IT’S SUPERMAN MUSICAL PERFORMANCES PART 9

By George L. Pitcher III

After multiple missed chances, and interview attempts that were
defeated by unforgiving time zones, it was my absolute pleasure to
interview England's first singing Superman, Craig Berry. Despite his
busy schedule as the star in All Star Productions revival of "Its a
Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!" - Craig was kind enough to pull
back the curtain, and entertain my every question. So without further
ado, I present to the members of the Superman Homepage, my
interview with the talented and charismatic actor, Craig Berry:

GEORGE: Craig - Sorry about the crossed wires last night, I came
home early to be ready for the interview - and you had already
turned in for the night. Long night of rehearsals?

CRAIG BERRY: Yes indeed George, we've put the show together in
3 weeks, so it's all been quite intense...

GEORGE: Okay so let's get the formalities aside. For the members
of the Superman Homepage I'm talking to Craig Berry, the latest in a
long line of Supermen, soon to make his debut on stage in All Star
Productions revitalized take on the classic Broadway hit "It's a Bird...
It's a Plane....It's Superman!"

But before we get to Superman, let's start with you Craig. I took a
peek at your Facebook page. You've obviously got a great sense of
humor and an undeniable dramatic flair - that much comes across
clearly in the way you carry yourself on camera.
Lion King...
Beauty & The Beast (Beast)...
Little Shop of Horrors (the sadistic Orin Scrivello DDS)...
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Miles
Gloriosus) ...
The Producers (Max Bialystock)...
La Cage aux Folles...
Jesus Christ Superstar...
Titanic... so many productions and so many choice roles, and those
were from just a quick overview of your Facebook page - this is
obviously not your first time on stage. Have you always known you
wanted to act professionally? When did the acting bug bite you and
how did you get your start?

CRAIG BERRY: Firstly, thank you very much... Secondly, acting has
always been an enormous passion in my life, as has singing, so
Musical Theatre has always been a part of my life... I wanted to act
since I was around 9 or 10 years old, and discovered a singing voice
at around 13...

I wanted to go to Drama School straight after high school, but life

circumstances made it impossible at the time, so I fell into the world
of business sales, and fuelled my artistic passions into high quality
non-profit regional theatre productions. In fact I only recently gave
up the 'day job' in 2012 to make the leap into professional
performance after being 'discovered' by a fantastic agent in the
production of The Producers that you mentioned earlier.

GEORGE: You're obviously a man of many talents, acting, singing,

dancing but I couldn't help but notice you participate in charity bike
races, Triathlons, you're a survivor of the Men's Health Survival of
the Fittest 2011 (congrats) - obviously being physically fit is relatively
important to you? Did you have to do any special preparation to take
on the role of Superman beyond what you were already doing?

CRAIG BERRY: Hahaha! I wouldn't say they were all talents of mine
(especially dancing)... When it comes to exercise and physical
fitness, I enjoy it but I thrive best under a challenge... Hence the
charity events, I sign up for something that I think would currently kill
me, & then I'm forced to train so that it doesn't... :)

Now I'd been trying to get back into good shape for a little while
before I got cast as Superman, & I've always been a big guy... But
I'm comfortable admitting that I panicked a little (a lot) when I got
cast... and have been trying really hard to get into the best shape
I've been in. Knowing you have to be on stage in that Lycra bodysuit
in front of many people is a great incentive, but it's even more
pronounced when you are going to be playing your very own hero
on stage... I really want to do him justice.

GEORGE: You're less than a week away from the opening. How are
rehearsals going so far? What's the feeling on the set right now - are
you eager to open before a live audience now?

CRAIG BERRY: The whole cast and creative team are amazing,
we've put this show together in 3 weeks, & rehearsals have been
intense but great fun. It's rare in this business to get an entire cast
that gels together so well, & it's testament to their talent and
personalities that everyone is still such great friends. We have two
days now before we open and we're all very keen to see if people
enjoy what we consider to be an amazing show!

GEORGE: Obviously I've seen the promotional photos now - and

you guys look fantastic. Clearly channeling the spirit of the original
show. How familiar were you with the production before you were
cast? Had you seen it staged before or heard the original cast's
soundtrack album?

CRAIG BERRY: I've been a Superman fan for many years, and as a
MT fan too it'll be no surprise that I have owned a copy of the
soundtrack for many years, but I knew very little about the
production itself.

GEORGE: Whose idea was it to restage that original photo with

Patricia Marquand kissing Bob Holiday's Superman on the cheek
alongside the two other principals?

CRAIG BERRY: Ah, now that came from Paul Harwood, our Max
Mencken... Paul is a gifted photographer and is very creative...
Totally his idea, & a fantastic one to boot :)

Superman - Now and Then

GEORGE: "It's a Bird..." has been stage a number of times before.
There was the classic production starring Bob Holiday as the Man
Of Steel in the late 60's,
Gary Jackson in '92,
Kurt Kroesche in 2001 for 42nd Street Moon,
Cheyenne Jackson in 2007,
our first Canadian Superman - Mikal Grant in 2007,
Matt Cavenaugh in Dallas 2010,
Edward Watts for Encores revival in 2013,
Being Revived's Steve Custer in 2013,
Lucas Coleman for 42nd Street Moon in 21,
Australia's Blake Testro for Fab Nob in 2013 but unless my research
is faulty - this is the first major time Superman's musical has been
performed for British audiences. What does that mean to you - to be
Britain's first stage Superman? I assume that most be a small
source of personal pride?

CRAIG BERRY: As I said earlier, I was unfamiliar with the

production history of this show, thank you for the education :), but I
did of course know that it had never been done upon these shores...

I can't tell you how much it means to me to be Britain's first stage

Superman... It fulfils a lifelong dream and is scarily wonderful and
just downright amazing. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm getting to
do it... I feel very lucky, or blessed.

GEORGE: Despite being translated in countless comics, movies, TV

shows, cartoons video games and audio dramas, starting next week
- for at least a couple of members in the audience - you're going to
be someone's first experience with Superman in the UK, is there a
sense of responsibility that goes along with being Superman in that
respect? How does that color your performance knowing that for
someone in the audience - you're going to be their first Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: Wow! Yes, you're right... I do feel a huge personal

responsibility...

This, as you know is a very different Superman to the current

incarnations, and I hope some of the innocence and idealism of the
1940's Superman that this is based upon comes thru (even though
it's set in the 60's)
GEORGE: Superman has always been popular with audiences but
after 1967, it was a long wait before anyone revisited this classic
show. In the last five years especially we've seen a lot of love for
Superman with a new batch of revivals. What do you attribute this
recent wave of attention for Superman on stage? Is it the new films
driving this? The revitalized comic books? What is motivating people
to revisit a production almost fifty years old, about a character
created in 1938?

CRAIG BERRY: Superman will always be popular, I firmly believe

this. To me he is the very best of superheroes. Embodying
everything we could want from the very idea of the word.

As for the recent batch of stage revivals... I'm not sure, it could be
tapping into the zeitgeist of the moment in the wake of Man of Steel,
or it could be that effects have become easier to duplicate/work
round. Personally I think it is the popularity of the Superhero movie
as a genre itself... Whatever it is, it's correcting a bit of an injustice
that this musical has been overlooked for so long.

Superman and Lois LaneGEORGE: So Craig, I know you mentioned

to me earlier that you're also a fan of the character. On your
Facebook page, I couldn't help but notice you wearing a Smallville
Crows t-shirt. I'm guessing you watched the show? You also "liked"
the new Man of Steel movie and Superman The Movie with Chris
Reeve. Did you or do you read the comics? What was your first
introduction to Superman and is there one version of the character
that you gravitate towards the most? Will we see some of that
influence in your own performance?

CRAIG BERRY: Ah, now I'm a little older than you might think...
*My* first introduction to Superman was the British re-runs of
George Reeves' TV show... That and the hardback 'Batman &
Superman' Annuals that I got for Christmas in the late 70's... But I
think a lot of the credit for my love of the character can be attributed
to another great hero of mine, Mr Christopher Reeve...
But I also loved Smallville, and the often overlooked Lois and
Clark...

As for the comics... Yes, I collected for many years... From the John
Byrne "Man of Steel" miniseries, right through to beyond the "Death
of Superman", "Funeral" and "Reign" story arcs. These days, due to
space issues, I tend to wait for the graphic novels...

CRAIG BERRY: I hope to bring a bit of all of these incarnations to

the role, whilst paying service to the author's idea of Superman &
the style of the show, of course.

GEORGE: Ever since Bud Collyer decided to portray Superman

differently than Clark Kent, the two have typically been portrayed as
almost different personalities. How are you approaching the Clark
Kent role, and which are you enjoying more - Clark or Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: I love the dichotomy of being both... Different

stances, different voices, it's an actors dream...

