Fisher Catholic High School presents Catch Me If You Can—The Musical, on April 4-5, 2014. Join Frank Abagnale, Jr. on his adventures in con artistry in the 1960s, evading the FBI, mastering careers in aviation, medicine, and law, finding love, and struggling with the ideals of family. Frank builds a life of luxury where anything flies, based solely on his wit and comedic charisma. Catch Me If You Can is a 2011 Broadway hit based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., libretto written by Terrence McNally, and theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Performances are April 4th at 7:30pm and April 5th at 7:30pm at Fisher Catholic High School, 1803 Granville Pike in Lancaster. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.
Full Description
In 1963, teen-aged Frank Abagnale lives in New Rochelle, New York with his father Frank Abagnale, Sr., and French mother Paula. When Frank Sr. is denied a business loan at Chase Manhattan Bank due to unspecified difficulties with the IRS, the family is forced to move from their large home to a small apartment. Paula carries on an affair with Jack, a friend of her husband. Meanwhile, Frank poses as a substitute teacher in his French class. Frank's parents file for divorce, and Frank runs away. When he runs out of money, he begins to rely on confidence scams to get by. Soon, Frank's cons grow bolder and he even impersonates an airline pilot. He forges Pan Am payroll checks and succeeds in stealing over $2.8 million.
Meanwhile, Carl Hanratty, an FBI bank fraud agent, begins to track down Frank. Carl and Frank meet in a hotel, where Frank convinces Carl his name is Barry Allen of the Secret Service. Frank leaves, Carl angrily realizing his mistake just as it is too late. Later, at Christmas, Carl is still working when Frank calls him, attempting to apologize for duping Carl. Carl rejects his apology and tells him he will soon be caught, but laughs when he realizes Frank actually called him because he has no one else to talk to. Frank hangs up, and Carl continues to investigate, suddenly realizing (thanks to a waiter) that the name "Barry Allen" is from the Flash comic books and that Frank is just a teenager.
Frank, meanwhile, has expanded his con to include the identities of doctor and lawyer, but has fallen in love with Brenda, to whom he eventually admits the truth about himself and asks her to run away with him. Carl tracks him to his engagement party where Frank has left Brenda, asking her to meet him two days later so they can elope. Frank sees her waiting for him two days later, but also notices plainclothes agents waiting to arrest him. He realizes he has been set up and escapes on a flight to Europe.
Seven months later, Carl shows his boss that Frank has been forging checks all over western Europe and asks permission to go to Europe to look for him. When his boss declines, Carl brings Frank's checks to printing professionals who deem that the checks were printed in France. Carl remembers from an interview with Frank's mother that she was born in Montrichard, France. He goes there and finds Frank, and tells him that the French police will kill him if he does not go with Carl quietly. Frank assumes he is lying at first, but Carl promises Frank he would never lie to him, and Carl takes him outside, where the French police escort him to prison.
The scene then flashes forward to a plane returning Frank home from prison, where Carl informs him that his father has died. Consumed with grief, Frank escapes from the plane and goes back to his old house, where he finds his mother with the man she left his father for, as well as a girl who Frank realizes is his half-sister. Frank gives himself up and is sentenced to 12 years in prison, getting visits from time to time from Carl. When Frank points out how one of the checks Carl is carrying as evidence is fake, Carl convinces the FBI to offer Frank a deal by which he can live out the remainder of his sentence working for the bank fraud department of the FBI, which Frank accepts. While working at the FBI, Frank misses the thrill of the chase and even attempts to fly as an airline pilot again. He is cornered by Carl, who insists that Frank will return to the FBI job since no one is chasing him. On the following Monday, Carl is nervous that Frank has not yet appeared at work. However, Frank does show up and they discuss their next case.
