I hate starting any review with a ‘what this is not‘, but in this case, don’t confuse CATCH ME IF YOU CAN with the Dreamworks movie, or musical running on Broadway right now. In fact, the play on stage in Cardiff this week predates those by many years.
Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert’s thriller is out on a huge on a UK tour running through till early July. One of the stops, very early on in the run, is the New Theatre, which is where we saw the show on opening night.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the fans meeting the stars after the performance……..
There was a lot of excitement in the audience knowing we were about to see TV royalty. Dallas legend PATRICK DUFFY (Daniel Corban) – yes, Bobby Ewing himself, has traded the sunshine of Hollywood for the show. This is Patrick’s first time touring the UK, although he was in the West End production of Art. And he has certainly jumped into the deep end with this one – he’ll be spending 6 months here visiting pretty much every corner of the country.
Now before we go any further, I need to say that I was also a huge fan of The Man From Atlantis, so for me it was double excitement.
The rest of the cast however are also top notch TV talent. LINDA PURL (Elizabeth Corban) you will definitely know from the classic roles she’s played. She was Ashley (Fonzie’s girlfriend) in Happy Days, Helene (Pam Beesley’s Mum) in the American version of The Office, Charlene Matlock in the legal drama series Matlock, and Elizabeth Gaines in Homeland. So for those of us who are fans of all those series, it was a big deal seeing Linda in Cardiff.
Interestingly, for those who are sharing the stage with her, Linda’s grandmother, Beatrice Saville, was a founder of the Actors’ Equity Association.
Now I don’t want you to think we don’t do our homework. We’ve watched all the TV interviews (HERE) and know the score. Linda and Patrick are much more than just colleagues. They have known each other for a long time, but eventually became a couple after chatting on Zoom during lockdown.
That personal relationship works really well in this production. Even though the characters they play are very much at odds with each other, the chemistry and bond between is clear to see from the get-go.
Also in the production is another TV favourite GRAY O’BRIEN (Inspector Levine) who was Coronation Street bad boy Tony Gordon, and long before that did a two year stint in Casualty as Dr Richard McCaig.
The casting is complete with BEN NEALON (Father Kelleher) who you may remember was Captain Jeremy Forsythe in ITV’s award-winning series Soldier Soldier. PAUL LAVERS is (Everett Parker), CHLOE ZEITOUNIAN (Mrs Parker) and HUGH FUTCHER (Sidney).
Introductions over, what about the story itself? As with all good psychological thrillers it would be wrong of me to give too much away but the premise is this….
While on Honeymoon in the Catskill Mountains in New York, Daniel Corban reports the disappearance of his wife Elizabeth. Not only has Daniel lost his wife, but it appears his mind is on the way out too. The reason for this is the bizarre appearance of a woman claiming to be the missing Elizabeth. There are no celebrations here however, instead of embracing the reunion, Daniel accuses her of being an imposter.
After reporting his wife’s disappearance to the police – enter Inspector Levine who tries to piece together this very odd puzzle. Elizabeth, or whoever she may really be, is very good at charming the Inspector and disorientating Daniel as he tries to argue his case. Eventually, and totally charmed by Elizabeth’s version of events, Levine sees the only place for Daniel is the sanatorium.
In classic thriller style there’s the local priest, played brilliantly by Ben Nealon, who is also convinced Elizabeth is who she says she is, of course he isn’t influenced one bit by the large donation she makes to the church.
It becomes increasingly apparent to Daniel that he is facing some sort of conspiracy, as various witnesses confirm that she is indeed the new Mrs Corban. And when the police fail to believe his story Daniel concludes that they are either trying to drive him mad – or worse still, to his death.
Will this extraordinary sequence of surprising twists and turns lead to a murderous conclusion?
As I said, it would be wrong of me to tell you more when there are seats in the theatre waiting for you. What I will say however, is that the story is beautifully paced, and just when you think you have it figured out – bam, along comes another twist to throw you off track. In fact, this is one of those great stories that will really keep you guessing right to the very end (and I’d like to bet you won’t work it out).
Most of the audience I shared the theatre with were waiting patiently for Patrick to arrive on the New Theatre stage, and they weren’t disappointed. He is an excellent Daniel Corban, and you go on a real journey with him as he slips into that moment of self-doubt, wondering if indeed everyone else is right.
But don’t be in any doubt yourself as to how good the rest of the cast are. Linda shines as his wife (or is she) Elizabeth. She not only charms the characters in the story, but us too in the audience.
Gray is a terrific Inspector and it took a matter of seconds to forget his bad boy character in Corrie. His American accent is mighty-fine and he more than holds his own in such distinguished transatlantic company.
Catch Me If You Can, is adapted from Robert Thomas’s French play Trap for a Lonely Man, and has inspired various successful screenplays over the years. This production is written by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, and the tour directed by Bob Tomson. Design is by Julie Godfrey and lighting by Chris Davey.
What I like about this production is it’s where it should be, the 60s, and the theme really does hold up well. It’s fair to say this story wouldn’t work anywhere but the 60s, a modern world with all its technological advances, would make the story nigh on impossible to tell.
Talking to ‘Chad’ recently about the play Patrick said…….
“I’d say it’s more timeless the way that a lot of great plots are. I don’t want to sound pompous but there are only about ten plots in the theatrical world and Shakespeare did all of them. It’s all about nuance; you put it in a different suit of clothes and set it in a different time period.
The play is dated because we’re doing it a la the 60s but it’s not dated in terms of the content and thrust at all. It’s a timeless tale of duplicity and intrigue, and in the midst of it all there’s a comedy element which makes it extremely enjoyable.”
It’s definitely worth mentioning the set too, which is stand-out good. It is every bit the luxurious cabin in the Catskills. What you see in the picture above is what you get on the stage. Even the parts you only glimpse through a swinging door are given full attention. Full praise to designer Julie Godfrey.
This production is slick and funny, with a gentle menace about it which will keep you guessing to the very end.
Did we like it? We absolutely loved everything about. As you can see below, the crowd of eager fans waiting at the stage door to greet Patrick and Linda really enjoyed what they saw on stage.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is at the New Theatre in Cardiff for the rest of the week. Performances are at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available now and you can get yours HERE.
