Nathan Lane to Be in Catch Me If You Can Workshop in August

By Robert Simonson
July 6, 2006

Nathan Lane will star in an August workshop of the new Terrence McNally-Scott Wittman-Marc Shaiman musical Catch Me If You Can, Playbill.com has learned.

Lane will play Hanratty, the federal agent, a role created by Tom Hanks in the Stephen Spielberg film. The show will be directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.

The film told the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a compulsive young con man and the federal agent who pursues him over many years. Starring in the picture were Leonardo DiCaprio and Hanks, as well as Christopher Walken as the father of the DiCaprio character.

The fall 2005 reading featured Matthew Morrison at Frank Abagnale, Jr; Lane as Hanratty; Tom Wopat as Frank Abagnale, Sr; Christine Ebersole as Paula Abagnale; Celia Keenan-Bolger as Brenda and Sara Gettelfinger as Cheryl Ann. The ensemble included Chester Gregory, Shayna Steele, Luther Creek and Melinda Hull.

The songlist at the reading included:

"The Real Truth Lies"
"Fifty Checks"
"Last December in Montrichard"
"Someone Else's Skin"
"Jet Set"
"I Don't Get It"
"You Gotta Pay for Love"
"The Man Inside the Clues"
"Butter Outta Cream"
"My Favorite Time of Year"
"Don't Be A Stranger"
"Doctor's Orders"
"Seven Wonders"
"Breaking All the Rules"
"Bury Me Beside the One I Love"
"Fly, Fly Away"
"Running Together, Never Apart "
"Butter Outta Cream Reprise"

The picture takes place in the 1960s, a period the writers feel comfortable in, having just worked on the 1962-set Hairspray.