AD

GEORGE: Being something of a fan before you were cast, was this
a role you fought for? Talk to me about the casting process for the
show. How did you react to the news that you were about to become
Britain's first musical Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: I saw the casting director's first announcement that

they would be casting for this, back in December last year, on
Facebook... I remember commenting on this at the time with "I need
to audition for this!"
I then chased my agent to get her to submit me for it, and thankfully
it all worked out, despite me battling through a chest infection on the
day of the first auditions.

When I found out that I had gotten the part I think I was pretty
insufferable for a few days, maybe even now :) I'm just so happy and
proud... Every day since has been great!

GEORGE: Everyone plays their Superman a little differently. Being a

fan first - what qualities do you hope to bring to your performance as
Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: I really hope the audience sees an idealistic and

optimistic light-hearted Superman... I know there's a fashion for
Superheroes with a little darkness and realism, but I really want the
innocence, optimism and sheer heroism of Superman to come
through.

GEORGE: Now there have actually been two separate productions

to use the name "It's a Bird, It's a Plane... It's Superman" The
original and most of the subsequent revivals that I mentioned earlier
share the same script, but one of them - The Dallas Theatre Center
in 2010 starring Matt Cavenaugh - did a revisionist take on the
revival production - adding new scenes, new songs, and including
more of the beloved characters from the comic book source material
like Lex. I didn't want to assume from the photos which version will
you guys be bringing to the stage - Classic or revisionist?

CRAIG BERRY: Classic, all the way, this will be a very faithful
production.

GEORGE: The promo photos were taken during dress rehearsal.

Obviously you've worn the suit now, performed in it. I've heard from
other Supermen that it is an empowering feeling - wearing the cape
and tights of Superman - did you find this to be true as well?

CRAIG BERRY: I love it... Being Superman is a dream... Wearing

the costume makes it all real...

Kudos to Kate McPhee, she has made my costume from scratch,

and I think you'll agree, it's brilliant.

GEORGE: Obviously being Superman - you're aware of the deeply

divided fan base's opinion of Superman's costume. I'm curious - as a
fan - what is your personal preference for Superman's wardrobe: the
classic design (trunks and all) or something more akin to the Henry
Cavill costume or perhaps the modern "New 52" comic apparel?

CRAIG BERRY: As you might guess from my previous comment, I

love the classic design... I think it *is* Superman in a way that the
modern takes miss slightly... That said however, I'm not opposed to
the new look... Anything that brings Superman to a new generation
is good by me... Today's cinematic audiences needed a new look. I
think they did a great job!

AD

GEORGE: What's the best part about being Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: You don't have enough room for this answer, so I'll
keep it brief. The world is a better place with the idea of Superman
in it, getting to be part of that mythos, that ideal, is amazing.

GEORGE: Are there any downsides to being Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: I love burgers, pizza and beer, and whilst I have to
wear Lycra, they are off the menu

GEORGE: Is this your first experience with a flying rig? What was
that like?

CRAIG BERRY: Now, I don't want to give anything away as to how

we are doing things, but I will say that we are in a studio theatre so a
flying rig is utterly impossible... But the flying still happens... I love
it ;)

GEORGE: The All Star Production of It's a Bird...It's a Plane... It's

Superman" opens at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre on March 4
and runs through March 22. The original 1966 production ran for 129
performances not including two later revivals in 1967 for just over
140 performances in total. If All Star's production is a success - is
there any chance that you might do an extended run for the show?
Feeling up to a run for the title? ;)

CRAIG BERRY: I would absolutely LOVE to get a transfer or an

extension George... So if there are any producers reading, please
get along to see us... This show is going to be brilliant in
Walthamstow, but it would be utterly amazing in the West End, for
an extended run ;)

GEORGE: As an autograph hunter and a fan of the theater, I have

to ask - will the cast be coming out after the show to meet the
audience, shake hands and pose for photos?

CRAIG BERRY: Absolutely we'll be coming out afterwards, generally

just for a drink. ;)
The theatre is above a great pub, and we'll be thirsty :)

Of course we will be happy to talk to with fans and audience

members. We're grateful to everyone that comes to see us...

GEORGE: This one is just for me. Obviously I'm HUGE Superman
fan. The music from this musical has long been available on CD and
LP, but videos from any production of "It's a Bird..." are few and far
between. Not one video was taken of Bob Holiday's landmark
Broadway run, and outside of a few scant VHS copies of Gary
Jackson's 1992 performance - none of the other productions are
known to have been recorded for the audiences that weren't able to
travel to the show. It's practically a crime that no one has ever seen
fit to correct this terrible oversight with a long overdue video release.
Any chance All Star Productions might be planning to record one of
the performances for any reason? And if yes - I know a certain
Superman fan who would greatly appreciate being able to fill this
tragic hole in his collection....

CRAIG BERRY: I'm not sure how it fits in with the rights agreement,
I will ask...

GEORGE: Last question - on Facebook, I noticed you wearing a

store bought Superman costume on another occasion, with a small
child on your shoulders in front of what looked like a bounce house?
Was that a kid's birthday party? What was the story there?

CRAIG BERRY: It was indeed... A fab little boy called Charlie... It

was his fourth birthday party and I had agreed to show up at his
party as Superman, it was such a great day... Charlie will be in the
audience next week with his mum and his auntie...

GEORGE: Well that's the end of my questions for today, is there

anything else you'd like our audience at the Superman Homepage to
know before we close? What does the future hold for our latest
singing Superman?

CRAIG BERRY: having trouble seeing beyond the 22nd March at

the moment, living and loving every minute, so who knows what the
future holds... I would love to ask the audience of Superman
Homepage to help us make this production a success... Even if you
are too far away to come see us in London, please could you help
us spread the word? Follow us on Twitter, both @supermanmusical
and @craigyberry and retweet and favorite us as much as you can...
That would be amazing and the whole cast would be immensely
grateful.

So there you go guys, an in-depth interview with our latest Man of

Steel. I'd like to thank Craig Berry for his patience and willingness to
entertain all my questions, and All Star Productions for giving our
favorite hero a production worthy of the name Superman. For all
those in the area who have the time, I urge everyone to support this
latest endeavor to bring Superman to audiences of all ages. For
those interested who live abroad - I hear England is wonderful this
time of year - why not hop a plane and take in a show while you
have the chance. I have a feeling we're in for a great production.

For further information on the production and where to get tickets,

you can also go to All Star Production's website or find them on
Facebook.

Till next time Super-friends! Up, Up and Away!

Saturday 22 March 2014
Superman in Walthamstow, or when heroes were really heroes, all
stage Chinese were like Cato, and musical comedies were really
musical comedies
There's an awful lot of serious (or would be serious) musical theatre
about these days. So it's an absolute joy to be reminded that
sometimes musical comedy can be just that. Musical and genuinely,
indeed hilariously, funny.

The ever-enterprising All Star Productions now bring, to their

performance space above the Olde Rose and Crown pub in
Walthamstow, the UK premiere of It's a bird...it's a plane...it's
Superman (surely deserving of an award for one of the wackier titles
in musical theatre history). The programme note reveals that the
original Broadway production in 1966 featured a cast of some 40
people. All Star Productions scale this down to 14 – but with the
strongest ensemble I've seen them field I never felt the show
needed more people on stage.

The show tells, in a comic book style also reminiscent of the classic
1960s tv version of Batman, of the trials of the strongest man in the
world who nevertheless is unable to sort out his love life (and,
indeed, turns out to have some other psychological problems). But
the plot isn't really the important thing about this show. Rather it's
the glorious homage to the whole idea of the comic book hero and to
Superman's many other incarnations.

Designers Kate McPhee and Randy Smartnick (who also

choreograph and direct respectively) make a brilliant virtue of the
limitations of space and budget. Thus by emphasising the comic
book character of the piece it makes perfect sense to make all the
props out of cardboard – it doesn't feel cheap but rather visually in
tune with the material. There's a similarly brilliant device of freezing
people (especially Superman himself) in particular poses – as if
caught in the individual picture box of the comic book at key
moments. Add to this Craig Berry (Superman) and others spot on
line in the raised eyebrow, or the shocked face and it's just hilarious.
Although there is only one more performance I won't spoil it for any
readers by explaining how the production gets round the flying
problem, but once again it's simple and very funny. Mention should
also be made of the film of Superman's past life – which is far more
effective than many very expensive instances of the introduction of
technology into live performance.

McPhee's choreography also fits perfectly the character of the show

– again there are aspects of it that reminded me of those various
60s and early 70s tv shows like Batman or The Persuaders where
our heroes are discovered in nightclubs trying to look as if they are
with it. This is not to say that it isn't sharp and impressive but really
that again there's a kind of clever tongue in cheek character to it.
The finest moment choreographically comes with the brilliant Act
One finale: It's Super Nice.

