinning Man, which is based on the 1869 Victor Hugo novel The Man Who Laughs.\u00a0He is, of course, best known for Les Mis\u00e9rables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.\u00a0With music by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler, lyrics\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_3309.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_3309.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_3309.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rsz_3309.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":150476,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/elvis-a-musical-revolution-athenaeum-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":145905,"position":5},"title":"Elvis: A Musical Revolution (Athenaeum Theatre) &#8211; musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"October 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Elvis lives. I dare say many the world over would hope that isn\u2019t just a throwaway line, rather a reality.\u00a0The truth is the legend of Elvis does live on. Not for naught is he still referred to as The King.\u00a0Elvis: A Musical Revolution explores the life and times of one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_elvis_-_a_musical_revolution_credit_kenleanfore_333.jpg?fit=800%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_elvis_-_a_musical_revolution_credit_kenleanfore_333.jpg?fit=800%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_elvis_-_a_musical_revolution_credit_kenleanfore_333.jpg?fit=800%2C549&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/rsz_elvis_-_a_musical_revolution_credit_kenleanfore_333.jpg?fit=800%2C549&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}