Review: Rarely Revived It's a Bird...It's a Plane...IT'S SUPERMAN THE MUSICAL
By: Don Grigware Apr. 25, 2016
It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's SUPERMAN! The Musical/music by Charles Strouse; lyrics by Lee Adams/book by David Newman and Robert Benton/(based upon the comicstrip "Superman")/directed by Kristopher Kyer/musical direction by Deb Garcia/The Grove Theatre, Upland/through May 8 only
Wham! Pow! Boom! Up and away, it's Superman! Growing up in the 50s I couldn't wait for the next weekly adventure-filled installment of Supie and Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and the Daily Planet on the small television screen. It was thrilling to see a man go into a telephone booth and change from street clothes into tights - even if they were baggy - and fly off - imagine! - to save the world from crime and destruction. It didn't matter that it was pure fantasy and that he he was only a comic book hero. Superman brought lots of excitement into our young lives. In 1966, the same musical composers who wrote the successful Broadway hit Bye Bye Birdie, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, penned It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman! The New Musical Comedy and in spite of the great reviews, it did not catch on with the public, so quickly fizzled. Now 50 years later, what a camp to look back and laugh at all the silliness and innocence of that era, for the Superman musical is loaded with clumsy, goofy, campy laughs. Now onstage in a rare revival ... It's Superman receives a terrifically entertaining production at the Grove Theatre in Upland.
Sheer nostalgia! It starts with a projected video and photo montage of Metropolis amidst the horrors of crime onscreen and then quickly segues to a bank robbery onstage, with a pack of onlookers of all ages gaping up at a flying...Superman (David Lago). He, of course, flies off, lands in a less cluttered area of the city, goes into a phone booth and changes into a blue suit with white shirt and red tie...and red socks... and proceeds to go to work as reporter Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. At a desk across the office is Lois Lane (Katie Lee), who has been saved a few times at crime scenes by Superman - who is in love with her...and she with him. Naturally, she does not connect Clark with Supie, and he keeps his identity a big secret to everyone. Newsman Max Mencken (Kristopher Kyer) and his assistant Sydney (Sandra Rice) are romantically at odds, and he, always ripe for a new conquest, is jealous of the attention that Lois is getting from Superman. He hatches a birdbrain scheme to uncover Superman's identity. In the meantime, 10 time Nobel Prize loser, scientist Abner Sedgwick (Joseph J. Garcia) is out to rid the world of Superman. Sedgwick and Mencken eventually partner up to destroy our hero.
Director Kyer, who also plays Mencken, has a delicious vision for this spoof, creating a set piece that opens like a book from page to page - Daily Planet office to Abner's Laboratory, to street exteriors, etc He also sees to it that every single prop is made out of paper; telephones, typewriters, guns, even pencils become huge cardboard cutouts. What a hoot to watch characters pick up a cardboard telephone receiver, attempt to write with a huge flat pencil, or point a paper gun straight on! He has also set up mini stages both stage left and right, like for the phone booth where Superman changes and an anti-room of the lab from which Lois Lane escapes from Sedgwick,.. to lend more adventure,variety and a broader perspective, like watching a movie.
The campiness does become a bit repetitive, however, and in Act II the plot turns very convoluted with even a band of Chinese acrobats accompanying Sedgwick on his quest of doom. In 1966 a mere decade after the actual 'Superman fascination' began, were people ready for a spoof of their hero? Aren't audiences 50 years later more likely to step back and enjoy the nostalgia? If so, why isn't the show revived more often? Even though a great deal of the humor is definitely adult, kids in the row right in front of me, responded to my question - What do you like about this show? with a "We love the 50s". Their parents agreed. So, future generations are attuned. It's just too bad that our crazy advanced technological world has reduced walks down memory lane to just that, viewing them as useless, unfulfilling and unworthy of our attention. We need to laugh more, but sadly the entertainment producers today are going in the wrong direction, creating film and TV that is ultimately fast and furious, but, for many of us, a humorless waste of time! Enough pontificating! Down off my soapbox and back to the musical at hand.
Charles Strouse and Lee Adams really created some fun, uplifting numbers like "You've Got Possibilities", the big hit song, and "The Woman for the Man", "Revenge", "You've Got What I Need", or "The Strongest Man in the World". All have a ring of the merriment and disillusionment of their hit show Bye Bye Birdie. Remember the romantic problems that plagued Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke)and Rosie when they considered marriage (Chita Rivera onstage/Janet Leigh on film)? His mother made their union impossible! Well, there are issues in abundance for Superman and Lois as well! Whether he be a mama's boy or superhero, the guy craves independence and is reluctant to lose his identity! Another image from Birdie is the finale of Act I with Superman on the steps of City Hall surrounded by fandom "It's Super Nice" almost a duplicate picture of Conrad Birdie's first live appearance outdoors dancing and singing with a bevy of teenage fans! You can see as lot of parallels between Birdie and Superman. They are both ego-driven, adulation-craving yet vulnerable superstar types.
The ensemble in It's Superman under Kyer's fluid direction are marvelous. Petite Lee is a delight as Lois Lane. What a lovely voice! Equally dynamic is Rice as Sydney. Her razor-sharp delivery and wonderful voice remind one of a young Eve Arden. Garcia is astounding a Sedgwick, monstrously devious in the good old-fashioned storybook manner, with a silly little laugh at the end to punctuate his points. Kyer makes a fine director and a fun-loving Mencken whose Act II opening number "So Long, Big Guy" spells him out to a tee. Lago is sheer fun as Clark Kent. It isn't easy to pull off his awkwardness in a natural way, but he achieves it in spades. He nicely low keys his Superman appearances, with the sad scene with Lois a real standout, where he cannot confide that he loves her. Also fun to watch in the cast are Sam Bixby as Jim Morgan, Sedgwick's assistant, who also has eyes for Lois...and Greg Hardash as Mr. Ringling, who along with Lucas Mitose, Joanathan Vanderburgh, Stephanie Silliman and Macy Proctor keep us riveted as the Chinese acrobats. Congrats to all!
Kudos to Cynthia Caldwell and Ryan Richards for some smoothly staged choreography, to musical director Deb Garcia for the background recordings, and to costume design by Jeanette F. Capuano and Tamminen Devine for the colorful clothes worn by all the principals. There is no program credit for the ingenious set design.
Don't miss this show! ... It's Superman is certainly not for everyone's tastes, but it does offer tremendous laughs and a whole lot of campy nostalgia! It's perfect for us oldsters who lived through it...and I guess, for many little kids who will take our place, and hopefully learn to appreciate the meaning of fine entertainment, a lot of which is disappearing fast from our culture. Remember, through May 8 only!
Just a post note: It's great fun to see all the theatrical fowl-ups that happen onstage, as they add to the campiness of the show...and to see the cable wires suspended from David Lago and parts of the harness under his costume. Ha Ha!
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