McPhee and her supporting dancers also do an impressive job of

the Ling Dance – the place where it's most difficult to get over the
limitations of space and budget. If I were being hyper critical a little
judicious musical cut here might have been advisable. The Lings,
Chinese stereotypes similar to Bert Kwouk's Cato, the Chinese
gamblers in Anything Goes or Mrs Meer's henchmen in Thoroughly
Modern Millie, clearly do present a problem in today's context and
are perhaps a reason why the show doesn't get done more often.
Done straight and, I presume, unaltered here is I think the right
decision – and in fact the little playful hint towards superior Chinese
national power just before their final demise has a clever
contemporary resonance.

The cast, as already mentioned, are uniformally spot on. Craig

Berry in the title role does an excellent job of standing out even
when he's being Clark Kent – square shouldered, square jawed,
solemn, just a little bit too good – making his passing disintergration
in Act Two even funnier. Matthew Ibbotson as super villian Sedgwick
is superbly insane – what might fall into overdoing it in other
contexts fits perfectly in this comic book world. The manic cackle,
the staring eyes, and the manner in which he finds himself pulled
into a dance routine in Act Two's You've Got What I Need all
deserve high praise. Michelle LaFortune's Lois does the damsel in
distress nicely but is just the tiniest bit outplayed by Sarah
Kennedy's Sydney striving to get the upper hand over newspaper
columnist and louse boyfriend Max. Kennedy benefits from the fact
that in this score the comic romantic numbers are better than the
ballads, but also has a line in facial expressions which just lift her
performance to another level. Hidden away behind the set Aaron
Clingham and his band bring the score to life with verve – I never felt
the absence of a bigger band.

But the best thing about this show is the sheer infectious fun of it
(not disimilar to Matilda). This is a genuine musical comedy – it's not
trying to present a message, it's not trying to be serious, but rather
its an affectionate, very funny tribute to the American comic book.
Wonderful comic shows are fewer on the ground than they should
be – critical opinion doesn't always value them enough, and indeed
doesn't always recognise that making something really funny is as
hard as breaking the heart. This is one such show that succeeds
triumphantly. One performance remains tonight, but is deservedly
sold out. If you can find a legal and safe way to get in do so.
Otherwise this is an off-West End musical
around the town
SUPERMAN @ ENCORES
 It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman to Soar Again at
Encores!
By: Ellis Nassour

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman , a spin on the comic book,

TV, and film superhero of Gotham City, is the second concert
production of Encores! 20th Anniversary season, playing seven
performances at City Center March 20 – 24. John Rando [numerous
Encores! Productions; All in the Timing revival; staged NY
Philharmonic concert, Carousel; A Christmas Story, Urinetown
(Tony winner)] directs.

Based on the Superman comic strip originally drawn by Joe Shuster

and eventually ghosted by numerous others, has music by Charles
Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams (Applause, Golden Boy, Bye Bye
Birdie, All American), and book by David Newman and Robert
Benton.
Edward Watts (Biblical hunk in Scandalous; Finian’s Rainbow) is
Clark Kent/Superman; and Jenny Powers (Irish Rep’s Donnybrook;
Little Women; Grease) portrays Lois Lane. David Pittu and Will
Swenson lead a featured cast and ensemble of 25. Encores!’ Rob
Berman will conduct the 30-piece orchestra using original
orchestrations. Jack Viertel is Encores! artistic director.

It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman opened at the Alvin (now,
Neil Simon) in March 1966, directed by Harold Prince and running
129 performances. It featured the inimitable Jack Cassidy and Linda
Lavin (her third Broadway show). Songs include "You’ve Got
Possibilities," "You’ve Got What I Need," "I’m Not Finished Yet," and
"The Woman for the Man."

Encores! is made possible, in part, by Newman’s Own Foundation

and the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Fund. Tickets for It’s a Bird…
It’s a Plane… It’s Superman, $30 – $115 and available at the City
Center box office, through CityTix (212) 581-1212, or online at
 www.NYCityCenter.org. For various performance times, see the web
site.
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by Michael Portantiere

Will Swenson vs. Superman

 I can think of at least three

major Men(c)kens, each notable in his own way. There was H.L. Mencken, the brilliant
journalist-essayist-critic who gained great fame during the first half of the 20th century.
There's Alan Menken, composer of such stage and film musicals as Little Shop of
Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, and Newsies. And then there's the fictional Max Mencken, a
character in the musical It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman. Possibly named in homage
to H.L., Max is a columnist for the Daily Planet newspaper who becomes intensely jealous
of the lovely Lois Lane's attraction to the Man of Steel. (Tough competition, one must
admit.)
The deliciously juicy role of Max was created by Jack Cassidy when Superman opened on
Broadway in 1966 and had a brief run of 129 performances. Now that City Center Encores!
is reviving the Charles Strouse-Lee Adams-David Newman-Robert Benton musical, the part
has been handed to Will Swenson, whose two most famous roles to date have been the
no-boundaries hippie Berger in Hair and drag queen-absentee dad Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert. The cast also includes Jenny Powers as Lois Lane, Alli Mauzey as
Sydney, David Pittu as the evil Dr. Sedgwick, and Edward Watts in the title role. I recently
spoke with Will about his first Encores! experience, and we also touched on his home life
with spouse Audra McDonald (!!!) and their kids.

********************

BROADWAYSTARS: This is only your second day of rehearsal. Have you begun to get a
sense of the show yet?

WILL SWENSON: A little bit. We had our first read-through and sing through
yesterday. I'm starting to get excited about it.

STARS: How well did you know the show before you began rehearsals?

WILL: I didn't know it at all. I knew it was a title, and I knew that Jenny Powers and
Matt Cavenaugh did a production of it in Texas a year or two ago. That's about it.

[I pause for a moment to greet Ward Billeisen, who's in the ensemble of the show and who
recently appeared in the New York Philharmonic concert performances of Carousel. This
gives Will the opportunity to take a brief phone call. Then he's back with me:]

WILL: Sorry. Pesky wife.

STARS: That's okay! Did you get to see Carousel?

WILL: Yes, I did. Pretty gorgeous, right? Nathan [Gunn] and Kelli [O'Hara] together
with the Phil was just unreal. It's a shame that people don't get to hear that big of a
sound very often these days.

STARS: Back to your show: It will be interesting to see how it goes over with today's
audiences.

WILL: The whole thing's a satire. I'm a satirical jerk in it. It's sort of like Mad Men; you
see these misogynists of the mid '60s treating women so terribly. It's entertaining
because it seems so incomprehensible in today's terms.

STARS: The part of Max was created by Jack Cassidy. Are you familiar with his work?

WILL: Yes. I guess the role was expanded because it was very much a vehicle for
him to show off his glorious voice, even though Max doesn't necessarily have much
to do plot-wise other than to sort of jump on the evil villain bandwagon with David
Pittu's character. That's the reason I wanted to do this part more than anything, for
the duet in the second act, where the two bad guys realize they're on the same page
and it turns into this fantastic vaudeville number.

STARS: Have you ever played an out-and-out villain before?

WILL: Yeah, I've played lots of bad guys. I kind of enjoy it.
STARS: I've read that you and Audra are set to perform on the R Family Cruise that's
coming up in July. I'll be you're looking forward to that.

WILL: Very much. We did one before, and it's so beautiful to see all those families.

STARS: Now, how many children in total do you and Audra have living with you?

WILL: I have two boys, and Audra has her daughter.

STARS: What's a day in the life like for you all?

WILL: It depends on the day! The kids are back and forth between us and our first
spouses. On a busy day, it's get up at six, get them to school, and then run to
whatever activities we have.

STARS: Career-wise, what do you have coming up after Superman?

WILL: It looks like Murder Ballad is going to be done again. It's a really cool piece,
really innovative and unique in its storytelling.

STARS: I'm glad to hear it will have another life, because I missed the MTC production. But
I saw and loved Priscilla. That show was such a blast for the audience, but was it difficult to
perform in terms of sustaining a tremendously high energy level?

WILL: It was incredibly taxing physically, with the heels and the headdresses. The
three leads were onstage for almost the whole show, and when we weren't, we were
racing offstage to change clothes and then racing back on. It beat up your body
pretty good, but it was a happy, bubbly, joyful show.

STARS: How did the experience compare to Hair?

WILL: Hair was even higher energy in shorter bursts, and then we'd sort of slow
down and sit for awhile. But we were onstage the whole time for that show, as well.

STARS: Superman is your first Encores! production. How do you feel about the highly
concentrated rehearsal period?

WILL: It's a challenge -- high stakes, high adrenalin. Very nerve-wracking. I don't
know why we, as actors, decide we want to put ourselves in these situations where
we can crash and burn so easily in front of thousands of people. But it's fun!

