CATCH ME IF YOU CAN PREVIEW THOUGHTS — Page 4

I thought the sing-along was a fun idea, but as Sauja mentioned its presence underscored the haphazard use of the "variety show within a show" concept. A sing-along might indeed be a part of a 1960s variety show, but this audience has just spent most of the evening watching a garden variety "copying scenes from the movie" book musical which had some brief mention of a variety show in the opening few minutes.

I personally think the 1960s-TV-show-within-a-show is an interesting concept, I hope Catch Me embraces it and makes it a consistent motif. When the NBC Peacock appeared on that big TV screen I felt like I was seeing something original, something I hadn't seen on a Broadway stage before. (I can't say I felt that way for much of the rest of the show.) If handled correctly this wouldn't have to detract from the impact and meaning of the story. I also think Frank Jr's objectification of women would be better portrayed with the sensibilities of 1960s TV, as opposed to the overstated soft-core porn found in "Doctor's Orders" and "Jet Set". I'd suggest that the over-the-top sex crazed tone be saved for "You Gotta Pay For Love" where it makes sense. (I thought that number really worked.)

Updated On: 8/3/09 at 10:53 PM

it's a blog entry - much like any post here. And the blogger doesnt say it's doomed. It's posed as a question.

There are 1,000,0001+ things that can happen to the show between Seattle (a REGIONAL production) and Broadway. And knowing this creative team - they will do whatever it takes to make it all come together.

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It seems as if (I say seems because I haven't seen it yet) like the framing device is used as a way to make Tveit's character more likable, since he's the protagonist. Is this true?

In the movie DiCaprio's character is extremely unlikable.

I think it's absurd to ask if a show is "too late to fix" when there isn't a Broadway opening scheduled. Having seen the show I think it has a lot going for it, but it the overall concept could use some refining. Perhaps that's why this wasn't a full fledged pre-Broadway tryout?

Adamgreer, Frank jr is extremely likeable in this production. Both his character and Hanratty's are quite a bit different than what's seen in the movie. I think Butz's Hanratty is a lot more interesting than Tom Hank's. I'd prefer to see a bit more darkness in Frank jr.

Just got back from seeing the show, and thought it was great! not perfect, but then what is? I'm too lazy to read the whole post so dont know if this has been covered before but does anyone know if there are any recordings of the show?

Those LCD screens in the background don't look very low budget to me. They may "look cheap" compared to a lavish set, but I'm pretty sure that they aren't.

And let's be honest: out of town try outs are there to fix minor things (cut a song, switch two scenes etc.). It would be ridiculous and a waste of time & money to put on a so called regional production that is totally different from what's supposed to end up on Broadway.

Updated On: 8/12/09 at 08:51 AM

Sure. I don't doubt that those numbers are more or less correct. But would a creative team want to put on a "low budget" out of town production, which then gets trashed because of the weak design elements? Good luck to that team while trying to fix the bad word of mouth on their way to Broadway. Now *that* will cost a lot of money.

Mind you, this is generally speaking. I haven't seen CMIYC so I'm not trashing it at all. I love the score and would love to see it on Broadway. :)

Craig, how can it be a purely "regional" production when there is a major commercial producer involved (and has been for quite some time)?

People seem to be forgetting Margo Lion's attachment to the project.

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From what I've heard through the theatre grapevine, the 5th has put it up its normal producing costs for a show in their mainstage season (in the ballpark of 2.5 million). The two New York producers, Margo Lion and Hal Luftig, have put up an additional million or so, bringing the production's budget to somewhere between $3.5 million and $4 million.

Updated On: 8/12/09 at 03:10 PM

"But would a creative team want to put on a "low budget" out of town production, which then gets trashed because of the weak design elements?"

Based on the reviews I've read this is hardly what's happened. The show has a strong score and an interesting story, even if the telling needs a bit of tweaking. The reviews I've read have been mostly favorable. I think it was a smart idea to stage this show on a small scale regionally to see what worked and what didn't before spending 15 million on Broadway. If only Pirate Queen, Tarzan and many other expensive failures had considered doing this.

Could it be that big budget design elements just aren't all that important in comparison to the songs and story? For what Spiderman reportedly flushed down the toilet nine productions like this could be staged.