Colfax High School presents “Catch Me If You Can” March 25 – 27
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — This year’s production for the Colfax High School drama club will be “Catch Me If You Can” with performances on March 25, 26 and 27.
“Catch Me If You Can” is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr.
After his parents were divorced when he was 16 years old, Abagnale ran away and ultimately ended up impersonating an airline pilot, a pediatrician and an attorney. He served time in prison, but his prison sentence was reduced when he agreed to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assisting with various fraud investigations.
According to a presentation Abagnale did in 2017, he has worked for the FBI for more than 40 years and has taught at the FBI academy.
The Colfax High School production of “Catch Me If You Can” is under the direction of Derek Westholm, band director and music teacher in the Colfax school district.
Westholm said he selected this particular production, which is a jazz-centered musical, based on the actors and actresses who would likely try out for the play as well as how the play lines up with shows that have been done in the past in terms of context and genre.
It has been quite a while since the Colfax High School production has been jazz-centered, and not very many of the recent productions have been based on a true story, Westholm said.
The story line presents challenging content for the students and requires them to deal with some difficult aspects of life, such as divorce, alcoholism, and that the main character is a criminal, he said.
“They have totally eaten this show up,” Westholm said.
“You have to really get all the nuances of the character relationships, or it doesn’t work,” he said.
Auditions for the show were done in December, and the cast list was selected before the holiday break. Rehearsals began in January.
The first show Westholm directed at Colfax, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” was never able to be performed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second show, “Shrek,” had an extended rehearsal period to make sure there could be an audience, also because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year is different because everyone has had to make sure the production is ready in three months, Westholm said.
In addition to working hard on the rehearsals, the students also have been involved in other activities, such as sports, solo and ensemble and forensics, he noted.
“Catch Me If You Can” will feature a live band that will be on stage throughout the show.
“Shrek” used all recorded music, also because of COVID concerns, “but the energy of the music in (this) show demands a live band on stage,” Westholm said.
Choreography
The show is choreographed by Colfax High School graduate Kayla Scholfield.
Scholfield choreographed many shows at Colfax High School while she was a student.
“Joseph” was in her senior year, and the show was never able to be performed, Westholm said, adding that he brought her back last year to choreograph “Shrek.”
“Kayla has written some fun dances that capture the spirit of the songs but are still accessible for the actors,” he said.
“Catch Me If You Can” allows the seniors in the cast to shine, Westholm said.
Jessie Lyric, who plays Frank, is in many scenes and sings multiple songs that are vocally demanding, he said.
“I didn’t know how good he would be. He has blown away my expectations,” Westholm said.
Aimee Fruit, who plays Frank’s girlfriend, has come a long way both vocally and with her acting, he said.
David Paulson, a freshman, plays Frank’s dad, and their relationship is “extremely layered.” If the relationships are not right, the show does not work, Westholm said.
Aydren Beebe, who plays Carl Hanratty, the detective looking for Frank, must present a certain balance to the character, because if the balance is not there, the show does not work, he said.
Westholm said he has wonderful things to say about all of the students in the production and urges people to be sure to read about them in the program that will be available at the play.
“There are so many great performances in this show,” he said.
“We are building a culture of excellence — not getting up there and doing a half job, but doing a great job, and also, we’re taking care of each other throughout the process,” Westholm said.
“This is incredibly demanding, from people’s time to their mental and emotional energy, especially when you’re doing a show that asks more of you,” he said.
Westholm also acknowledged the support of the administration in the Colfax school district.
The Martin Anderson Gymnasium now has a new sound system and a new lighting system.
“If we did not have the new lights, we would not be able to do this show,” Westholm said, adding that the new lights and sound system help make the best use out of the space.
Westholm also acknowledged the hard work of the volunteers who built the set, Aaron Apel and Solomon Plank, as well as Colfax High School art teacher Rich Meredith and his students.
Frank
Jessie Lyrek plays Frank Abagnale Jr. and says as a senior, he wanted to push himself beyond the previous characters he has played and noted that Frank’s songs are challenging.
What Lyrek likes best about Frank is that “he seems to learn as he goes and becomes more confident as he goes on.”
Frank Abagnale is confident he will win, but then learns life does not always revolve around him, Lyrek said.
The aspect that Lyrek likes least about Frank is that “he is cocky.”
“I am a shy and anxious person, and learning how to play somebody cocky and full of himself, who is thinking this whole world revolves around me, and I’m never going to lose …it’s very not me,” he said.