********************

[It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman runs March 20-24 at New York City Center. For
more information or to purchase tickets, visit nycitycenter.org]
Brad Hathaway
Aug 6, 201

Matt Cavenaugh as Superman at Dallas Theatre Center (Photo by

Brandon Thibodeaux, Courtesy of Dallas Theater Center)

He flies so that others may fly. They call him “Schu.” He’s Jason
Schumacher, one of ZFX Flying Effect’s crew of ten flying directors
who travel around the world setting up stage rigging for flying
effects, devising flying choreography, and training actors, actresses
and crewmembers for hundreds of productions a year. They handle
everything from community theatre Peter Pans to dinner theatre
Wizards of Oz and from Broadway’s Wicked to corporate shows
when CEOs want to make a flying entrance a la Mission Impossible.

This June, Schu was in Dallas working on the Dallas Theatre

Center’s revival of the musical Its a Bird... It’s a Plane... It’s
Superman, which required star Matt Cavenaugh to levitate
musically. It’[s one of the 140 to 150 productions he’s worked in his
nearly three years with ZFX, during which he’s trained hundreds of
performers to zip up, down, and around (summersaults included, if
need be).

In that time, he’s never had a flyer back out of the deal, but he says,
“We do have to deal with fear of heights. It’s just a matter of easing
them in and building a sense of trust that overcomes the fear.” Then,
too, he has never had a performer get too ambitious during flight,
but, he says, “I’ve had a few operators who were initially a bit overly
gung-ho. Safety has to be the primary concern...art, truth, and
beauty are wonderful, but safety is number one.”

An Alaskan native who studied theatre at the University of

Wisconsin at Madison, Shumacher moved to New York to pursue a
hoped-for career as an actor. “I have always been active in martial
arts,” he says, “so it was natural to also go into stunt work and some
fight direction.” Three years ago, he participated in a workshop on
flying and fighting (“aerial violence,” he calls it), and the ZFX
participants suggested he send in a resume. As a result, he now
spends about ten months a year on the road.

For Superman at Dallas’ brand new Wyly Theatre, Schumacher

worked with two of the company’s crew members who came in from
the scene shop to be part of the running crew for the show,
carpenter Matt Gill and assistant technical director Squeak
Henderson. They assisted in rigging the flight mechanism, and then,
with Schumacher in the harness, they learned how to move him up
and down and right and left at will.

Zakiya Young and Matt Cavenaugh (Courtesy of Dallas Theatre

Center)
“It was the hardest work we’d done,” says Henderson, “a full upper-
body work-out. Schu says we look great with ‘Body by ZFX.’”
Schumacher says they used a manual system with a 3-to-2 lift
assistance, “which is good for a single adult male on the line.”
Henderson points out, however, that there’s a scene at the end of
the musical when Cavenaugh, as Superman, flies with Zakiya
Young, as Lois Lane, for what Henderson calls, “their love moment
in the sky.” She has her own harness, “but it’s on the same rig, so
the compensation ratio, all of a sudden, is one-to-one,” he says.

“Matt Gill has the safety slot,” says Henderson. “If he lets go of the
ropes, Matt comes down. If I let go, he just stays where he is. We
both wear gloves to operate the rope, but Matt’s on his third pair of
gloves. I just started on my second,” he said during the show’s final
week.

Schumacher may remember the Superman gig for other reasons.

The production played at the brand new Potter Rose Performance
Hall in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. “It’s the first time I ever
got to string a system indoors in sunlight!” he says. The north, west,
and south walls of the hall are all windows allowing a view of the sky
and the skyline, but with shades that close up for performances.

Sometimes there’s a bit extra for Schu to do. For the Dallas
production of Superman, he had to also train Rob McCollum, the
host of the morning television show Good Morning Texas, so he
could make an aerial entrance for the programs’ feature on local
Channel 8. McCollum then interviewed him in order to show the TV
audience what was involved in his overhead summersaulting, which
he said was “a blast,” but was also very hard work. “It’s a great abs
workout,” he says, echoing Henderson’s comment about “Body by
ZFX.”

For Schu, however, it was just another day at the office.

November 12, 1932 – January 27, 2017
so sad to lose another super guy :(,would have loved to see him mix
it up with adam and burt as a guest star on the batman show back
then ,and to me anyway possibly the best live action rendering of the
classic super suit ,i could see bobs superman fitting right in on
batman or even flying past the window in a madmen episode :lol
Below is the wonderful tribute written by Brian McKernan for
SupermanBobHoliday.com…

Mr. Holiday had been a successful home builder in Lake

Wallenpaupack PA since the late 1970’s, although his first love was
performing in front of live audiences, a vocation he discovered at the
age of five after earning a lollipop for singing “My Bonnie Lies Over
the Ocean” at a Catskill resort talent show. A 20-year career
followed as a nightclub entertainer and actor in TV commercials,
Broadway shows, and touring companies.

The future Superman was a soloist in the George Washington High

School glee club and performed on “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour”
after graduation. Inspired by his heroes Dean Martin and Jerry
Lewis, Mr. Holiday performed as a singer and comedian in
Manhattan restaurants, joining the Army in 1953, where he polished
his craft at NCO clubs and as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio in
Germany. He resumed his nightclub career after military service,
performing in a variety of cities opposite such stars as Jayne
Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. A 1956 MC stint at the Colony
Club, in Dallas, had Mr. Holiday working for owner Jack Ruby, later
to become infamous as the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, John F.
Kennedy’s assassin.

Mr. Holiday’s first major Broadway role was in Fiorello!, the Tony
and Pulitzer Prize-winning 1959 musical by Jerry Bock and Sheldon
Harnick directed by George Abbott. Playing the part of Neil, young
law clerk opposite actor Tom Bosley’s portrayal of firebrand New
York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the show ran for 795
performances and provided Mr. Holiday with his introduction to
future Superman producer Harold Prince. Road shows of “Camelot”
and “Lady in the Dark” followed, and on November 17, 1965 The
New York Times reported that the 33-year-old Mr. Holiday bested 51
competitors auditioning to win the title role in Mr. Prince’s pop art-
era musical comedy “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman.” Mr.
Holiday’s 6 foot, 4 inch, 190 pound frame, square-jawed good looks,
and acting and singing abilities made him the perfect candidate to
portray the comic’s Man of Steel on the Broadway stage. The show
opened at the Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre on March 29, 1966.
Of Mr. Holiday’s performance, reviewer Whitney Bolton of The New
York Morning Telegram said, “[T]he embodiment of Superman
makes the show come alive and sparkle. His portrait of a ponderous
human miracle, in love with good deeds and unabashed virtue, is
delightful.”

“I relished [the] role,” Mr. Holiday said of Superman years later,

explaining that he’d been a comic book fan as a youngster. He also
felt a responsibility to uphold the character’s reputation, making time
to meet with young autograph-seekers backstage after every
matinee performance. “I sign a big red S, tell them to drink their milk,
and be good,” he stated. “I get a big kick out of it.”

Although positive reviews of “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s

Superman” were abundant, with New York Times critic Stanley
Kauffman calling it “Easily the best musical so far this season,” the
show closed on July 17 after 129 performances. Librettist Robert
Benton, who wrote the show’s book with David Newman, attributed
its short run to “capelash” caused by the immense popularity of the
“Batman” TV series, which had premiered just weeks earlier.
Matinee performances were packed with youngsters, but evening
attendance steadily dwindled as adults assumed the show was
geared to kids. Mr. Holiday reprised the role during the Summer of
1967 in Kansas City and St. Louis in open-air performances before
audiences estimated in excess of 10,000.

Mr. Holiday continued his theatrical career for several more years,
appearing in the Los Angeles company of Promises Promises and
narrowly missing out on being cast as the father on The Brady
Bunch TV series. In 2003 he took a break from his homebuilding
projects in the Pocono Mountains to appear onstage at the annual
Superman Celebration in Metropolis IL, delighting fans and being
filmed for a documentary titled Holiday in Metropolis.
Noting that fellow Superman Christopher Reeve described himself
as a “temporary custodian” of the character in his 1998
autobiography Still Me, Mr. Holiday added, “I was very proud to ‘take
care’ of Superman in the 1960’s. Playing the part was great fun, and
I loved it. I still hear from fans today, and it’s wonderful. Over and
over, someone will find me, get in touch, and let me know how much
they loved the show (and even me personally). You can’t imagine
how much that means to me 40 years later.”

Mr. Holiday’s daughter Kelly and son-in-law Joe were at his side
upon his passing.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

Almost two months ago, I set out on a quest to prove that "It's A Bird
It's A Plane It's Superman©" was not the biggest flop on Broadway.
It was inconceivable to me that the joyous, colorful, exciting show—
featuring the wonderful Bob Holiday as Superman—could possibly
have been a financial disaster. Did I succeed? Well, yes and no.

Superman Alone
There are a fair number of articles floating around the web that
incorrectly claim "It's A Bird It's A Plane It's Superman©" was
capitalized at $600,000. Many of these articles reference a blog post
by the inimitable Mark Evanier titled “Up, Up and Away!” As far as I
can tell, the $600,000 figure (some places report $650,000) comes
from a misreading of an article in the 01/11/1966 New York Herald
Tribune that stated:

”Superman” has been privately financed at $400,000. Columbia

Records is reported to have an investment of $250,000.
Why do I say this is a “misreading”? Because Hal Prince1 himself
lists the investment in the show at $400,000. So $250,000 came
from Colombia Records and $150,000 from other investors. Who
were these investors? No one today seems to know, except that it
wasn’t Mr. Prince’s usuals. Mark Evanier muses that perhaps it was
DC Comics.

