BY GILLIAN G. GAAR

Catch Me If You Can, a new musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is a love letter to the 1960s, with its cocktail lounge crooning, day-glo costumes, and, showing that it really is a fantasy, bringing back memories of a time when air travel actually used to be fun. The show had its world premiere in Seattle on Aug 6, prior to its expected Broadway run. (View a video clip preview of the show, below.)

Shaiman (music, lyrics) and Wittman (lyrics) are clearly hoping lightning will strike twice; their musical adaptation of John Waters' Hairspray also had its world premiere in Seattle, and went on to Tony-award winning success. Like Hairspray, Catch Me is also based on a movie, in this case the 2002 film starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks, as, respectively, Frank Abagnale, Jr., a master forger, and Special Agent Carl Hanratty, the FBI man who pursued him.

Abagnale not only perfected the art of crafting dud checks, he also managed to pass himself off as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, all before he was 21. As such, there's a lot of fun ground to be covered, as the Shaiman/Wittman score is largely up to the task. Songs like "The Jet Set" and "Doctor's Orders" celebrate the groovy times to be had amongst the devil-may-care flight crews and those playing doctors and nurses for real. Abagnale's dad gets a Rat Pack turn in his advice to his son, "Fifty Checks," and Hanratty walks off with the most lyrically clever tunes, in "Here I Am (To Save The Day)," "Breaking All The Rules," and "The Man Inside The Clues," as well as duets with both Abagnale senior ("Little Boy Be A Man") and junior (the poignant Christmas number "My Favorite Time Of Year"). The score's big misstep is when the story moves to New Orleans and cast breaks out into "Bury Me Beside The One I Love"; those expecting a welcome injection of Southern flavoring will be disappointed to find that, accents aside, it's just another Broadway show tune. And the romantic ballad by Abagnale's fiancé, "Fly, Fly Away," is too much like something Mariah Carey would sing and goes on too long.

Otherwise, the lively cast keeps the pace brisk and loose. Aaron Tviet is cute and charming as Abagnale, but the meatier, and more complex roles are the workaholic Hanratty, wonderfully played by Norbert Leo Butz, and the beaten down but still optimistic Abagnale senior, played by Tom Wopat. For sixties-o-philes, there's plenty of trivia from the decade; hints of James Bond, a champagne bottle joke taken from the opening credits of The Avengers, the old NBC peacock logo. The sets (by David Rockwell, another Hairspray vet) and costumes (by Bob Mackie) emphasize color and light, with the orchestra on a staircase at the back of the stage, like in a nightclub or a TV extravaganza. Terrance McNally's script is bright and concise, even in the love scenes. The show is directed by yet another Hairspray veteran, Jack O'Brien.

The show sticks to the lighter side of the story, making the transition to Abagnale's final arrest too abrupt. Still, it's a feel good show that should go over well with audiences. And in very a modern twist, it's nice to see a musical ending with two men - the now-reformed criminal and the G-man - walking off into the sunset together.