JJ Niemann in Catch Me if You Can!

“…airtight nine-piece orchestra.”

– The Chicago Sun-Times

It was a joy to be back at Chicago’s Marriott Theatre for a third time, this time orchestrating a star-studded production of Catch Me If You Can, led by JJ Niemann (Hamilton, Back to the Future, Book of Mormon) to great acclaim. (You should check out JJ’s TikTok!)

The task was to reduce Marc Shaiman and Larry Blank’s soaring big-band/studio orchestra textures down to the essential elements, and the effort paid off in what The Chicago Sun-Times called an “airtight nine-piece orchestra.” Marc Shaiman was kind enough to fly out for the premiere and meet the team, which included Music Supervisor Ryan Nelson, Conductor Christopher Sergeant, Keyboard Programmer (and Marriott Conductor Emeritus) Patti Garwood, and our incredible music intern Casey Lyons.