Catch Me If You Can

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

The Denver Victorian Playhouse proudly presents Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can.

Robin Wallace as Elizabeth Corban, Wade Wood as Inspector Levine and Christian Mast as Daniel Corban. Photo by Sarah Roshan

Whoops! Not that one.

The title, Catch Me If You Can is correct, but this play is by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, based on the play by Robert Thomas. If you’re confused by this wait until the Vic’s production rolls across the stage. No the production won’t confuse you, but what goes on in the production will keep your mind whirling through space which is, after all, its intention.

Directed by Edwin Fronheiser, Catch Me If You Can rolls through time and space with a wondrous cast, a delicious set designed by Wade P. Wood with a Grand Lake, Colorado “cabinish” come hither feel. The come hither feel remains even though two deer heads peer down with those wonderful, huge, round, brown eyes. Lorraine Wood made me feel better after the show. The deer heads came through the gracious generosity of Bill Dutton at The Buckhorn Exchange, and are somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years old. At least, they weren’t walking around the Rocky Mountains a month ago, and yes, they do add to the Grand Lake cabin-feel.

The cabin atmosphere reverberates a sense of peace throughout the theatre, except Daniel Corbin is anything but peaceful. He’s beside himself. Married two weeks, on his Honeymoon at the cabin belonging to his boss, and his wife Elizabeth is missing with his green metallic Jaguar. Christian Mast becomes engulfed by Daniel as nervous as splats of water dancing on a hot grill. Impatiently he waits for Inspector Levine grandly teased into reality by Wade Wood. Daniel calls him frequently. For Daniel, Mast solicits honest empathetic sympathy. He wants action, and he wants it now. With eyes flashing playfulness, wrapped with impatience, bound with self-surviving humor and a touch of over wrought disgust, Levine tries to keep Daniel under control while his thoughts race around a more important case, to him, at least, involving stolen jewelry. Daniel wants Elizabeth back Now. Now isn’t going to happen.

Father Kelleher, the new priest at the local parish pops in filled with gratitude that Elizabeth donated a $1000 to the parish last week, Dell Domnick wraps himself in the cloth of priestly dignity wrapped in a bubble of priestly attentiveness. This news hardly pleases Daniel in the slightest. Another bomb drops at his feet when Elizabeth follows Father Kelleher into the cabin. This woman calling herself Elizabeth knows everything about Daniel and his wife. He freaks because this woman played by Robin Wallace isn’t his wife. He has never seen this woman before, and yet she knows the minutest detail. Wallace lights up the stage with effervescent personality. Is Daniel the problem? Has he lost it and ready for the Funny Farm? She’s driving his green metallic Jaguar, and with sophisticated charm genuinely tries to soothe her rattled husband.

When Daniel tries in vain to convince Levine “That is not my wife”. Levine only responds, “That’s your tough luck”.

All the photos of Daniel and his wife have disappeared. Levine plays back and forth between taking Daniel seriously and thinking he may indeed be ready for the Funny Farm. His detective sense pushes him to investigate everything thoroughly.

At the beginning of Act II the cabin sits empty, a knock at the front door brings no answer so Sidney from the Sandwich Shop walks in, looks around and starts talking to the deer heads. (Thank Goodness they didn’t answer.) Daniel stumbles out of the bedroom. Brunch? Who ordered brunch?

Sidney’s Nils Swanson deserves special attention. He adopted the role less than 24 hours before Opening Night when a change in the program became necessary. Being the pro he is, Nils grabbed the role with gusto. He’s delightful.

This mysterious comedic play must have a playful muse lurking around the edges. On opening night at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, Geneseo, Illinois, the audience heard “Life is full of surprises”, not from one of the characters, but from the director. The actor playing Levine fell ill and the Stage Manager, with script in hand walked through the role. Swanson absorbed the script for Sidney and just took over. Theatre heroes come in unlikely places at unsuspecting times keeping the beauty of live theatre glowing. Life indeed is full of surprises.

Humor bounces off the walls in the Grand Lake cabin. Has Daniel lost his senses? Oh, no Elizabeth admits to him she is an imposter after his money. How does this woman know so much about him and the real Elizabeth?

Karalyn Star Pytel’s lighting design laughs right along with the humor reflecting Daniel’s horrendous swirled confused universe. Cars are naturally heard going up and down the long drive through El Armstrong’s sensitive sound design.

The roller coaster train tracks switches direction often. It looks like, oh no, then it looks like, then out of the blue Levine jumps in with a different approach. For this play to work well, timing must be of the essence. The cast smells it, feels it, and responds to it as though they are connected at the hip with tuned piano wire.

A bubble-headed mistress (Catherine Arcardi) accompanies Everett Parker, (Jon Farnlof) into the cabin. Parker, Daniel’s Boss, arrives under the impression that Daniel and Elizabeth’s Honeymoon is over. It’s over all right. Now it’s Parker’s turn for some Hanky Panky. Farnlof wears Parker’s persona with crafty smiles adding to the Hub-Bubbed confusion driving Daniel further into a frantic abyss. Is anyone going to believe him? One minute Levine acts as though he does. The next minute the game plan turns upside down, the next Levine offers him comforting solace, and the next?

Ever since Wade and Lorraine blew the breath of life back into the Denver Victorian Playhouse, it has produced quality productions one after the other. Weinstock and Gilbert’s Catch Me If You Can sits right there at the top along with the best. For a night of frolic with a well-written script, an exuberantly stunning cast, and sound direction, this is a Do Not Miss No Matter What production. Go! It will tickle your brain waves with electric sparks and tease your imagination into a futile attempt to stay ahead of the plot.

Catch Me If You Can

By Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert; Based on the play by Robert Thomas; Directed by Edwin Fronheiser