Ironic: Catching Neil Simon Theatre 'Cause It Could
As if it weren't bad enough that
Love Never Dies director
Jack O'Brien and choreographer
Jerry Mitchell already jumped ship for what they certainly must hope is smoother sailing with their other more promising project -- you guessed it
-- Catch Me If You Can -- the irony of the
Marc Shaiman/
Scott Wittman/
Terrence McNally musical capturing
Love Never Dies' place at the Simon Theatre must add insult to injury for Sir ALW. One can only imagine the intrigue that's taken place behind the scenes. (
UPDATE: Producers for Love Never Dies announced on October 1, 2010, that the show would not be mounted on Broadway during the 2010-11 Theatrical Season.)
For composers Shaiman and Witttman, this will mark a homecoming of sorts as their only other full-fledged Broadway musical -- the Tony Award-winning
Hairspray -- occupied the Neil Simon for six and a half enormously successful years. If
Catch Me If You Can catches on with critics and audiences, it'll become the first regular show to have succeeded since their earlier work closed at the beginning of last year.
While casting has yet to be announced, such acclaimed Broadway draws as
Norbert Leo Butz,
Aaron Tveit,
Tom Wopat and
Kerry Butler starred in the
out-of-town tryout in Seattle last summer. I know I'm not alone in hoping each of these talented actors can be caught yet again to reprise their roles on the Main Stem.
Previews for
Catch Me If You Can are scheduled to begin March 7, 2010, and open April 10.
As for Andrew Lloyd Webber? Well, perhaps he'll think twice about never saying never when naming a musical.
This is
Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, Catch Me If You Can, First Word On New Show, Jack O'Brien, Jerry Mitchell, Love Never Dies, Marc Shaiman, Musical, Scott Wittman, Terrence McNally
Catch Me If You Can's Tveit With DestinyHow did I miss
this?
Seems like ages since I've written
anything about the long gestating musical version of
Catch Me If You Can , a
Marc Shaiman/Scott
Wittman/
Terrence McNally tuner that will star
Nathan Lane as FBI agent Carl Hanratty, a role portrayed in the film by
Tom Hanks.
At that time,
Matthew Morrison had been involved in an early reading, but hasn't been associated with the project for quite some time. Last I heard, the project had
just dumped its
Frank Abagnale, Jr.,
Christian Borle -- right around the same time
Sutton Foster allegedly did.
And then, "poof!" Nothing!
That is until I was reading through
Broadway.com's interview with the bright athletic young actor
Aaron Tveit, who's currently part of the cast for Off-Broadway's
Next To Normal. Turns out, Tveit has been tapped for the man/boy role of Frank Junior, played on the silver screen by
Leonardo DiCaprio:
I'm still pinching myself about working with Nathan Lane. I've been blessed at my young age to work with people who are at the top of our profession, and I'm trying not to take for granted all the things that have come to me.
Tveit (pronounced "ta-VATE") previously played the role of Link Larkin in
Hairspray, both on tour and then on Broadway, and he supposedly was also part of the "first national tour" of
Rent, which seems a little hard to believe given that he's just 24 years old, and the first tour began in late 1996. But whatever. He at least has the appropriate look for the
Catch Me part.
Now, can anyone tell me when this project will finally see the light of day?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Catching Nathan Lane If You Can (July 6, 2006)
Labels: Aaron Tveit, Catch Me If You Can, Film, Marc Shaiman, Musical, Nathan Lane, Scott Wittman, Terrence McNally
Catching Nathan Lane If You CanAs if to prove he really is the "King of Broadway," Nathan Lane is literally all over the boards this year. Lane, of course, began the year in his nearly sold-out run of
The Odd Couple opposite Matthew Broderick. While he's already preparing to bring his acclaimed performance as Ben
Butley from Boston's Huntington Theatre to Broadway's Booth Theatre this October,
Playbill.com reports this morning that Lane is set to star next month as Federal Agent Carl Hanratty in the workshop for the upcoming musical version of
Catch Me If You Can.
Based on the 2002 fact-based movie starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, the
Catch Me If You Can tuner will feature a book by Terrence McNally and original score by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. The workshop will be led by director Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
Lane's on-stage association with McNally began with 1995's Tony Award-winning Best Play
Love! Valour! Compassion! and continued with last year's Off-Broadway production of
Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams with Marian Seldes.
No word yet on whether a return is imminent for any of the other outstanding actors from last year's initial reading -- Matthew Morrison (
Hairspray,
The Light In The Piazza), Tom Wopat (
Annie Get Your Gun,
42nd Street), Christine Ebersole (
42nd Street,
Grey Gardens), Sara Gettelfinger (
Nine,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). But given the talent that is already behind this ambitious project, including that of Steven Spielberg,
Catch Me If You Can is sure to attract major attention when it finally makes its expected debut at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre sometime next year.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Butley's Back on Broadway at Booth (May 23, 2006)
Guys and Dolls Imported to Broadway from London? (May 15, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Butley, Catch Me If You Can, First Word On New Show, Nathan Lane, The Odd Couple
Ironic: Catching Neil Simon Theatre 'Cause It Could 