When asked what he would like the audience to know about “Catch Me If You Can,” Lyrek said, “I want them to understand Frank is lost. He’s a kid. He’s dealing with his parents’ divorce. He’s dealing with not having as much as money as the family once did.”
He also wants people to know “you don’t have to be like Frank, and you are never really alone. There are always people willing to support you if you go down the wrong path. Frank as a character, and as a real person, did not have that … there are always people willing to help you.”
That applies to the cast of the play as well.
Someone can be having a troubling day themselves, but if they are asked for help with lines, or help with hitting this particular note, “they are willing to help,” Lyrek said.
Hanratty
Aydren Beebe plays Carl Hanratty, the detective pursuing Abagnale.
Beebe said he likes the “odd nuance” of Hanratty, a man who follows the rules so much that he must distance himself from the situation so he does not end up biasing what happens at the end of the play.
Developing the Hanratty character has taken a certain amount of work, he said.
At the beginning of the rehearsals, Beebe said he played Hanratty as being a more angry detective.
When you see the depictions of detectives in old movies, they are angry, “but that is not what this character is supposed to be,” he said.
Hanratty is intense, but not angry-intense. He is more concentrated-intense because “he is hyper-focused on his job, and ultimately, that’s what he loves most in life, to catch criminals,” Beebe said.
The most challenging part of the play has been learning to sing — and dance — one particular number, he said.
When Beebe began practicing the song, “I would run laps around my room to try to get the breath training down.”
The challenge is you need the breath pattern for the music, but you also need a certain breath pattern for the choreography, Beebe said.
Beebe said he wants audience members to know how hard everyone has been working, from Mr. Westholm, to the cast, to the members of the band.
Singing with a live band is incredible, and it is fun to be in a play that is based on a real story, he said.
Beebe also recommended that if people who come to see the play enjoy the show, they should do some research afterwards into the real Frank Abagnale Jr.
Brenda
Aimee Fruit plays Frank’s girlfriend, Brenda Strong, and also performs in the chorus.
Brenda, a nurse in a hospital, is Frank’s main love interest. They fall in love, and after Frank meets her family, he tries to convince her to run away with him, which leads to Frank’s capture, Fruit said.
What Fruit likes best about Brenda is that she is portrayed as a serious character, but when she is with her family or with Frank, she is more “bubbly and open.”
The two sides of Brenda’s personality have been challenging, the more professional side versus Brenda’s more emotional and bubbly side, she said.
Fruit said that she, personally, does not do much facial expression but that she has had to learn to do Brenda’s facial expressions and do them in such a way that it comes across to the audience.
“Other than that, I think she’s pretty great!” she said.
When asked what she would like the audience to know, Fruit replied, “It think it’s pretty important for the audience to know how much work has been put into the play to learn about the characters and to learn the characters, and the work put in on the songs and on the dancing. Putting everything together has been a lot of time and effort, but it’s pretty fun,” she said.
“Catch Me If You Can” is based on the book by Terrence McNally. Music and lyrics are by Scott Wittman and March Shaiman.
Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, March 25; 7 p.m. Saturday, March 26; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 27.
Cast
Jessie Lyrek plays Frank Abagnale Jr.; Aydren Beebe plays Carl Hanratty; David Paulson plays Frank Abagnale Sr.; Alana Smith plays Paula Abagnale; Aimee Fruit plays Brenda Strong; Ashley Solberg plays Carol Strong; Nathan Boesl plays Roger Strong; Catherine Zons plays FBI Agent Cod; David Lyrek plays FBI Agent Dollar; Ava Sedivy plays Cheryl Ann; Audry Ackerlund plays May Miller.
Chorus members (stewardesses, pilots, doctors and nurses) include Emilee Burcham-Scofield; Katalina Hanson; Willow Molde; Baylee Beebe; Gracie Burgraff; Audrey Ebert; Jordan Johnson; Sienna Plank; Rosie Sonnentag; Carmella Gullickson; Brenna Gibson; Sophia Hazuga; Dominic Peterson; Olivia Schindler.
Crew
Here are the members of the stage and technical crew: Rosie Sonnentag, Mark Sonnentag, Marek Neuville, Rainer Neuville, Allison Schmitt, Amelia Schmitt, Amanda Lemler, Zachary Ingram, Jessa Rundle, Joseph Paulson.