CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Reviews- Page 2

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:24pm

Is it really not okay to wish shows g**d l**k on opening night?
If so, also adding "my best" to all involved! This is one of those shows I want to love, therefore I WILL love it no matter what!

[willrogers2008]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:26pm

TALKIN'BROADWAY is negative. I'm very sorry.

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:29pm

Talkin' Broadway link: http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/index.html

Though it’s surprising that almost [Hairspray's] entire creative team has decided to go a different direction with their new musical, Catch Me If You Can, which just opened at the Neil Simon, it’s not at all shocking that by abandoning nearly everything that made their previous show work, this one is a full-blown failure.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:29pm

Isn't Talkin' Broadway always negative? Unless of course the show is bad, then it's a rave?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:37pm

To each his own!

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 08:37 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:40pm

I never thought I'd see the day that I was called a twit by both SOMMS and Addy!

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:41pm

NYadgal, I'm bummed. We usually agree on things and I usually find you to be an open-minded poster. I didn't care for it very much at all, but really don't think that all of us who didn't like it are idiots.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:41pm

Dottie - oops...

(you know I love ya!)

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 08:41 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:44pm

I know. We were bound to disagree about a show sooner or later! Kind of surprising though since our tastes in shows are very similar.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:44pm

CockeyedOptimist - point taken.
I'll change my wording.

(I really meant the posts to be more playful than critical)

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:48pm

It really sparkled for me yesterday. I'm sorry that others didn't care for it.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:51pm

NYadgal, I'm very eager to see this show - I know everybody's different, but were you a fan of Hairspray...and as far as your own personal taste is concerned, would this compare?

P.S. Haven't been here too long, are these types of threads strictly for reviews?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:55pm

Jay, I loved Hairspray (saw it 25x). Catch Me if You Can is nothing like it. As much as I told myself ahead of time that they're two completely different shows, I was still disappointed.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 8:59pm

Jay, welcome to BWW.
(threads take on their own lives, so this is for reviews and whatever conversation takes place as a result!)

I saw Hairspray, and enjoyed it. I liked the two shows for different reasons. And, yet, I find it so interesting that people who I usually share the same opinions with have such a different opinion of this one... (I think that's part of what I love about theatre!)

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:02pm

"Reggie - Aren't the people hand-picked out of many interviews, their statements somewhat scripted, and completely edited? It doesn't seem like it's a real good sample to me. Not saying their not enjoyable - I just doubt it's a good representation."

They aren't scripted, but they are hand-picked out of a few interviews, more to give everyone a chance to be shown online than anything else. Some people do give negative reviews - ex. next to normal was totally blasted by one of the reviewers, and the reviews for 13 were universally lukewarm (which I agreed with, but that's beside the point). It's just nice to hear what people who don't necessarily view shows the way I do (e.g. the process, the actors behind the characters) think of certain productions.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:09pm

Thanks Dottie and NyAdgal...I hope this isn't one of those shows that I'm determined to love and only admit to myself six months after the fact that I was disappointed. But I'm optimistic!

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:09pm

http://thefastertimes.com/newyorktheater/2011/04/10/catch-me-if-you-can-review/

mixed-positive
"Yet for all its many charms, “Catch Me If You Can” is not the thorough thrill that one might have hoped. The creators truncate the story as presented in the film. They keep probably the most memorable image in the film – DiCaprio escaping detection at the airport surrounded by beautiful women in Pan Am stewardess outfits — but make it part of a production number without the context or the suspense…the very things that held our interest in the film."

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:15pm

The Hollywood Reporter -
Pretty mixed - on the positive side of mixed, I'd say...huge praise for the cast.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/catch-me-you-can-theater-176795
"The super-slick new musical from the Hairspray team boasts superb craftsmanship, sophisticated design work, tuneful songs in a breezy range of ‘60s styles and a deluxe cast. So why does Catch Me If You Can stubbornly refuse to soar until it’s almost over?"

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 09:15 PM

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:19pm

Definitely nothing unexpected, as far as the reviews go - mixed/positive is what was anticipated. Brilliant cast, very good but not amazing show, bit of a wonky concept for storytelling.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:24pm

I'm not a Newsday subscriber so I can't read their review to provide full info., but this is their headline "'Catch Me' fumbles at Neil Simon Theatre." If anyone is a subscriber and feels like copying/pasting, that'd be good, though given the headline, it may not be necessary.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:42pm

Pretty negative from Newsday. Here are the first few paragraphs.

News that the guys from "Hairspray" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" were making a musical based on the movie "Catch Me If You Can" raised a couple of intriguing -- also daunting -- questions. How? And why?

That is, how could songs, dances and a Broadway stage add to the plot-heavy adventures of a real-life teen con man without losing the odd and breezy travelogue style of Steven Spielberg's 2002 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks? This is answered, sort of, by framing the kid's life as flashbacks on his own '60s TV variety show.

OK, then, why? Hard to guess, alas. Director Jack O'Brien, writer Terrence McNally, composer Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman have made a slick, professional, conscientious and uninspired show that strains to fit Frank Abagnale Jr.'s improbably true tale into a stylized box of sentimentality and ho-hum retro-routines.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:45pm

AP is VERY negative - even slams Tveit. (Thanks smaxie - duly noted)
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=13344305&page=1
"Played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film, this time the role of Frank Abagnale Jr. has been handed over to Aaron Tveit. As pretty as a Ken doll and blessed with a wonderful voice, Tveit nevertheless struggles to convey genuineness"

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 09:45 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:47pm

'ABC News' is the Associated Prsss review.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:52pm

Despite these mixed reviews so far I still think Jerry Mitchell and Jack O'Brien did the right thing by focusing on bringing this to Broadway instead of "Love Never Dies."

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 9:57pm

Is Butz stealing the show again?