The Pinstripes Aren’t All That I See
Casey Berry, me, Anthony Matrejek
There’s another post here I wrote after The Addams Family (Happy. Sad.) closed. In it, I explored the challenges that come with opportunity and the notion of hitting an age where I could be cast as the father in a production. The most recent was Frank Abagnale, Sr., in Catch Me If You Can at Town Theatre. This go-round, I played a lovable, if conniving father to a young man, Frank Abagnale, Jr., who would embark on a criminal career defrauding people around the world for millions of dollars – all before he reached the age of 20.
Once again, the level of work and collaboration of an entire group of people results in the final product. Like Addams Family, Catch Me doesn’t have you questioning the meaning of life. But for me, at least, it did make me stop and realize how easily things can get off kilter. This young man’s original goal was simply to get his mother and father back together after their marriage sours. From there, and likely through force of habit, his swindles grow in size and geography. If you watch the Leonardo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks film, you can follow the plot, sans musical numbers, of course.
Frank, Sr. drinks. A lot. In my view, I always felt he was a “cocktails before dinner” kind of guy. Always dressed impeccably, his signature song explains to his son, Frank Jr., and the audience, “the pinstripes are all that they see.” The thought behind this is that no matter how crazy or stirred up a person is, the shell – the persona – is what onlookers see first. To quote another Broadway musical’s lyrics, you “give ‘em the old razzle dazzle.”
The Pinstripes are All that They See
Casey Berry and Me
At the same time, this man loves his son. It’s apparent throughout the time he has on stage. Initially through instruction and later through the giving of advice. He’s protective. He’s a mentor and advisor. Unlike my character, I don’t drink very much anymore; I can’t hold my liquor. But I felt some of those same things for my colleague and stage son, Casey Berry. This is a young man who oozes talent from every pore. Interestingly, a week after we closed the show, I realized that my relationship with him (and the show, really) was much like Frank/Frankie’s in that he was estranged from his father early in life. I joined rehearsals later in the process because of my commitment to another show, Guys and Dolls, so I didn’t have the same kind of bonding experience most of the other cast members did. But as always, when I share music with someone, it can bring me home.
This happened every night for me as Casey and I ended Pinstripes with a glorious slide up to the final note of our song. You know something’s right when two people slide at the same time, with the same interval, and land at the same time. My wife, this time around, was cold and a sort of one-dimensional person. She married Frank basically to get away from her life in France. He was a means to an end. The hard part about that is that I love Jordan Harper tremendously, and she’s nothing like her character, Paula. This made for a somewhat schizophrenic experience, given her cold manner on stage versus her utter warmth offstage. She and I are sort of kindred souls and discovered during our time together that we share many of the same options and foibles. And again, my role came piled with some of the most wonderful music in the show.
Gil Young and the other FBI agents
In the case of Paula, Jordan and I shared wonderful moments in “Don’t Be a Stranger,” overlapping her dark, rich mezzo with my baritone. It became a thing I looked forward to every night. Frank, Sr.’s interactions in the show are almost completely limited to his son and wife. The single exception to this is his encounter with Hanratty, the FBI agent pursuing Frank, Jr. I should note here that Hanratty was the role I originally sought, but for which I was pretty much assured I wouldn’t be considered because of schedule conflicts with Guys and Dolls; I was playing Nathan Detroit which was demanding. This turned out to be a happy development as I met Gil Young in the process, and became fast friends. Fate would later have me playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray opposite Gil a year later. I honestly don’t think I could have done that role with anyone else as my husband.
Casey Berry and Katie Gatch
Another complete standout was Katie Gatch in the role of Brenda, Frank Jr.’s ultimate love interest in the show. Her performance of “Fly, Fly Away” was stunning and yanked at your heartstrings.
In all, Catch Me If You Can once again added to the list of people I call my friend. It created an emotional nose dive for me, caused by my last scene with Casey Berry, which had Frank Sr. treating his son so, so badly, but a genuine love for the actor playing him. It became the beginning of numerous coffee dates with the ineffable Jordan Harper, and an ongoing bromance with my friend, Gil (and his amazing wife, Julie Young).
As always, I invest myself and become submerged in the experience. This show was no different. I am grateful. I am tired. And I am satisfied.
