Act I
The musical opens In the heart of 1960s America as young con man Frank Abagnale Jr is stopped at Miami Airport by chief FBI Agent Carl Hanratty. Instead of running, he pleads with them to let him tell his story and explain how he had managed to get away with so many disguises. Frank promises to let them know all of his secrets, which Hanratty agrees, “Live in Living Color”.
The story goes back to Frank’s childhood growing up in New Rochelle New York where Frank lived with his parents Frank Snr and Paula Abagnale. His parents met during the Second World War in Paris, after Paula was a performer and noticed Frank Snr in the audience (“The Pinstripes are all That I See”). The couple got married and had Frank Jnr, but struggle financially to bring him up, sending him to public school rather than private school. Frank Jr wears a school jacket to public school and is taunted for looking like a substitute teacher. This inspires him to begin his life of disguises, and within days he is teaching French classes whilst the teacher is absent. After school, Frank gets home to see his mother with one of his father’s friends and is distraught. Although she begs him not to tell Frank Sr, they are later in court fighting over custody of him. He decides to run away (“Someone Else’s Skin”) and learns to fend for himself. His first trick to to create fake checks, which he then cashes in banks all over the country.