In "Catch Me if You Can: the Musical," a teenage kid takes (a little too literally) the advice that you can be anything you want to be - if you only try.

And he ends up serving five-to-ten in prison.

But first, he sings.

In this surprisingly serviceable musical adaptation of the popular Steven Spielberg film of the same name - the one starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks - "Catch Me if You Can" manages to be both lighthearted and serious. The West Coast premiere of the Broadway show lands at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, and as directed by Gene Abravaya, features a trio of notable performances, and a solid supporting ensemble of singers and dancers who’ve captured the spirit and tone of this true-life, sixties-era cat-and-mouse story.

Frank Abagnale, Jr. was a clever kid who soaked up the dubious life-lessons of his yarn-spinning dad, all while watching television shows about successful people. Mainly pilots, doctors and lawyers. From such sources, Frank learned how to walk and talk like a confident, experienced professional. And before he was old enough to drink, he’d successfully passed himself off as an airline pilot, an emergency room doctor, and a prosecuting attorney - passing a lot of fake and forged checks along the way, stealing over two million dollars before he was finally caught by the FBI.

Played by Zach Howard - whose excellent voice and flirty-earnest approach is perfect for the role - Frank isn’t the most sympathetic of characters. After all, he lies compulsively and steals without remorse. But there’s a likeable element to his youthful brashness and fearless creativity, and Howard’s appealing stage presence helps sell that.

As Frank’s own personal Detective Javert, the over-working FBI fraud investigator Carl Hanratty, David Yen brings a hard-boiled world-weariness to the difficult role of the guy who will catch our “hero” in the end.

(Don’t worry! That’s not a spoiler! The play begins with Frank’s arrest and then starts at the beginning).

As good as he is in the hunkered-down, straight-laced scenes, those moments where Yen gets to let loose, to sing and dance, are sheer delights.

A semi-bumbling trio of FBI agents is played nicely by Braedyn Youngburg, Sam Starr, and Patrick Taber, all hilarious. And Garet Waterhouse, as Frank’s big-dreaming dad, brings class and charisma to some of the show’s most heartbreaking moments.

But it’s Kelly Brandeberg, as the sweet-natured southern belle nurse who wins Franks’ larcenous heart, who delivers the goods in the play’s big show-stopper, the achingly beautiful love song "Fly, Fly Away," performed with such aching sincerity and skill you have to believe that Frank is actually worth loving that much.

With a script by Terrence McNally and tunes by Marc Shaiman that are clearly cut of the same jazzy cloth as the sixties T.V. theme shows that served as Frank’s inspiration, "Catch Me if You Can" is bubbly and fresh, if a bit lacking in the kind of ear-catching tunes Shaiman crafted for the much more memorable "Hairspray."

Still, with leads that are perfectly cast, a visually clever set design, and a story that maintain a sense of humor and heart amidst all the twists and turns, Spreckels "Catch Me If You Can" is worth catching - while you can.

"Catch Me If You Can" runs Thursday – Sunday through May 25 at Spreckels Performing Arts Center, spreckelsonline.com.