The folks at the Lyric Music Theater are finishing up their 2016-2017 season on the run. But it’s all in good fun, as they take on the musical version of the remarkable true story of former super con man Frank Abagnale Jr.

Based on his book and the subsequent movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, “Catch Me If You Can: The Musical” makes for an old-fashioned good time at the theater.

Set in the early 1960s, a period often glamorized on stage and screen, this mildly satirical show adds touches of drama to lots of brassy song and dance numbers, double-entendre gags and cops-and-robbers craziness.

On opening night, there were times when incidental music obscured a few lines of dialogue, particularly when spoken by soft voices. But following the storytelling, the musical numbers were consistently strong.

Eric Berry-Sandelin as Frank Abagnale Jr. and Zack Handlen as Agent Carl Hanratty in the Lyric Music Theater production of “Catch Me If You Can: The Musical.”

The story is about the intrepid teenage Frank who runs away from his divorcing parents, showing extraordinary ingenuity along the way. A quick study, the young man effectively impersonates an airline pilot, a medical doctor and a lawyer as he is pursued by a team of FBI agents led by the dogged Carl Hanratty.

The real Abagnale has visited Maine, most recently in April to speak at the University of Southern Maine about how to protect against fraud.

Director Mary Meserve and her staff chose three capable performers for the lead roles and surrounded them with all the essential elements for an engaging show.

Eric Berry-Sandelin provides more than enough of the youthful audacity with a hint of desperation that allows his Frank to fool the world, for a time. He smoothly established a winking rapport with the audience as his Frank careened through various identities. His singing voice filled the hall on such upbeat tunes as “Jet Set,” and he took things down to a human level with the more sensitive “Seven Wonders,” as well as in making his final, moving “Goodbye.”

Zack Handlen, often a presence to be reckoned with on the Lyric stage, gave his stubbornly committed FBI man Hanratty a tenacious growl as he dealt with not only the elusive Frank but his own bumbling men. His “Don’t Break the Rules” and the later “Stuck Together (Strange But True),” in a duet with Berry-Sandelin, were peaks in a very strong performance.

After only a cameo appearance in the first act, Jennifer Kennedy, as Frank’s unexpected love interest Brenda, took command of her later scenes with a winning combination of vulnerability and play-to-the-back-row energy. Her take on “Fly, Fly Away” was a highlight.

Combining on “Don’t Be A Stranger,” Mark Dils and Karen Stickney brought a quirky sincerity to their roles as Frank’s parents, while Joanna Clarke humorously vamped it up as a “model” for hire.

In this version of the tale, big moments provide the occasion for the appearance of curvy flight attendants, naughty nurses and other saucy stereotypes, along with their swaggering male counterparts. Popular dance forms from a half-century ago fill the stage in the choreography by Raymond Dumont.

The playfully suggestive period costumes by Louise Keezer harken back to simpler times, both in terms of musical theater and a generally less complicated world view. The multi-level set designed by Steve Lupien provides perspective, and the band, under the direction of Evan Cuddy, keeps things hopping.

Altogether, this show will likely catch most people up in all its escapist charm.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.

Related Stories