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September 11, 2013: "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" Tickets Now Available
Posted by Neil Cole
Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming 42nd Street Moon production of the Broadway Musical, "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" which will be presented on the Eureka Theatre stage from October 2nd - 20th in San Francisco, CA.
With a tongue-in-cheek script by Robert Benton and David Newman (who went on to write Bonnie and Clyde and the blockbuster Superman film) and a fabulous, much-lauded score by Bye Bye Birdie's Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, the musical pokes fun at the American superhero whose unwavering morality, fidelity, and loyalty make him a bit of a dull cracker.
The original production was directed by Harold Prince; choreographed by Ernest Flatt and starred Jack Cassidy, Bob Holiday and Linda Lavin. It opened at Alvin Theatre on March 29, 1966 and ran for 129 performances.
"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" is an action-packed glimpse into the life of DC Comics’ most forthright, eager, and famous hero. As the show opens, Superman – in his guise as Clark Kent – is working for the Daily Planet and in love with Lois Lane, although she is beginning to chafe at the problems inherent in dating a superhero. An arch-villain is soon plotting Superman's downfall, in a convoluted plot which involves a troupe of acrobats (who can no longer get paid to perform since everyone started watching Superman fly for free), a supercomputer called the Brainiac 7, and a theatrical columnist who also hates the hero (both for dating Lois Lane and for constantly stealing his headlines). Will Superman fall prey to Professor Sedgewick's psychobabble and lose his confidence in his own super abilities? Will he lose Lois to a less-than-charming rival who at least never cuts dates short to go rescue someone?
Robert Benton and David Newman were editors together at Esquire Magazine when they created the script for It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. They went on to write the screenplays for 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, for which they both received Oscar nominations, and the first Superman movie, a 1978 blockbuster. Benton also wrote and directed Kramer vs. Kramer, which won him two Oscars, as well as Places in the Heart, which garnered an Oscar and an Oscar nomination. Recent works from Newman include the book for the stage show The Life, as well as composing for Anastasia, which earned him an Oscar nomination; Bowfinger; the recent remake of Bedazzled; 102 Dalmations; and The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.
Composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams had previously collaborated on Golden Boy as well as their recent hit show, Bye Bye Birdie, when they created the score for It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. The pair went on to create music for All American, Applause (the stage musical based on the film, All About Eve), and reunited with Benton and Newman for the Oscar-nominated film, Bonnie and Clyde.
The 42nd Street Moon production of the musical stars Lucas Coleman (Superman/Clark Kent); Jen Brooks (Lois Lan); Brent Schindele (Max Mencken); Darlene Popovic (Dr. Agnes Sedgwick); Diahanna Davidson (Mama Grimaldi); Michael Doppe (Rinaldo Grimaldi); Scott Maraj (Alessandro Grimaldi); Steven Sloan (Stefano Grimaldi); Kyle Valentine (Chet Grimaldi); Trevor Faust Marcom (Jim Morgan); Safiya Fredericks (Sydney); Catherine Gloria (Tippi); Ariel Leasure (Annette); and Nicole Renee Chapman (Marni).
The musical is directed by Dyan McBride, with musical direction by Dave Dobrusky and choreography by Staci Arriaga.
Tickets can be purchased by calling the theater box office at 415-255-8207 or on-line at https://tickets.42ndstmoon.org. All tickets purchased prior to September 20th receive an early bird discount of 10% off using promo-code 'EBSUPERMAN'.
