Dingbat Theatre Project stages rarely seen ‘Superman’ musical in comic book style

The adventures of Superman have been told in many forms since the superhero and his alter ego reporter Clark Kent were first introduced in 1938, from Saturday morning movie serials to lightly serious TV shows and dark and brooding films.

But there are probably many who didn’t know that the superhero also landed on Broadway in the musical “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman,” which despite positive reviews from critics, lasted only a few months in 1966.

Luke Manual McFatrich, one of the founders of the Dingbat Theatre Project, said he discovered it as a high school student when he would spend time searching theatrical licensing catalogs to discover shows he didn’t know about.

“I thought it was the funniest, campiest little show and it became a dream of mine to produce it one day,” he said.

Now he is.

The show kicks off Dingbat’s winter/spring season with a theme of “be the hero of your own story,” McFatrich said. “Superman” will be followed by “The Wizard of Oz” and an original two-person telling of the story of “Hercules.”

The musical features a score by “Annie” composer Charles Strouse and his longtime lyricist partner Lee Adams (they also wrote “Bye, Bye Birdie” and “Applause” together), and it introduced one song that has had something of an afterlife – “You’ve Got Possibilities.”

The musical opened just months after the debut of the “Batman” television series starring Adam West, which put a comical and satiric approach to the caped crusader when fist fights were embellished with cartoon-like illustrations screaming “bam” and “pow.” The musical takes a similar approach to the Superman story.

When the musical was presented in a staged concert format for the Encores Series at New York’s City Center in 2013, The New York Times wrote that the show is exactly what it aspires to be. “In this case that would be a singing comic strip, in which scenery, characters and even songs feel as if they had been rendered in the Benday dots of bright ink we associate with the Sunday funnies.” Critic Ben Brantley added, “If you ever wondered what a Roy Lichtenstein painting would sound like if it were given voice… then do your best to catch ‘Superman,’ which bubbles with quick hit, single-panel songs.”

Creating a comic book world

McFatrich, who is directing and designing the show, said he has set it in a comic book store – comics and other merchandise will be for sale before the show and during intermission – and some of the “customers” and employees become the characters in the musical.

Sarah Johnson takes on the dual role of “mild-mannered reporter” Clark Kent and Superman in a way she describes as “really heightened with the camp and silliness. I identify more with Clark Kent, the nerdy timid, but also silly guy. It’s really fun.”

Serenna Jones plays Clark’s reporter colleague and love interest Lois Lane, whom she describes as “very spunky but also madly in love with Superman. She’s very quirky. I think she’s kind of like a younger Lois, and trying to make him jealous. She’s definitely a very lively Lois Lane.”

In the musical, Superman is working to defeat scientist Dr. Abner Sedgwick (played by Phillip Troyer), who is angry at the scientific community for ignoring his work and for being snubbed 10 times for the Nobel prize.

‘It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman’

Runs Jan. 17-28 at Loveland Center Performing Arts Theatre, 157 S. Havana Rd., Venice. Tickets are $40 for VIP reserved seating, $25 for general admission and $12 for students. dingbattheatre.org/superman.html

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Musical ‘Superman’ opens a comic book world at Dingbat Theatre