Catch Me If You Can at Malvern Theatres - Review

Post

Subscribe

Mon 21 Mar 2022 - Sat 30 Apr 2022

It may be three decades since Patrick Duffy was romping around as Bobby Ewing in Dallas but he still adds a touch of all-American glamour when he appears on stage.



There seemed a frisson of excitement in the audience at Malvern Theatres from one-time Dallas fans as he appeared in psychological thriller Catch Me If You Can. He's there all week till March 26 in the play starring alongside his real-life girlfriend Linda Purl, a seasoned actress who some will know from the US Office and Homeland.

The show is back in the region again at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre from April 25 to 30.

Frank Sinatra's songs warm up the crowd to make them feel in the 1960s before curtain up reveals a glamorous set that feels a little like Dallas. There's a swanky American mountain lodge with a huge moose's head hanging above the fireplace in this drama from the era of Mad Men, before mobile phones and Google would have made much of this plot unworkable.

Duffy plays confused advertising exec Daniel Corban whose wife has gone missing during their honeymoon. He's on stage pretty much throughout in this thriller with constant twists, turns and red herrings, adapted from Robert Thomas's French play Trap for a Lonely Man.



Duffy is looking much older nowadays; thinner and with grey hair, but he is now 73. He's still got the same light, whispery voice and to project those gentle tones, he was wearing a discreet microphone, as were other actors.

Despite the passage of time, Duffy still carries himself with that same swagger and panache, even with no ten-gallon hat in sight. Dallas this ain't. Instead, it's a slow burner of a whodunnit.

Bit by bit, the intrigue and suspense build over the two-hour show as a strange priest turns up with a woman claiming to be Daniel's wife, who he doesn't recognise.

Some regulars from other touring theatre crime and Agatha Christie mysteries like Ben Nealon and Gray O'Brien are among the cast, putting on questionable American accents.

Casualty actor O'Brien is the steadfast local cop looking into everything in this strange little town. Former Soldier Soldier star Nealon is the suspicious Father Kelleher and Purl is very watchable as the bewildering possible wife that constantly keeps you guessing.



The pace is a little slow during the first sct and Duffy doesn't quite seem frantic enough for a man in this bizarre situation. Thankfully, the second act ups the tempo and mystery, with a big body count.

There's even such a clever big reveal that it made me forgive some of my misgivings about earlier stilted scenes.

Catch Me If You Can is an enjoyable enough psychological thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end. It's a gentle whodunnit but with that extra razzle-dazzle from such a big name Eighties star.

RATING: & #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9734 ;& #9734 ;

#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#theatres
#west_midlands
#march
#april
!date 21/03/2022 -- 30/04/2022
%wnbirmingham