We do know that these private investors were not Hal Prince's

customary backers:

In a letter to his former backers, Mr. Prince informed them that he

has no time to finance the project in the usual manner. “I don’t want
you to think,” Mr. Prince added, “that we are bypassing our loyal
investors. These are extraordinary circumstances. We’ll do the best
we can to take care of you on opening night and avail you of our
house seats. A little of the excitement will be gone, but so will the
risk.”
On Broadway, what’s a hit and what’s a flop?
First, a show is capitalized; this is the $400,000 that was invested
into "It's A Bird It's A Plane It's Superman©". This capitalization pays
down payments to the creators, builds the sets, creates the
costumes, markets the show, and pays the performers while
rehearsing.

Eventually—hopefully—the show opens and ticket sales fund the

running costs: salaries for everyone from the stage hands to the
star, theatre rental, costume maintenance, ongoing payments to the
creators, and all other day-to-day costs ... like making Superman fly!

What about the investors? They get paid back if, and only if, weekly
ticket sales outpace weekly expenses. If the show runs long enough,
the investors make a profit and the show is considered a hit. If it
closes before a profit is made, it's called a flop.

Bob Holiday as Superman

Here are Superman’s stats:
Capitalized at $400,0001
Ticket sales prior to the opening clocked in at $100,0002
As of April 25th, ticket sales were $67,000 per week.3
By the time I saw the show in June of 1966, the theater was
comfortable, neither full nor empty.

This does not sound like a show that was floudering.

Admittedly, there was a rocky start. Hal Prince reported:

Prince was convinced he had a smash hit until he called the box
office. "They said, ‘My God, we haven’t sold a single new seat.’ "
But that didn’t last. On March 31st, two days after opening, Stuart
W. Little reported in the New York Herald Tribune:

[Y]esterday … a Superman muscularity began to appear. The lines

were already formed as the box office opened. The coffee wagon
was brought out in front of the Alvin Theater. The expanded box-
office staff of five treasurers was increased by one, and during the
midday hours more than 100 customers were counted in line.
So, was Superman the biggest flop on Broadway at that time?
In short, no. In 1965, Kelly cost $650,000 and closed after one night.
It outpaced Superman as "the biggest flop on Broadway" by a long
shot.
How did Superman fare financially?
According to Jim Shooter, who attended the show when he was 14
years old, accompanied by his mother and Mort Weisinger:

A Broadway show is technically considered a "hit" if it breaks even

or better. Superman was technically a hit, but a flop by producer Hal
Prince's lofty standards. He told me so himself when I visited his
office in 1987 or 1988 after I'd been hired by John Flaxman of the
Hal Prince organization to write the story and script for a Star Wars
musical.
So there you have it.
Hal Prince directly stated that the show at least broke even. True, in
Contradictions, “It’s a Bird...” is listed as having lost its entire
$400,000 investment. One of those investors was Colombia
Records, the other may have been DC Comics. After all, as Mark
Evanier points out, DC Comics had financially backed the George
Reeves Adventures of Superman, which was not that far removed in
time from the Broadway show.

Could both statements be true?

As a matter of fact, they could both be true. By strict definition, the
investment in a Broadway show is lost if costs haven’t been
recouped by the time the show ends. But that’s not the whole story.
The Colombia Records cast album has never been out of print and
is still being sold today. In other words, Colombia is still making
money from their investment in Superman. And if the second
investor was DC Comics, then they are continuing to make money
every time a new revival is staged, and this show has been revived
over and over again in the fifty-plus years since the curtain fell on
Broadway.

A hit AND a flop? This is a feat that only Superman could pull off.
And I never, ever count Superman out!

SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com

.
SupermanBobHoliday.com has just found confirmation of a 50-year-
old memory! As you can imagine, we've seen a lot of revivals of "It's
A Bird It's A Plane It's Superman©". And one scene kept bothering
webmaster Toni Collins. It simply wasn't what she remembered.

In modern revivals, when Superman sings "The Strongest Man in

the World," Lois Lane has discovered him at Clark Kent's apartment.
He sings, there's some dialogue. He sings another verse, there's
some more dialogue. In other words, Superman is singing to Lois,
and she tries to cheer him up. OK, fair enough.

But on Broadway, Superman was alone, sitting on his (er, Clark's)

naugahyde recliner. He is alone, utterly alone. He's accidentally
smashing Clark's (er, his) furniture in his grief. And he sang. He
sang so that your heart was ripped right out of your chest.

He was singing to us, to us in the audience. We felt his pain. It was

excruciating for him and for every person watching.

But in the revivals, the pathos is lost, the audience are mere
observers, and we fail to care. Plop, every aspect of the show can
now be classed as campy satire. (One revival actually staged this
scene with a hair roller in Superman's forehead curl.) The
verisimilitude is gone.

But look at what Walter Kerr said in 1966:

So he's sitting at home, in his lonely furnished flat, dressed in his

basic blue, reading the newspapers. And while the mayor of New
York may not care what they say about him in the newspapers,
Superman does. Superman is crying. And Superman doesn't care
who knows it. He bellows forth ... thoughtlessly bending a stand-
lamp like a crumpled-up pipe cleaner and inadvertently cracking a
coffee-table in two under the stress of his tears. It's a very homey
image, and those who have never stopped to think about how
deeply a hero can be hurt are given cause to pause and ponder.
Another clue was found on Judy Harris's synopsis of the show:

After his DOING GOOD opening number, Bob Holiday doesn't get
any song until the second act and it's his ballad, after he's been
publicly disgraced and is hiding out, afraid to show his face in public.
Again, Superman is described as alone.

Two sources. No mention of Lois. Thoughtless breaking of furniture.

Superman is crying. It was the kind of a moment that makes eight-
year olds cry. It was a moment you never forgot.

It was the kind of moment that makes you sit down four decades
later and write a fan letter.

BOB HOLIDAY superman tv appearances

LOOK Magazine Headline
Betty Rollin
Dateline March 22, 1966

In a long and rambling article that held much criticism for the comic-
book genre, especially when it dared to move onto the stage and
screen, Bob Holiday held his own.
The article begins with a withering critique of the 1940's Batman
serials, followed by this:

Superhero activity in the sixties is by no means confined to old

movies. One morning last November, hundreds of actors watered
their avocado plants, finished their pork loaf and walked to
Broadway, where they found a casting notice for a new musical,
requesting simply, "A PERFECT MAN." "The perfect man," read
scores of sallow actors, who had been doing OK in plays about dope
pushers and psychotic college boys, should be 6'4" tall, weigh
between 190 and 210 pounds, and have the following
measurements: Neck...17", Chest...50", Waist...32", etc. After three
months of barbells and blender breakfasts (milk, 3 tbsp. 90-percent
protein powder, wheat germ, honey and 3 eggs), Bob Holiday, an
ex-strip-joint singer, is ready to spring (literally) in the title role of It's
a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SUPERMAN© [sic

]. The new musical remains true to the old Superman and to his idiot
alias, Clark Kent. But rather than the costumed freak of the forties,
today's villain is—what else?—a dippy lay psychoanalyst. "Your
actions are those of a very frustrated and unfulfilled personality," he
says to Superman. "Most of us find fulfillment in simple ways. But
you seem to need the adulation of millions to make you content."

Ms. Rollins continues, again insulting the comics with great gusto,
and ending her article with this salvo:

The danger is that, since someone has whispered "Junk's OK.

Pass it on," a door has opened so wide it has practically become
unhinged. The hitch in the "It's so bad it's good" way of thinking is
that sometimes—the Batman television series is a stunning case in
point—it's so bad it's bad.

As seen in LOOK Magazine, March 22, 1966

When you hear a show tune from the great white way does a sure
run through you
While we're giving them to you, sing hallelujah and shout hooray
Come on along and listen to, Broadway to Main Street
You have seen me
Oh, oh, oh, it's a, oh, it's a, oh, it's a man
It's a man who's standing in the storm, it's a superman
Walk a walk, a walk a walk a walk a walk! Kirsid World is round my
forum
Our creatures, I am standing safe
Well, as the back reeks up to me
Well, like we came back here since I was brave
Who is the man who pjsm a Johnsome mns bat?
You got what I need
ockes and ones
You got what I need
Ready, together we scare my heights
I think right now you count, count, and change.
Sweetie, boldly, for A to C.
You count what I think.
Baby, ever now, or baby, you count, A.
No listeners, don't touch that dial.
You're not listening to a superhero movie.
You are listening to one of my favorite scores of all time.
This is Larry Maslon, your host of Broadway to Main Street
here on WPP 88.3 FM.
And we're broadcasting today live from the daily planet
in Metropolis to celebrate the musical.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman,
Succeed Day Steam from 1966, which is thankfully,
in my opinion, having it's
its first ever concert revival in New York City.
And of course, where are they having it at City Center,
a part of the Encore series this week from March 20th
to March 24th.
So I hope you will all dive into your nearest phone booth
and rip off your shirt and change into your Superman outfit
and fly over to 55th Street to see this great, great show.
OK, so I may be a little.
I may be a little over enthusiastic,
but I am a huge musical theater fan, as you obviously know,
but a huge comic book fan.
So when I was a kid and this show opened,
I was a little too young to be taken in to see it.
But I grew to like it a lot.
It's got a tremendous score, in my opinion,
by Charles Strauss and Lee Adams, a very witty book
by Robert Benton and David Newman.
And supposedly quite an interesting production
by Hal Prince, one of his very first shows.
And it's got a lot of energy and pizzazz
and sort of pop optimism of the 1960s
as befits both its subject and its time.
Superman debuted in Action Comics number one
in the spring of 1938.
He was the very first superhero created ever,
at least superheroes as we understand them,
by two, 20-somethings to young Jewish kids from Cleveland,
named Jerry Segal and Joe Schuster.
And the whole notion of Superman just overwhelmed
the American popular consciousness of the late 30s,
the Depression era, into the 40s, of course,
all the way up to today.
Where does Superman first appear in a song, however?
Well, this is a bit of a mystery.
In the Zigfeld Follies of 1937, there was a song written
by Vernon Duke called I Can't Get Started,
which in its verse mentions Superman.
And I can't quite figure out whether that meant it
in sort of the larger sense of the word, a sort of uber-mensch
or somehow was sort of prescient about our man of steel.
Anyway, here's Sinatra to sing that song.
Listen carefully to the verse.
Very much.
Wonderful song by Vernon Duke.
And I, a gushman, made famous by the great Bunny Berrigan.
I'm a glum one.
It's explainable.
I met someone on attainable life.
So bore the world is my oyster.
No more.
In all those papers where I led the news with my capers,
now we'll spread the news.
Superman turns out to be a flash in the pan.
I've flown around the world in a plane.
Settled a couple of revolutions in Spain.
And with kings I've all I've caught it.
Still I can't get started with you.
On the golf course, I'm on the bar.
One of brothers would love to make me a star.
I got a house, mine on what a house it's a show place.
Still I can't get started with you.
I'm on the golf course.
I'm on the bar.
Still I can't get no place with you.
You are a supreme.
The lyrics I write of you.
Dream, dream, day and night of you.
Then I scheme just for the sight of you.
But what good does it do in Cincinnati and even in Rangoon?
I hum a few notes and all those chicks swoon.
Still I'm so brokenhearted because I can't get started with you.
That was Superman mentioned as opposed to a flash in the pan.
Of course the flash was also a superhero but he wasn't until 1940.
A musical conundrum if you know the answer, write me.
Today we're celebrating that great man of steel, the man of
tomorrow,
Superman, I suppose I can't get started with a good song for Clark
Kent to sing about Lois Lane.
Superman became a phenomenon almost immediately after his
debut in 1938 and by 1940 he was the first superhero to have his
own radio show.
So since this is a radio show I can't be remiss if I did not play the
beginning of that show which was on the mutual airways all the way
up to 1952.
So radio listeners let's go to the adventures of Superman.
Presenting the transcription feature, Superman.
Up in the sky, look, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman.
Now Superman, strange visitor from another world, champion of the
week and the oppressed,
who walks the earth as a man among men in the character of Miles
Clark Kent, news reporter for the Daily Planet.
When we last saw him Kent was still investigating the cause of
mysterious airplane crashes at Lonese Bridger Field in the
Southwest.
With young Jimmy Olsen, copy boy on the Daily Planet, he had
gone to the grounds of the Lawback Circus at Del Rio in the hope of
finding the connection between the accidents and the strange figure
of Professor Hagen.
Apparently a simple animal trainer, in reality, and in center of terrible
and deadly machines.
And Professor Hagen's underground hideout, they have been
surprised by photo are strong men of the tent show, but photo are
was no match for Superman.
As our story continues today, Jimmy has emerged from his hiding
place in a closet, and is gazing with awe at the unconscious figure of
the strong man crumpled on the floor in a corner.
Suddenly, an exclamation from Superman, now back in his
character of Clark Kent, brings him to the table which holds
Professor Hagen's radio.
Listen.
Jimmy, if I'm not mistaken, this piece of paper here on the table is
just what we're looking for.
What do you mean? What's on the paper, Mr. Kent?
It's that weather report we are set in the radio when we came in.
What up? Look here.
That wonderful piece of swing music was Benny Goodman playing a
song called Superman, which was written by Eddie Sauter.
Eddie Sauter is probably the finest or one of the finest orchestrators
in Broadway history, certainly one of my favorites.
And guess what musical he orchestrated in 1966? That's right.
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman.
Why don't we just segue right into his dynamite orchestration of the
overture by Charles Strauss?
Well, it's can't hurt me.
Oh, Superman.
He saved my life again.
Ah, Lois. It was nothing.
Would you like to dance? No, where did he go?
Superman has a job to do, and my job is doing good.
Every night, when the job is through, I fold my tights proud to know
I've done all I could.
But it's a satisfying feeling when you hang up your cape to know that
you've averted murder, larceny and rape.
Every man has his job to do, well, back into the old Clark Kent
disguise.
I'll never stop doing good.
Other men have their work to do.
But as for me, I must live not one life but two.
This disguise is really wonderful for who would guess.
That underneath this white shirt is a great big red-S.
Every man has his job to do, and my job is doing good.
I'll never stop doing good.
Oh, it's hard to keep on wearing the old Clark Kent smile, but I know
I have to do it, because my work is so worthwhile.
Bloody dumb. It's a funny life. Still, and all a life well spent.
So here you go.
Wavry gone, meek and mild, Blas is on, Superman, now your Clark
Kent.
That, of course, was the man of steel, Superman transforming
himself into Clark Kent during his opening number of It's a Bird, It's a
Plane It's Superman, score by Charles Strauss.
Wonderful lyrics by Lee Adams, embodied by the Brony Shoulders
there above holiday.
It's a bird, it's a plane it's Superman is returning to Broadway, the
sort of real life metropolis from March 20th to March 24th at City
Center's Encore.
Please don't miss it. It's a great, great show. NYCCityCenter.org.
Well, if you've got Superman, can Lois Lane be far behind? Of
course, Lois Lane is the star reporter of the Daily Planet who is
infatuated with Superman while at the same time she spurns the
advances of Clark Kent, not really realizing, of course, they are one
and the same.
Here's a wonderful ballad where she sings about the dilemmas of
being in love with the most powerful man in the world. Listen
carefully to the lyrics, they're pretty extraordinary.
Here's Patricia Moran as Lois Lane.
Is just a school girl's fantasy? Oh, is there no one else for me but
Superman?
Does he ever hold me? Has he ever told me he could care?
Tell me please, when will he learn it's not some silly fly-by-night
affair?
I know that I should find myself another man.
I know that I should find someone to give my love to as I know I can.
A homey-type or stale round. A guy with both feet on the ground.
Tilly comes, my heart is bound to soothe by my mind.
Did you get that lyric? A guy with both feet on the ground? Terrific.
Robert Benton and David Newman were young writers for Esquire
Magazine and wrote a witty book for this show in 1966. Basically,
they used the trope, the situation of Superman and wrote their own
original plot.
They realized that in Metropolis, if Superman was the number one
person you wanted at every dinner party, someone would have to be
jealous of that.
That person was Gossip columnist Max Menken, who is sort of
based on Walter Winchell and fantastically embodied by Jack
Cassidy.
Here he is at the Daily Planet, putting the moves on Lois Lane. I like
the song a lot because, as you know, we broadcast from the East
End and it's got a reference to Quag.
So, and Kaufman and anybody else who lives out there, listen up.
You know you're really quite a dish. You're what a guy might call,
delish. You've got an awful lot of class. You're packed as solid as a
Kanish. But every time I make a pass, I get the well-known freezer
room.
Watch the bit kid. I admit kid, I can't figure you. You're the woman
for the man who has everything. Let me show you how to live.
Girls who get our girls who give. You're the woman for the man who
has everything. I'm a man who has everything. Everything but you.
Lois, you're fighting it. But you can't deny it. The old chemistry is
getting through you. Hubba hubba.
At every opening night, I'm there. Hedwig is know me. Everywhere.
Of course it's freebies all the way. A check for me. They wouldn't
dare. A check is seen with me today.
Tomorrow's anic. Starts to call. So relax kid. This is Max Kid. Don't
give me a stall. You're the woman for the man who has everything.
You're the type that I adore. So I find it anymore. You're the woman
for the man who has everything. I'm a man who has everything.
Share it all with me. Even though I used to be a huff of me before I
started writing a column. You killed my girl Max. Can't you leave
journalism alone?
Yeah. Break the light, kid. Sorry. Never do requests.
Chee. Chee. I've got a cover. TV set. That is an arm of a market yet.
I've got a hide away in Quark. It has a view you won't forget. You
have a drink.
And what's the fog? I have a chef who cooks the end. Let's drive out
sweets. I've no doubt sweets. You and I will blend.
You're the woman for the man who has everything. Why not give on
Max a try? He's a pretty decent guy. You're the woman for the man
who has everything.
And for the man who has everything, only the best will do. So I can't,
I have you.
Yes. The silver throat of Jack Cassidy as jealous gossip columnist
Max Menken. Superman only ran 129 performances. A lot of people
think that Batman on television sort of killed it.
This wasn't a more innocent time whether it was sort of hard to
market a show that would appeal both to adults and kids
simultaneously. Now would probably be a huge hit. Anyway, it didn't
yield too many crossover pop hits except for one song was recorded
by Peggy Lee and Matt Monroe, but I would do a terrible injustice to
Linda Laven if I didn't record her performance, which is just
knockout.
She plays Max Menken's secretary, who is of course in this weird
kind of quadrilateral menage a toy relationship, is actually has a
crush on Clark Kent.
So here is a song that she sings to Clark Kent dangerously
unbuttoning his shirt during the course of it. So you can see that
good old lumpy Clark Kent has got possibilities.
You can see her cut simply terrible necktie, the worst bearing, just
unbearable what to tackle first. Still you've got possibilities though
you're horribly square.
Possibilities underneath there's something there.
I'm not Queen Victoria, this suit has to go, still you've got
possibilities, let us give it a try. I've seen possibilities maybe more
than meets the eye.
Don't back away, come on on Ben, why can't I be? What a different
friend.
Baby, you're improved over in world, take long mountains, and be
moveable if the spirit's strong. You're not positive in it, it takes a
woman to tell.
I see possibilities, let me cry you from your shell. Relax, sweetheart,
I'm not gonna bite you yet, you'll be shy.
When I get through, I'm on and roll, you tie guy low.
Somewhere, way down deep in you, there's life, no doubt it's just
been asleep in you, let me bring it out. You've got possibilities
maybe even a lot.
Red and possibilities, why be shy and united? I see possibilities, you
don't even know.
You go.
Well luckily Linda Lavand does not yet discover that Clark Kent is in
fact Superman, so we're getting towards the end of the first act of It's
a Bird, It's a Plane at Superman.
Let's take a little segue from the original cast album to an opening
theme that enthralled youngsters in the late 1950s, all the way up to
the 70s.
I remember watching it as a kid on Long Island. Here we go, here's
the television version of Adventures of Superman.
Fast to the speeding bullets. More powerful than locomotive. Able to
leap tall buildings at a single bound.
Look, up in the sky, it's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman. Yes, it's
Superman. Strange visitor from another planet who came to earth
with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.
Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, then steal
in his bare hands. And who disguise as Clark Kent's mild-mannered
reporter for a great bunch of dollars in newspaper.
Fights are never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American
way.
It's Superman.
Yes, like a super fan. Yes, I'm a baby cat. Yes, do not give up when
you say so. I'm a man the way.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Oh, that cat can do.
Shh! He's supposed to have some space. It's a plane if you can't. It's
like Superman. It's Superman. Yes, it's Superman. Yes, it's
Superman.
That goes as Superman enough. Look, up in the sky, and then goes
to the big and bad old mighty
Yeah!
Hey, that's the bad guys. Rockin' guys, any size tall prize?
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Oh!
Come on, come on, come on, no big bad.
I love you, baby. See you now, you, baby. We love you, hey, yeah.
Quickly, what year are we in?
We can only be in 1966.
That last track was the end of Act 1 of It's A Bird, It's a Plane at
Superman, with a really
hip score by Strauss and Adams, wonderfully orchestrated by Eddie
Soder.
In the course of the musical, Superman is rewarded with an
honorary degree by Metropolis
University only to discover that his adversaries have blown up a
building at the same time,
and Superman is disgraced in Metropolis for not being there.
So an interesting second act, which we'll get to.
But let's take a little intermission, as it were.
We're celebrating It's A Bird, It's a Plane at Superman, being done at
New York City Center's
Encore Series from March 20th to March 24th.
So let's hear the music that some of you may know.
From the 1978 film, here is the opening track written by John
Williams.
Can you read my mind?
Do you know what it is you do to me?
Don't know who you are, just a friend from another start.
Here I am, like a kid at a school, holding hands with a gun at my
fore.
When you look at me, quivering like a little girl, shivering, you can
see right through
me.
Can you read my mind?
Can you picture the things I'm thinking of?
Wondering why you are, all the wonderful things you want.
You can fly, you belong to the sky, you are not, could belong to each
other.
If you need a friend, I'm the one to fly to.
If you need to be lost, here I am, read my mind.
When you look at me, quivering like a little girl, shivering, you can
see right through
me, if you need a friend, I'm the one to fly to.
If you need to be lost, here I am, read my mind.
This is Larry Maslon, your correspondent from the Daily Planet
broadcasting studio here in
Metropolis.
Today we're celebrating that indomitable pop culture figure
Superman.
Her two tracks from the groundbreaking 1978 movie, music by John
Williams and that last track
was really by Shirley Bassie.
Didn't you do a great job at the Oscars?
I thought she was phenomenal.
We're going to segue back to the musical from 1966, it's a bird, it's a
planet Superman
being run in concert version from March 20th to March 24th at New
York City Center, and
ycitycenter.org if you want tickets.
I hope you'll streak over there in your red cape and get some.
In the second act of the musical, jealous gossip columnist Max
Menken, played by Jack Cassidy,
exalts over his triumph having humiliated Superman in front of
everyone in Metropolis.
So we'll hear him and then we'll hear his wonderful song where he
teams up with a mad scientist
into the climax of the musical.
So long big guy, it's tough to say goodbye.
So long big guy, his mud in your x-ray.
Farewell old pal, you know we'll all miss you.
You had your day, so what is there love to say?
Sure you what to do in swell.
Too bad you fell big fella.
You might as well turn in those tights big guy, take your last bow and
look who's the big gun.
Nooooooo!
Well it serves him right, although superpowers and he gave him
away.
Boy I could make a minion bucks for that kind of talent and that x-ray
vision.
You know what I could do with x-ray vision.
Uh oh, chin up big guy and don't let it get you.
So your up bum hits something to overcome.
Bye bye big boy, you sure entertain us.
I'll think of you whenever I'm feeling blue.
You landed with a son.
That's how it goes over deep.
Go on and cry, I understand big guy, you're through and how and
me I'm a big guy.
So long, ta-ta and Adios, chin chin, shalom and tutelow, Adios, but
de chinadios.
Nooooooo!
My heart's pounding with the power now before me.
Keep rough, I'm beginning to see rough.
I saw quivers with the glory now and feel.
Hell, rough, it's beginning to jump.
We'll cut this town up like a great big pink rough.
Shake off, but it's me and you.
You got what I need, baby, you got it and how.
You got what I need, baby, get a week and scare the heights that I
mean right now.
You got what it takes, sweetie, all the way from A to Z.
You got what I need, baby, come from now on, baby, you got me.
You're a thoroughly immoral person, Max, I like you.
Thanks, Professor, it's mutual.
We're gonna make some team prof.
Call me Abner Abner, I love that name.
You're loaded with class, baby, the creme de la creme.
That's the step of the gas, baby.
Oh, oddly, you're a million love, Max, you're a gem.
You got it, it's fate, lovey, you're a palma-bally.
I got what I need, baby, come from now on, baby, I got you.
Yeah, you got it, I'm scared, baby, the best in the heart.
You're upset, I thought, cookie, get it Abner.
You're Mickey Mouse, here on the new team.
Mr. Will be great to play and see.
You got what I need, baby, come from now on, baby, don't be
maybe.
Now on, baby, you've got me.
You're a palma-bally.
Do you have a medic, Lord?
Sure.
Have you seen Superman lately?
Yeah, this morning.
Did he ask for me by any chance?
No, why should he?
Oh, I don't know.
I should be thinking just of Jim, not super-plan.
He's got a lot in his mind, you know.
That's all I hear from every side in Superman.
I am our baby.
She doesn't know who's kissing her, it's Superman.
Why are we always at the job in Superman?
Superman!
Superman!
Superman!
Superman!
You can't take your It's Superman.
The crew will cast two, all ten more, It's Superman.
His figure whirling from my brain, A creature science can't explain.
It's not a bird, it's not a plane, It's Superman!
She doesn't expect miracles, All she wants is Clark Kent.
I find a girl and she's hung up on Superman.
Who will we soon have in our head?
It's Superman!
Will she ever love me?
Would she really like me?
This caper is incredible.
Superman is vanished, Superman is taken.
Why does this guy so him?
The secret man!
The secret man!
The secret man!
He deserves a lot of man!
The secret man!
The secret man!
The secret man!
We are young people!
It's Superman!
It's Superman!
Well, we're coming to the final panel, as it were, of It's a Bird, It's a
Plane, It's
Superman, the 1966 musical by Strauss and Adams.
I love the score.
I think it's a great show.
I think it just so encapsulates the kind of pop attitude and great
humor and preoccupations
of the 1960s.
It's got stuff in it about the Cold War and Chinese Communists and
the Adam Bomb all
through this great figure of Superman, who's always been such a
perfect prism of where
we are as a culture.
He came to rescue us in the depths of the Depression in 1938 and
always seems to be
there when we need him.
As the song goes, it's on the first act we didn't play it called, We
Need Him.
For those of you who collect shows, it's a little bit of an annoyance
because even though
we want to maybe kind of file this show under S for Superman, it's
actually I, Under It's
a Bird, It's a Plane because national periodicals who own Superman
and still do as their parent
company, DC Comics, didn't want the title to be Superman of the
musical.
So like most musicals, I came up with something else in this case
that famous moniker, It's
a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman.
He comes to the rescue.
Kind of fun though.
Another part of I think it's enduring charms.
While in the musical, Superman is humiliated because he failed to
save Metropolis from
a bomb attack and he actually goes into what we would call a
depression.
He stays home in his apartment and he's defeated psychologically
by a mad scientist named Abner
Sedgwick and Max Menken who team up with a band of Chinese
Communist to abduct Lois Lane.
But of course Superman being that indomitable spirit of America, of
everything that's truth
justice in the American way, I guess now it's truth justice in the
American musical, comes
to the rescue.
So if you want to see more of his fabulous musical adventures,
highly hence to New York
City Center from March 20th to March 24th, we will see a rare
revival of this terrific
show.
Okay, so Lois Lane is tied up to an atomic generator.
She's afraid she's going to be blown up, but oh wait, what's that?
Who's that coming through?
Who's up there?
Look up in the sky.
Who could that be?
Don't panic, Lois, here I come.
Come on, pal, let's go.
Bam, I need a little exercise.
Take that power and that's soft.
Let's see what you can do.
You boys power.
Good bam, I like the truck who really tries.
Come on, pal, let's go.
Have you learned a trick or two?
It's funny, but only a moment ago.
How bad song I doubted myself and all that was right.
But now I see the light.
Oh no, whack, you don't fam.
I'll show you babies who I am.
Ow, whack, son, crunch.
Bam.
Hey.
Hey, son.
Clap.
That's right, not bad.
Karate, heavy, lancifon.
Good shot.
Thank you.
Grought that's one that I forgot.
Let's not get out with now.
I'll let you know what I am done.
Come on, what's wrong?
You kids don't look so hot.
Gosh, I'm hungry.
I sure like the tea bone steak.
Oh, bam, son, I haven't felt this good.
Karate.
Since Krypton knows where.
Don't you do that again?
Good night, sweet dreams.
So sorry to mess up your plan, but now you know.
Squat for power.
And fool around.
Wham, oh, now.
Let's do...
 Hahahaha.
Well, where is the time all gone to?
This is Larry Maslan here at Broadway to Main Street.
Let's catch up next Sunday at three.
There's so much more embracing
Still to be done
But time is racing
Oh, well,
We'll catch up some other time.

