Catch Me If You Can opened at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre last night and this Hitchcockian thriller provided twists and turns galore. Based on the french play ‘Trap For A Lonely Man’ it appears at first glance to be a straightforward missing person story, but a twist part way through the first half totally turns this on its head, leaving your thought processes dazed and confused as you have to decide who you can trust is actually telling the truth. The truth is you can trust no-one and trust nothing, but you can certainly enjoy the ride.

Without giving too much away, the play starts with the disappearance of a newlywed woman, Elizabeth Corban, whilst on her honeymoon in a borrowed log cabin in the Catskills. Her frantic husband Daniel has called in the local police, but is exasperated by the lackadaisical ways of local detective Inspector Levine, who seems disinterested to say the least. Matters are further complicated when Elizabeth reappears along with a Priest, Father Kelleher, very apologetic and in perfect health. What follows is a dazzling mystery that makes you question what you are seeing, and who to believe.

In the lead role as Daniel we have the legendary Patrick Duffy, who has lost non of his famous charm and charisma. He plays the role in a calm, measured performance, almost underplaying it, which totally adds credence to the plight of his character, and also has a droll delivery for a lot of one liners that add a lot of humour to the play. He is ably supported by the rest of the cast, the brilliant Linda Purl as Elizabeth, very much a hard boiled dame of Film Noir style, utterly ruthless and yet very convincing as the loving wife. Gray O’ Brien is great as Inspector Levine, often hilariously so, as the overworked detective, playing the role like those 70s detectives Columbo and Petrocelli.

Ben Nealon, who was so good in The Cat and the Canary, is perfect for the role of Father Kelleher, veering between charming and at times almost bumbling, and sinister. Hugh Futcher almost steals the second half as local deli owner Sidney in a really funny performance.

Catch Me If You Can is full of razor sharp dialogue, and is, at times, very funny, but it never loses that sinister edge. It saves one brilliant final twist for the ending, that answers all those questions you been thinking all the way through.

Clever, and never less than gripping, Catch Me If You Can is not to be missed.

Catch Me If You Can

The Alexandra, Birmingham

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