Remember about a year ago when Steven Spielberg was saying that he was planning on producing "Bombshell," the show-within-a-show featured on the first season of "Smash," on Broadway? No? Well, regardless, while the future of "Bombshell" looks pretty bleak, its fans can find solace in the national tour of "Catch Me If You Can," playing at the Pantages through March 24.

No, "Catch Me If You Can" doesn't feature Megan Hilty (who, incidentally, graced the stages of the Pantages a few years ago as Glinda in "Wicked") or Katherine McPhee—in fact, it doesn't feature anyone you've heard of. But that doesn't make the show foreign at all. Based on the 2002 Spielberg film of the same name (which was based on a true story), the show follows the exploits of Frank Abagnale, Jr (Stephen Anthony) as a young man who succeeded in pulling off a number of cons. Along the way, he attracts the attention of Carl Hanratty (Merritt David Janes), an FBI agent determined to catch the wily criminal.

The show itself is pretty mediocre. The score, by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Smash") is mostly uninspired and bland, though there are a fems gems, such as "Live In Living Color," "Jet Set," and "Goodbye." Terrence McNally's book is full of cringe-inducing bad jokes, and barely propels the story along. Further hampering the show are the distractingly garish projections and the show's objectionable treatment of every single one of its female characters.

Luckily, there are a few almost-redeeming factors. Jerry Mitchell's choreography is a nice throwback to chorus lines of yore, and Anthony and Janes do good work in the lead roles. Both have big shoes to fill (Abagnale was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, and Aaron Tveit on Broadway, while Hanratty was played by Tom Hanks and Norbert Leo Butz, who won a Tony for the role), but they sing the score well and develop their characters as much as the script allows.

But the main difference between "Smash" and "Catch Me If You Can" is that while neither is very good, there's something about "Smash" that keeps bringing the audience back every week. Sure, it may be a diminishing audience, but those who watch the show are passionate about how much they hate and love it at the same time. Unfortunately, there's nothing about "Catch Me If You Can" that inspires a repeat visit. While the cast is working hard, the material they're working with is too flawed to make the show an enjoyable experience.

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"Catch Me If You Can" is playing at the Pantages Theatre (6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles) through March 24. Tickets are $25-$98. More information can be found at BroadwayLA.org.