Oshkosh North caught the community by surprise with their shocking rendition of Catch Me if You Can! as the cast worked tirelessly throughout the winter season to prepare an action-packed musical performed at the Grand February 13-16.

When the adaptation of the blockbuster movie Catch Me If You Can hit the stage, the audience was transported to a live performance of Leonardo Dicaprio’s memorable turn as Frank Abagnale Jr. in the 2002 release, which also featured Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken. Catch Me’s begins with an abrupt introduction to Abagnale’s mindless escape from his damaged home at the age of 16. He quickly finds out that being alone with no money, and no one to look after him, presents a less than ideal life. Abagnale has to make quick decisions in order to survive, decisions resulting in impersonations such as a pilot, then a doctor, teacher and so on. Following a long introduction to Abagnale’s rough beginnings, audiences start to see an evolution in him. Abagnale finds love and wants to change his criminal ways. Although he wants to stop, he cannot. Like any criminal, he served his time. But unlike most criminal endings landing the guilty behind bars, he instead applies his nefarious ways for the forces of good in the FBI. North musical students turned in an impressive interpretation of a challenging story still fresh in the minds of most audience members.

North High School Choir Director Bridget Duffy-Ulrich took many factors into account when choosing Catch Me If You Can for this year’s show.

“I have always loved the soundtrack, and I wanted a show that would feature our ensemble,” she said. “For some shows, the ensemble does not get much stage time, but I wanted a chance for the entire cast to get a lot of stage time.”

Duffy appreciates the hard work and dedication the students applied in the process of rehearsing this show.

“The cast and crew worked so hard on this difficult show,” she said. “I wish the audience could see the growth in the cast from auditions through months of preparation; it’s quite amazing to see the students step up.”

The show gave new viewpoints on the criminal mind, but also allowed the audience to interact with a series of laughs during rough points for a comical break.

“Catch Me If You Can is full of high energy dance numbers and vocal features. The script is funny and fast-paced, and the message addresses the idea that running from your problems is usually not the answer,” Duffy said.

Frank Abgnale Jr, played by North senior Joshua Hawley, was presented to the audience as a sympathetic character rather than the villain. Hawley appreciated how deeply the show impacted members of the audience.

“Catch Me if You Can is a different style of show morally. The whole show is meant for the audience to sympathize with the criminal, so it’s the complete opposite of what most people are used to,” he said.

Hawley enjoyed how his character, the criminal, can truly be someone anyone can relate to.

“You’re on the side of technically ‘the bad guy’ and you’re rooting against the police. This is to give you insight towards why people might do things like that, though it doesn’t justify it,” he said.

A long time theater kid, Hawley hopes to achieve his dreams of going to college for a BA in fine arts. One of Hawley’s favorite parts of the character was how his unique perspective affected members of the audience.

“It’s definitely a different perspective on how we perceive criminals and broken families; there’s a lot of that going on,” he said.

North junior Campbell Gies played Brenda Strong, a performance that brought forth new challenges for her to tackle, impacting her musical abilities for the better.

“Right when I first started the practices for Catch Me if You Can, belting, and mixing, was a very big difficulty for me,” she said. “Now after practice and lots of hours just singing my song, I developed the confidence and ability to perform it to my very best. I am very happy I was able to overcome those obstacles.”

Gies appreciated the show’s community and feels the cast deserves a great thanks.

“Just overall, they created an environment where if your voice cracks, or if you miss a line, there would be a supportive community around you,” she said. “Knowing that mistakes don’t determine your entire self worth, and creating an environment where people are okay with making mistakes.”

North freshman Teya Zinth’s first high school performance opened her eyes to opportunities she hopes to have in the future.

“Being a freshman in the cast was so fun and amazing and everybody was so sweet and I met a lot of people I probably wouldn’t know now as a freshman through the musical,” she said.

Although long, Zinth felt rehearsals were fun and made the long hours after school a positive memory.

“I love the dances and everybody was so fun to hang out with,” she said. “At times you have to be serious but it’s kind of one big hangout session, plus singing and dancing.”

Zinth appreciated how the upperclassmen in the show welcomed and inspired her and the other freshmen.

“Watching the upperclassmen perform, I was always amazed by how musically gifted they are, and how they danced,” she said. “It’s incredible just thinking about how that can be me someday if I just stick through with it.”

Although the choice was unique for a high school performance, the cast wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I would say the dances were so carefully choreographed, that they looked amazing from the audience’s perspective,” Zinth said. “The show is so incredibly funny, and it’s so fun, that I couldn’t see myself doing a different play.”

by Gabriella Weisse

Published on February 24 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue V

Fortunate audience ‘catch’ North musical performed at historic Grand Opera House