Full Circle Theatre Company. Futures Theatre, Paradise. 5 Nov 2026
Catch Me If You Can is everything one could hope for in an inaugural production for a fledgling professional Musical Theatre company. For years we have watched extraordinary, well-trained, talented artists work in amateur shows. And they, and the shows, have been of the highest standard. But something about the uniformly superb performances of a pro production is simply next level. And Full Circle Theatre Company delivers this in abundance with this show. As Frank Abagnale Snr teaches his son in the show, “People only know what you tell them.” Now Full Circle Theatre Company is telling the world what we have: over a hundred artists registered to audition for the show, reflecting what we have in Adelaide. There is talent in this town!
And Catch Me If You Can,” Mr Malinauskas and Co., is an example of something world-class, sustainable, and worthwhile! But I digress!
While a 2020 investigation found a good deal of the real Frank Abagnale’s memoirs—the story the 2002 Spielberg and DiCaprio hit movie was based on—to be as fabricated as the fabrications Abagnale claimed to have fabricated, this is a ripping yarn.
Apparently, the real Abagnale’s 1980 memoirs are riddled with inconsistencies. But then the guy was, after all, a conman. American playwright Terrance McNally captures the charm of a young rogue, albeit a charming, lovable, and one might say genius, brilliantly in his libretto.
Fellow Americans, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s score matches the libretto's dynamic wit with fabulous melodies, mostly with a nod to the 1960s and early 70s. The lyrics of every song are variously charming, witty, and poignant. It’s a heap of fun!
Young Frank Abagnale (Joey Haening) has a propensity for creating great narratives, with himself front and centre, that net him enormous amounts of money! A genius with cheque fraud, he galivants around the world impersonating a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, all the while doggedly pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Rod Schultz) and his team of disaffected men seeking more action in their careers. Frank Abagnale Snr (Michael Griffith), whose catchphrase, “People only know what you tell them”, strongly influences his son's worldview. Further, young Frank’s French mother’s infidelity shatters his idealised understanding of love, leaving him seeking validation in the arms of women. And he is a young, very young, man when he leaves home for NYC. Prostitutes, air hostesses, and nurses are among his many bedroom excursions. What follows is a romp through flings, relationships and careers for which he is utterly unqualified.
Joey Haenen is disarming as Frank Jnr., his marathon on stage, particularly as far as his wonderful voice is concerned, never missing a beat. From the opening number, Live in Living Colour to his closing duet, Stuck Together with Schultz, Haenen’s voice delights! Schultz has a vocal presence that's at once relaxed and compelling.
The wonderful Michael Griffith and Michaela Burger as Frank's seemingly besotted parents, Frank Snr and Paula, live through the ‘ideal’ marriage going bad and the subsequent fallout with great nuance. These are two mature, consummate performers, and their work is sublime. Later, Griffith plays a man who drowns his dreams and sorrows perfectly. Needless to say, both Griffith and Burger are extremely accomplished singers, and their rendition of Don’t Be A Stranger simply confirms this. However, to my mind, the only moment in the performance that could have used more emotional depth and complexity was the exchange between father and son about the latter's proposed marriage. Young Frank returns home hoping his mentor and hero will support his desire to marry and change his ways. Heanen didn’t quite capture the layered emotional complexity in his reaction to Frank Snr’s outright, bitter rejection of the idea. A small but significant moment.
Lisa- Marie Coad is a standout as Frank Jnr’s wife-to-be, and her rendition of Fly, Fly Away is goosebump-inducingly good! Shanee Osborne and George Torbay, who also happens to be the Vocal Director, deliver delightful cameos as Brenda’s parents; their take on suitor vetting, thinly veiled as Southern hospitality, is a treat!
The ensemble never misses a beat. Zoe Komazec’s choreography has the sharp pizzazz of a seasoned professional who has worked on some of the great touring productions, and the performers clearly love her work. Mark Stefanoff capably leads a visible stage band that is as tight as any you could want to hear! Reilly O’Loughlin’s ingeniously adaptable set allows seamless changes in location and tone, and Brad Pickford’s striking Digital Design and Mark Oakley’s Lighting Design support it beautifully. Seana O’Brien’s costuming was simply superb! Era-accurate, snappily chic, and with just enough sparkle, the costumes enhanced every dance number brilliantly while lending the whole show a sense of zeitgeist. Jo Casson, the Artistic Director of Full Circle, has brought this highly entertaining show to life with clever direction that has clearly inspired her brilliant cast. Casson must be applauded for bringing this ambitious work to an Adelaide stage.
My only misgivings about this classy production are the venue and length of the season.
The Futures Church is, well, it’s a church! A cavernous one at that! And well off the beaten track. Full Circle’s Catch Me If You Can is a mainstage production, ideally framed by a proscenium arch. While I was utterly entranced most of the time by the stunning performances, it was impossible not to notice the vast voids in this space; the fact that the cast filled them is testimony to their calibre. This segues into the next concern. A show of this standard deserves more than a three-performance season and opening night preview! A production of this scale costs money. Full Circle Theatre Company’s generous benefactors and donors have clearly dug deep to stage this magnificent production. As the visionary Jo Casson notes in the program, “South Australia deserves a professional music theatre company it can call it’s own…,” partly because “…no professional pathway existed for talented artists here.” My challenge to the Minister for the Arts, Lucy Hood, and private philanthropists is to get off their complacent butts to find ways to support this courageous and brilliant initiative and others like it in future. But such people seem as elusive as Frank in Catch Me If You Can”!
Massive congratulations to Jo Casson, her Creative Team and Cast for this superb production!
Go, see it! In Paradise!
John Doherty
When: 5 to 7 Nov
Where: Future’s Church
Bookings: events.humanitix.com
