By Steve Leary/Stage Door Chicago
It was a gasp that went through the audience as Superman went up, up and away: flying first upward and then turning smoothly into his classic fist-forward flying position and exiting stage left.
James Rank as Superman and Clark Kent is perfectly cast in this nostalgic trip back to Metropolis in the 1960's. Reminiscent of George Reeves, Rank has the form and presence of our hero in an era that was more about the simple and good things in life.
In an office filled with manual typewriters, and corded dial-up telephones, we meet Clark Kent's co-workers. Good old Perry White is at the helm of the Daily Planet, with Lois Lane working at a desk next to Kent. Sydney, played by Holly Stauder, is a sassy assistant to Max Menken and seems to have stepped right out of a time capsule with her portrayal of Kent's lovelorn admirer.
Sitting in the audience, it's easy to flashback to another "period piece," Bye Bye Birdie, whose score was also composed by the Superman team of Charles Strause and Lee Adams. When dancing the twist and a modified twizzle, the cast harkens back to another classic television favorite, The
Dick Van Dyke Show, where
Mary Tyler Moore shakes the fringe on her skirt in a most memorable bowling alley dance sequence.
A true enjoyment of the play comes with the realization that this is a snapshot of what living was like 40 years ago. People lived a more banal existence. Villains were simply portrayed as bad people and not psychotic mass murders. In fact, it was more devastating to shatter one's confidence, than to put a bullet through them.
A simpler time indeed.
For a trip back, head to Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace to see
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. You'll discover some long overlooked music with charm, big hair, and women wearing cat's eye glasses. You might even find an evil troupe of Russian acrobats, a campy suitor for Lois Lane (Bernie Yvon) and a mad scientist (David Perkovich) who hits a forceful high note.
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