By Judd Hollander
Photo by Joan Marcus
Photo by Joan Marcus
More than four decades before everyone's favorite wall-crawler
debuted on the great white way, another comic book character did the same thing
in 1966's It's A Bird...It's a Plane.. It's
Superman (music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, book by David
Newman and Robert Benton), which ran for 129 performances at the Alvin Theatre New York City Center
The city of Metropolis, like every other major metropolitan
locale, is awash with crime, but evildoers are kept at bay thanks to the
never-ending efforts of Superman (Edward Watts), an indestructible - as the
audience is continually reminded - visitor from another planet. In his guise as
the meek and mild Clark Kent (Watts), a reporter for the newspaper The Daily
Planet, Superman keeps one eye out for trouble and one on reporter Lois Lane (Jenny
Powers), who has a habit of getting into danger. Lois is madly in love with
Superman and Superman is in love with her, though our hero can't reveal his
feelings, his mission of "doing good" which is also his mantra and
motto, getting in the way of him having any kind of personal life. There's also
the pesky question of whether Lois actually loves Superman for himself rather
than for his having super powers.
Superman also has to contend with the evil genius Dr. Abner
Sedgwick (David Pittu), a ten-time Nobel Prize loser. Also seeking to get the
Man of Steel in his crosshairs is the egocentric Max Mencken (Will Swenson), The
Daily Planet's gossip columnist, who is determined to discover Superman's identify
and reveal it to the world.
Throwing in elements of psychoanalysis and asking if there
is such a thing as true altruism in the world; as well as dealing with issues
of true love and learning to let go of one's quest for the unobtainable - not
to mention a subplot about Communism - the story moves both quickly and
satisfyingly. It also helps that the production team is able to pull together an
appropriate 1960s feel for the show while lovingly recreating the eye-popping
and cartoon world of the Superman comic book; presenting an atmosphere and
setting that is both nostalgic and just a bit off-kilter in terms of reality. Great
work by scenic consultant John Lee Beatty, as well as by Paul Tazewell on the costumes.
The Superman flying effect, using a cardboard cutout, also provides an
appropriate touch to the proceedings.
If there is one problem in the production it would be Watts ' portrayal of the title character, who comes off as perhaps
a bit too square and also rather naive in the ways of the world. The last being
something Superman never was in any of his incarnations. While the character's somewhat
stilted speeches come off well, his more intimate moments do not - the show not
being able to effectively humanize a character who by definition is not human. Watts ' song "The Strongest Man in the World"
for example, which is supposed to show the angst and pain of the character
instead provokes laughs. It would also have helped had there been a bigger
difference between the Clark Kent and Superman personas than was shown on
stage.
Other than this one issue, the entire cast works pretty much
perfectly. Powers makes a wonderful Lois
Lane , combining romantic infatuation with intelligence
and a talent for getting into trouble, yet also eagerly exploring the
possibility of a relationship that has nothing to do whatsoever with Superman.
Powers also has a very good singing voice and is nicely endearing in such numbers
as the ballad "It's Superman," as well as the comic duet "We
Don't Matter At All". The latter in which she shares the stage with Adam
Monley, who plays a technician at a the Metropolis Institute of Technology.
Swenson is a hoot at the scenery-chewing Max. A fellow who
thinks he's God's gift to woman, he has excellent chemistry with his various
co-stars and does well in several musical numbers such as "You've Got What
I Need" - a hilarious bromantic turn with Pittu; "The Woman For The
Man" - which matches him with Powers; and "Ooh, Do You Love You!",
where he plays a non-singing straight man to his warbling assistant Sydney
(Alli Mauzey). Mauzey meanwhile, turns in a performance that would qualify her
for a Tony nomination for Best Supporting Actress had the show been playing
Broadway. In addition to having letter prefect comedic timing, she steals the
show with the song "You've Got Possibilities," where she tries to get
Clark to unbend a bit.
Chewing the scenery in sometimes wild abandon, Pittu offers a
deliciously over the top portrayal of a mad scientist, or at least one with
some serious ego issues. The character being motivated solely by revenge, which
is also the title of a song Pittu hilariously delivers. It's a testament to the
actor's ability that he makes this character both one the audience loves to
hate, while at the same time giving him a bit of an woebegone quality.
The score by Strouse and Adams is quite enjoyable, offering
a nice mix of fast and slow numbers, with a few period pieces tossed in, including
the title tune. Also offered are at least a few hummable songs, an increasing rarity
on Broadway these days. The orchestrations are wonderfully done and the
Encores! Orchestra, under the music direction and baton of Rob Berman is superb.
Special commendation must also go to the strong
choreographic work by Joshua Bergasse and the acrobatics of The Flying Lings (Craig
Henningsen, Suo Liu, Jason Ng, Scott Webber), a group of individuals who
ostensibly turn to crime to take revenge on the Man of Steel, but who, like
their boss (James Saito), have a more nefarious purpose than simple payback.
Except for the problem concerning the characterizations of Superman and Clark
Kent, John Rando's direction works very well, Rando having a mostly firm grasp
on the material.
Its a Bird...It's a Plane...It's
Superman is a welcome addition to the Encores! repertoire, showing the
piece to be one of those forgotten tuners which deserves a second look. In an
era where musicals that are filled with meanings, messages and overlong
preaching, it's nice to see something a bit more simple, clean and just plain
fun - and clocking it at a scant two hours, it all goes by faster than a
speeding bullet.
It's a Bird...It's a
Plane...It's Superman
Featuring: Edward Watts (Superman/Clark Ken), Will Swenson
(Max Mencken), Jenny Powers (Lois Lane), Alli Mauzey (Sydney), David Pittu (Dr.
Abner Sedgwick), Adam Monley (Jim Morgan), James Saito (Father Ling), Craig
Henningsen, Suo Liu, Jason Ng, Scott Webber (The Flying Lings), Wendi
Bergamini, Ward Billeisen, Sam Bolen, Stephen Carrasco, Hannah Florence, Sara
Jean Ford, Miles Johnson, Max Kumangai, Samantha Massell, Skye Mattox, Kenita
R. Miller, Michael Mindlin, Jessica Lea Patty, David Scott Purdy, Manuel Stark,
Charlie Williams, Kirsten Wyatt, Samantha Zack (Ensemble - Policemen, Crooks,
College Kids and Various Citizens of Metropolis)
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Lee Adams
Book by David Newman and Robert Benton
Book by David Newman and Robert Benton
Based Upon the Comic Strip "Superman"
Broadway Production Produced by Harold Prince in association
with Ruth Mitchell
Directed for the Broadway Stage by Harold Prince
Scenic Consultant: John Lee Beatty
Costume Consultant: Paul Tazewell
Lighting Designer: Ken Billington
Sound Designer: Nevin Steinberg
Concert Adaptation: Jack Viertel
Music Coordinator: Seymour
Red Press
Original Orchestrations by Eddie Sauter
General Management Services: Over-Sky Productions
Production Stage Manager: Tripp Phillips
Casting: Jay Binder Casting
Choreography: Joshua Bergasse
Featuring: The Encores! Orchestra
Music Director and Conductor: Rob Berman
Associate Music Director: Joel Fram
Assistant Music Director: Josh Clayton
Fight Captain: Suo Liu
Director: John Rando
Presented by New
York City Center
Performed from March 20-March 24, 2013
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