PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK SELIGER

SPOTLIGHT APRIL 2011 

Playing Catch 

Frank W. Abagnale and Mark Seliger spotlight Aaron Tveit, star of the Broadway-musical version of Catch Me if You Can, based on Abagnale’s life. 

BY FRANK W. ABAGNALE 

 PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK SELIGER 

 MARCH 17, 2011

Aaron Tveit is a young man who has it all: the voice, the looks, the moves of a true leading man, and charisma to spare. And the kid can work a pilot’s uniform—a must for someone who’s going to play me in the musical version of Catch Me if You Can, opening on Broadway this month. 

I’ve had a wild ride, from my youthful adventures to becoming one of the leading experts in fraud prevention and working with the F.B.I. for more than 35 years. I’ve been awed and educated by my experiences, and I have worked hard to give my life meaning—as a father, a husband, and a citizen. To be portrayed twice by such talented young men—first by Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg’s film version of my 1980 memoir, and now by Aaron, a true star on the rise—is humbling, to say the least. Listening to Aaron (best known for his roles in Broadway’s Next to Normal and on TV’s Gossip Girl) power his way through a show by the Broadway dream team that gave us Hairspray will move you to live life to its fullest and dance past anything standing in your way. Get your seats now. But get them from a reputable source. Times Square may be all cleaned up these days, but take it from me: a scalper’s forged ticket won’t get you into the theater, and Aaron Tveit is giving one career-making performance you don’t want to miss.