2025 - Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire IL
Catch Me If You Can
Director .. Jessica Fisch Set Design .. Andrew Boyce & Lauren M. Nichols Video & Projection Design .. Anthony Churchill Costume Design .. Sully Ratke Lighting Design .. Jesse Klug Sound Design .. Micheal Daly Assoc. Video & Proj Designer .. David Sajewich
This musical really moves quickly, through time and space both in the narrative of the show and in the pace of the production. Compounding this was the venue, as the Marriott Theatre is in-the-round and requires everything to enter and exit through aisles in the audience. Working closely with Jessica and the scenic team, we conceived of a mid-century fantasia with nods to LAX airport and the TWA Flight Center at JFK airport. The final idea being a two-sided ring of video that circled the stage and offered two unique stories - much like the main character - simultaneously. This involved creating a new process where I was in the room for most of the rehearsal to create video with the actors and give the company an idea of how they could interact with the screens - which became an incredibly integrated part of the show.
With support from PRG, we designed and engineered LED panels to be rigged above the stage and created a unique experience for Marriott audiences. These surfaces were quite unique as they very long - with an almost 9:1 ratio and also connected without a break or architecture to hide any seams, so they required content that was seamless at the far edges. This required careful and creative problem solving as content had to work in a lot of ways. We also found a convention of comic frames as a way of creating many of the static book scenes which gave us some “video architecture” that could hide some of the inner workings of the content.
By opening, the show had a massive amount of video with all but one song having content on both screens, comprising more than 200 individual cues - triggered by lighting - and over 3000 pieces of individual media.
While the work of all the creative team is first rate it is the mood created by Anthony Churchill’s video projections that is literally scene stealing. His vibrant kaleidoscopic ring of visual art, suspended from the ceiling, is a character unto itself. It must be seen to be believed and it’s nearly impossible to pull your eyes away from his scene setting illustrations. Churchill creates indelible images on a blank canvas to romanticizes famous landscapes and the seven wonders of the world as Frank croons to his new-found love Brenda. It takes a charming musical moment, adds another 60’s nod to the etch-a-sketch, and makes a simple song an enduring and unforgettable theatrical memory.
James Lindhorst, Broadway World St. Louis
The rising director Jessica Fisch certainly has a kind of early Matthew Broderick template in her head for her confidently insouciant star, but she also comes up with a lot of creative ideas throughout the video-encrusted production, beginning with downplaying the outer frame and embracing the retro, “Coffee, tea or me?” vibe without needlessly undermining it for some greater purpose.
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
The modernist-minimalist set by Andrew Boyce and Lauren M. Nichols — with its modular couches that glide along the perimeter of the stage — is a study in fab functionality, while designer Anthony Churchill's groovy graphics and videos are among the Lincolnshire theater’s most artfully designed in recent memory.
Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald
