No, this is not the airport movie or the musical. This is a 1960s murder mystery. And since quite a few of you weren’t even born yet when this play was first produced, we’ve attached a list of comedic references for your perusal.

References and Descriptions

• Mack Sennett produced the Keystone Cops comedies between 1912 and 1917
• The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies.
•  The Marlin Rambler (later AMC Marlin) is a two-door fastback automobile produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation from 1965 to 1967. A halo car for the company, it was marketed as a personal luxury car. In 1965, the car was marketed as the "Rambler Marlin". For 1966, the car featured "Marlin" identification only and was officially named "AMC Marlin", as was the 1967 model.
• Mr. Magoo, a fictional cartoon character, is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem.
• The Catskills - Beginning in the 1920s, New Yorkers sought escape from the summer heat in the mountains, with their promise of fresh air and leisure. They left the city in droves, driving or taking the train up north. By the 1950s, more than a million people were spending their summers in bungalow colonies, hotels, and summer camps in the Catskill Mountains and surrounding areas, which came to be known as the “Borscht Belt” or “Jewish Alps.” But just several decades later, those resorts had all but disappeared. The Catskills fell out of vogue for a combination of reasons. More women entered the workforce, airfare became cheaper and families moved to bigger homes in the suburbs. Air-conditioning was also widely available, which meant New York City denizens didn’t have to escape the city to keep cool. And after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, Jews, like black people, could no longer be discriminated against, and thus had more places to go.
• Rockaway - It is named for the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk in Queens, which is the largest urban beach in the United States, stretching from Beach 3rd to Beach 153rd Streets on the Atlantic Ocean.
• Grossinger’s - In its glory days, Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel outside Liberty, N.Y., was a glamorous vacation scene frequented by celebrities. It was the inspiration for the fictional resort in Dirty Dancing, the iconic movie starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
• St. Thomas Aquinas - St. Thomas Aquinas was the greatest of the Scholastic philosophers. He produced a comprehensive synthesis of Christian theology and Aristotelian philosophy that influenced Roman Catholic doctrine for centuries and was adopted as the official philosophy of the church in 1917.  He was the patron saint of universities and scholars.
• Howard Johnson’s, or Howard Johnson by Wyndham, is an American-owned chain of worldwide hotels and motels, located primarily throughout the United States. It was also a chain of restaurants for 97 years and is widely known for that alone.
• Dear Abby - Written by Abigail Van Buren (also known as Jeanne Phillips), Dear Abby is the most widely syndicated columnist in the world, delivering sound advice.  Dear Abby’s column was founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name.
• Mata Hari was revered as the ultimate femme fatale — the seductive, glamorous exotic dancer who spied for the Germans during World War I and caused the deaths of thousands of Allied soldiers.
• Kosher - In Hebrew, “kosher” means fit or proper. Kosher food is any food fit for consumption by Jewish people. The laws of Kosher define which foods a person can and cannot eat, and also how they should produce and handle certain foods.
• Dick Tracy - is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977, and various artists and writers have continued it.
• Waterloo ended the wars that had convulsed Europe since the French Revolution (1789-99). It also ended France's attempts, whether under Louis XIV or Napoleon, to dominate the continent. Waterloo inaugurated a general European peace that, apart from the brief interruption of the Crimean War (1854-56), lasted until 1914.
• Breviary - a book containing the service for each day, to be recited by those in orders in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Rip Van Winkle - "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle, an amiable farmer who wanders into the Catskill Mountains, where he comes upon a group of dwarfs playing ninepins. Rip accepts their offer of a drink of liquor and promptly falls asleep. When he awakens, 20 years later, he is an old man with a long white beard; the dwarfs are nowhere in sight.
• Deep freeze - Deep freezers and regular freezers share their defining feature: keeping foods frozen at a temperature of about 0 degrees Fahrenheit or -18 degrees Celsius. The most obvious difference between the two is that fridge freezers are always part of a multi-purpose appliance, while deep freezers exclusively freeze foods.
• J. Edgar Hoover was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. He would not tolerate dissent and made public enemies out of anyone who dared to resist him.
• Mounties - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, commonly known in English-speaking areas as the Mounties, is the federal and national police service of Canada.
• Nelson Eddy was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs.
• Margaret Sanger was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. 
• Frank Buck was an American hunter, animal collector, and author, as well as a film actor, director, and producer. Buck spent more than thirty years hunting, capturing, and delivering wild animals to circuses and zoos worldwide.
• The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of November 19, 1863, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated Confederate forces in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Civil War's deadliest battle. It remains one of the best-known speeches in American history.
• “Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original Italian Mafia. 
• Cosa Nostra was a secret association engaged in organized crime in the U.S., modeled after and affiliated with the Mafia. 
• Juan Valdez is not a real person. He was created in 1959 and was the key figure in a massive marketing campaign to promote Colombian coffee as a single-origin product and mark of quality.
• Mashugeh - “Mashugana” is the Yiddish word for crazy.
• Lucrezia Borgia was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia.  Several rumors have persisted throughout the years, primarily speculating as to the allegations of poisoning, and murder on her part; however, no historical basis for these rumors has ever been brought forward beyond allegations made by rival parties. It is rumored that Lucrezia was in possession of a hollow ring that she used frequently to poison drinks.
• Richard Burton was a highly regarded Welsh actor of stage and screen. He earned seven Oscar nominations and married Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor in 1964, and the two maintained a volatile relationship for years to come that included remarriage and two divorces.
• Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character that premiered in the 1959–1964 ABC network animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle.
• “Finis…kaput…it’ll be all over” –Finis – the end; Kaput- broken and useless; no longer working or effective.
• The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world".
• Cockamamie theories - ridiculous; implausible theories
• A punch card is an early computer programming relic that was used before the many data storage advances relied upon today.
• Win…Place…and Show - The basic types of horse racing bets are of course win, place, and show. A win bet means your horse must win, a place bet means it must finish first or second and a show bet means it must be first, second, or third though, of course, this means a lower payout.

We hope you enjoy the show!

— Barta Heiner, Director

Thrilled to be back on the HCT stage! Bradley’s favorite credits include The Mousetrap (Trotter) with HCT; Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Collins) with HCTO; and the WSU Storytelling Festival.  He holds a BFA in acting from BYU and a Bachelors in Software Development from WGU. He works as a Software Developer at JourneyTEAM. Look for his podcast “Immersive - A Storytelling Podcast” on Spotify.

Ecstatic to be back on the HCT stage! Dallin’s favorite credits include Titanic The Musical, Silent Sky, and One for the Pot with HCT; The 39 Steps, Emma, Man with the Pointed Toes, and Charlie’s Aunt with HCTO; and The Fantasticks, Wait Until Dark, You Can’t Take it with You, and The Curious Savage with PG Players. He graduated from David Scott’s Applied Art of Acting Full-time Course in 2018 and is a self-employed Audiobook Narrator and Voice Over Artist. “All my love and gratitude to Kennedy and my family for their support and the passion and ethic they’ve taught me.”

A familiar face to our HCT audiences; Chandler’s HCT credits include See How They Run, Lucky Stiff, One for the Pot, The Mousetrap, Murder on the Orient Express, The Addams Family, AIDA, Big River, and Ghost: The Musical. Other favorite credits include: Gerald Lynch Theater - Sweeney Todd and Macbeth. Chandler graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Saint John’s University. Chandler teaches English and coordinates the International Baccalaureate program at West Jordan High School. “I would like to thank my wonderful wife, parents, and children for their love and support.”

Most recently seen on the HCT Jewel Box stage in See How They Run and Sleeping Beauty’s Dream with Sting & Honey Company. He graduated with a BFA in acting from the ATP at the U of U and works as a Personal Trainer. He wishes to dedicate these performances to one of his mentors, Treat Williams (1951-2023). “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver

A familiar face to HCT audiences. Previous credits on our stages: Hans Christian Andersen in New York, See How They Run, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Wait Until Dark, The Heart of Robin Hood, and She Loves Me. Other credits include: Shakespeare Theatre Company - Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest; Salt Lake Acting Company in Fun Home; Parker Theatre - Hamlet; Hale Center Theater Orem in Bright Star, Annie, Peter and the Starcatcher, Big Fish, and Peter Pan; and The Tempest with Renaissance Now. Ben has a B.S. in Theatrical Arts from UVU and an MFA in Classical Acting from George Washington University. Ben wants to thank his children and their mother for all the support.

David was most recently seen as Isador Strauss in this season’s production of Titanic The Musical. Other favorite credits include: A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus Finch), Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvelin), and I Do! I Do! (Michael). He also served as Director of our 2016 production of Big River. David holds a BA in Theatre Arts/Education from USU and works as a Client Success Manager at DentalQore. “All my love to my family and friends who support me endlessly.”

No stranger to the HCT stages, Megan’s favorite credits include Bright Star (Alice), Guys & Dolls (Sarah Brown), Les Miserables (Fantine), Disney’s Tarzan (Jane), A Tale of Two Cities (Lucy), Zorro The Musical (Louisa), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Marguerite), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Truly Scrumptious), The Sound of Music (Maria), Mamma Mia (Donna), and She Loves Me (Ilona Ritter). Megan is a BYU graduate, and when not appearing on a local stage, she is sailing the high seas with Princess Cruise Lines. “God is good.” 

Making her HCT debut! Meg’s favorite credits include Camelot (Guenevere) with HCTO; Guys & Dolls (Sarah Brown) with Starlight Mountain Theater; Radium Girls (Kathryn) and The Importance of Being Earnest (Cecily) with BYU. She has a BFA in Music Dance Theatre from BYU and is a full-time toddler mom and part-time daycare sub. “I am so excited for my HCT debut and cannot thank my family enough for supporting my dreams.”

A familiar face to our HCT audiences, Derrick was most recently seen in See How They Run. Favorite stage credits include: Lucky Stiff, A Christmas Carol 2021, The Music Man, and Phantom with Hale Centre Theatre. Other credits include: Peter Pan (Captain Hook), Little Shop Of Horrors (Seymour), and Agent Mel in the television show “Granite Flats.” Derrick earned his BA and MA from Weber State University and works in Security Software. “Determination determines your dream! Play to win, play to inspire, and play to help change.”

Making his HCT debut! Jakob’s favorite credits include See How They Run with HCTO and Macbeth with Creekside Theatre as well as Writer, Actor, and Fight Choreographer for The Masters of Dueling! He has a BA in Theatre Arts from BYU and Theatre Arts Education from UVU.

Thrilled to be back on the HCT stage! Taylor comes to our stage with a varied repertoire, including The Mousetrap with HCT; Emma at Parker Theatre; Noises Off at The Grand; South Pacific with Opera San Luis Obispo and 2x5 at the International Fringe Festival. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Rockford University and works at a Psychiatric hospital for teens assigned male at birth. “Thank you to all the cast, crew, and production team for their dedication and hard work! To my family, I love you. And to you, the audience, this is not about Frank Abagnale.” 

Making her HCT debut! Emma’s favorite credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolyn), Hay Fever (Sorel Bliss), and Cymbeline with BYU; Singin’ In the Rain (Lina Lamont) with Playmill Theatre; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia) at the Creekside Theatre Festival. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from BYU. “I am forever grateful to my husband, Cooper, and family for always believing in me and supporting me in this crazy dream!” 

Excited to be back on the HCT stage! Acting credits include: HCT - One For the Pot, Cash on Delivery!, and The Scarlet Pimpernel; Murray Arts - Disney’s The Little Mermaid; Midvale Arts - A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Draper Theatre - Macbeth; Kensington Theater - The Crucible; and Sugar Factory Playhouse - Beau Jest, Catch Me If You Can, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Curtains. Mark holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the U of U and works for the Utah Medical Association. “I’m having so much fun, it should be criminal.”

Favorite performing credits include: HCT - See How They Run (Lionel Toop), Silent Sky (Peter Shaw), Treasure Island (Ben Gunn), The Play That Goes Wrong (Dennis/Perkins), Beau Jest (Joel), Over the River… (Nick), Peter and the Starcatcher (Smee), The Heart of Robin Hood (Much), and Newsies (Weisel); HCTO - The Sound of Music, Matilda The Musical, Charley’s Aunt, The Odd Couple, Cash on Delivery!, and The Diary of Anne Frank. Ben has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre/Speech Education from BYU-Idaho and a Master's degree in HR Management from Rollins College and works as the Manager of Customer Education at BambooHR. “This show is dedicated to my wonderful tribe - Luana, Elliott, Oliver, and Atticus!”

Barta is not a stranger to the Hales and Dietleins, whom she has known since the 1970s. After graduating from BYU, she had the delightful pleasure of working with both Ruth and Nathan Hale and their family of actors at the Glendale Center Theater in California. Ms. Heiner has performed in numerous theatrical and film productions: most recently Alien Country and Mythica: Stormbound (both yet to be released)  Recent directing credits include: Silent Sky and Murder on the Orient Express at Hale Centre Theatre and Pride and Prejudice for Hale Center Theater Orem. Needless to say, Ms. Heiner is once again delighted to be working with the excellent production team and actors at Hale Centre Theatre.

Along with Catch Me If You Can, Chantel has served as Stage Manager for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, School of Rock, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Seussical, Cinderella, Matilda, The Wizard of Oz, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder here at HCT. She holds a BA in Theatre from UVU. Other credits include Utah Shakespeare Festival: The Foreigner and Big River. Another Theatre Company: Next Fall and Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike. For UVU: Anything Goes, The Rez Sisters, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. "Stand tall and the world will look up to you." 

Jenn’s work was most recently seen as the Scenic Designer for Hans Christian Andersen in New York, See How They Run, The Light in the Piazza, One for the Pot, The Mousetrap, Bright Star, The Addams Family, Freaky Friday, and Steel Magnolias. Recent costume design credits for HCT: Singin’ in the Rain, Guys and Dolls, The Wizard of Oz, and Aida. Other Scenic Designs for HCT include The Nerd, A Bundle of Trouble, Big River, Beau Jest, Over the River and Through the Woods, Is He Dead?, The Foreigner, The 39 Steps, and The Game’s Afoot. 

Dennis Wright is happy to return to Hale Centre Theatre after designing costumes for Lucky Stiff, and Titanic The Musical. Dennis holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Clothing & Textiles with a minor in Theatre Arts. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Boston University in Theatrical Costume Design. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Theatre & Media Arts Department at BYU, and head of the Design & Tech area. Dennis spent 10 years as a Costumer, Costume Designer, and Project Manager with Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. While there, he designed character costumes, attraction uniforms, and contributed to multiple live-stage productions. Dennis has designed costumes for productions at BYU, UofU, Jackson Hole Playhouse, American Repertory Theatre, The Barn Theater, The Scera Shell, Signature Productions of Las Vegas, and Hale Center Theater Orem.

Recent Hale Centre Theatre credits for Marianne include the Lighting Design for See How They Run, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Silent Sky, The Light in the Piazza, Daddy Long Legs, and Bright Star. She works as a Lighting Designer and Lighting Manager for BYU's Theatre and Media Arts Department. Marianne holds her Bachelor's Degree from Brigham Young University and her Master’s Degree from the University of Idaho. Recent designs for BYU include Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof, and Pride and Prejudice. She also enjoys designing for Utah Metropolitan Ballet. 

Kristin has been an audio engineer at HCT for almost five years and loves helping share stories through sound. Previously, Kristin lent her skills to our production of Silent Sky. She wants to thank her boss and mentor, Michelle Ohumukini, for all of her guidance and support and the rest of the wonderful HCT sound department for all of their help.

Danna has worked at Hale Centre Theatre in various departments for 20 years. Much of that time was as Master Electrician, Lighting Design, and Lighting Department Head. She has created designs for The Nerd, Is He Dead?, AIDA, Freaky Friday, and Wait Until Dark. She recently ventured into prop design with our production of Hans Christian Andersen in New York as well as contributing to our production of The Three Musketeers and Disney’s Tarzan. She would like to thank all of those who supported her and made this a possibility.

Krissa has been with HCT for 10 years. Some of her favorite hair and makeup designs include Titanic, Lucky Stiff, Treasure Island (2022), A Tale of Two Cities (2021), Bright Star, Seussical, AIDA, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2013 and 2021), She Loves Me, and Peter and the Starcatcher. Krissa holds an MFA in Wig and Make-up Design from the University of Cincinnati CCM, a BFA in Theater Tech/Design from Millikin University and is also a licensed cosmetologist in the state of Utah. Krissa has previously worked for Utah Shakespeare Festival, Sarasota Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and Utah Opera. “I am so grateful to be part of the dream team in the wig shop. Thanks to HCT for giving me the opportunity to do what I love. Enjoy the show!!"

Josh is a highly passionate and seasoned creative professional with an exceptional track record in the theater and themed entertainment industry. With over four decades of experience in live theater and more than a quarter of a century in themed entertainment, he brings his heart and soul into every project, striving to create emotionally impactful experiences for audiences. He made his mark at Walt Disney Imagineering, where a few of his disciplines were as a Creative Designer, Creative Director, Show Producer, and Digital Show Production Designer for various theme parks, attractions, and shows. His expertise in leadership, creativity, and storytelling has earned him numerous accolades and industry awards, and his passion for bringing joy to audiences remains at the heart of his work.