 Reparto y equipo
 Curiosidades
IMDbPro

The Daily Planet Presents: The Story of Superman

 1966
 4min

A short newsreel about the Man of Steel which accompanied the

Broadway musical, "It's a Bird - It's a Plane - It's Superman!"

 Dirección
o Harold Prince
 Guión
o Robert Benton
o David Newman
 Reparto principal
o Bob Holiday
o Eric Mason
o Kenneth Banghart
 Ver la información de la producción en IMDbPro
Añade a mi lista de seguimiento
Reparto principal
 Editar

Bob Holiday
 Superman

Eric Mason
 Perry White

Kenneth Banghart
 Narrator
 (voz)
 Dirección
o Harold Prince
 Guión
o Robert Benton
o David Newman
 Todo el reparto y equipo
 Producción, taquilla y más en IMDbPro

Argumento
Editar
A short newsreel about the Man of Steel which accompanied the
Broadway musical, "It's a Bird - It's a Plane - It's Superman!"

Editar
 Curiosidades
Lois Lane (Patricia Marand ) screened this short for Dr. Abner
Sedgwick (Michael O'Sullivan ) in the Broadway play, "It's a
Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!" The reason that Superman's
thank-you's stretch on for so long is because it was filler created
for the on-stage characters to have a brief moment of dialogue.
Brian Mckernan on Bob Holiday radio podcast

Right. You let talk about Bob Holiday Broadway's Super Me. I don't
want to give away too many specifics, but can you kind of give us a
little overview of and this is where you were launching into with the
2003, I think, right?
Right. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. 1966, after coming off of writing the
Broadway musical Golden Boy or doing the music for it, Charles
Strauss and Lee Adams, it was a challenging assignment because
the star was Sammy Davis, Jr., who was a major star and very
particular with how his performance went. It was a challenge to them
and they wanted to do something that was more fun and easier. Not
that, you know, Sammy Davis Jr. was a fabulous star and a fun guy,
but they wanted to do something fun.
And there were two writers for Esquire magazine that had a yearly
feature called the Dubious Distinction Awards. And those two guys
were David Newman and Robert Benton, both of whom went on to
do many other things such as the movie Bonnie and Clyde and
Kramer versus Kramer. In any case, Leslie Newman, David's wife,
picked up one of her son's comic books off their son's bedroom floor
one day and said, hey, this is a Superman comic book. This would
make a really great idea for a Broadway musical.
Well, you know, next thing you know, they're writing that very thing.
Strauss and Adams doing the music, Newman and Benton writing
the script or as they call it the book. And it's a bird, it's a plane, it's
Superman, premiered March 30th, I believe. Oh, if I got that date
right, we're 29th. 1966 at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway and the
critics loved it. It had played out of town trials in Philadelphia where
the critics were kind of mixed
. But they loved it and unfortunately Batman on television with Adam
West had premiered in January, just a few weeks before Superman.
Yeah, Batman 66 sounds familiar. Yeah. Audiences, audiences,
theater going audiences felt, why should I pay to see Superman?
Right. When I can watch the same thing for free Wednesday and
Thursday nights on ABC. Now of course, the Superman Broadway
musical had a different tone to it. It was not as high camp as the
Batman television series, which by the way, when I was 12, I just
loved. And of course, it's great fun to watch these days too, all these
years later.
But matina audiences, it's a bird, it's a plane that Superman were
packed with young folks. Evening audiences, not so much because,
again, adult theater goers just thought that, well, this is like Batman,
I've already seen that. Also this was an era when the competition on
Broadway had included some of the greatest musicals in history.
Fiddler on the roof, Cactus Flower, Man of La Manca. I mean, just
unbelievable, wonderful shows
. Tough competition for a guy in tight. Yeah, well, you know, but Bob
Holiday was cast as Superman. Bob had been in a show called
Fearillo several years earlier, which was about the mayor of New
York City in the 1930s, Feara Argus 40s, late 30s, LaGuardia, and
had done great. And he was a perfect Superman, six foot good
looking, muscular, sang well, and unfortunately, people today don't
seem familiar with Bob Holiday. Every time I was... He's kind of like
the forgotten Superman.
It was like... It's really very much the forgotten Superman, yeah, I
would say. Which you know, was unfortunate because there's no
reason why that should be. No, it was perfect. It was perfect. He was
perfect. And people say, well, he didn't appear in a film, which is not
true because he did appear in a film. There was a film shown with
every performance called The Story of Superman, which was a
news reel that Lois Lane shows to the villain of the story, a 10 time
Nobel Prize loser named Dr. Abner Sedgwick, who wishes to take
his revenge on the world by destroying Superman.
And he teams up, Sedgwick does, with Max Minkin, who is played
by the wonderful Jack Cassidy, if anybody remembers Jack
Cassidy, who is the daily planet gossip columnist and the two of
them conspire to destroy Superman. But there was Bob Holiday live
on stage flying on one single wire. Yeah, he was doing it. That
wasn't a stuntman. And then he... He was doing it. No stuntman. He
was doing it.
And actually, he had one evening where the wire snapped and it
dropped him about six feet. He landed on his rear. He stood right
back up and he said to the audience, that would have hurt any
mortal man. And he got a standing ovation. And the show just
continued. Yeah, it was great. Bob was a trooper. The following
summer, he did again the role of Clark Kent and Superman in
outdoor open air performances in both Kansas City and St. Louis.
And Bob was hung from a construction crane, a hundred feet above
the stage he came flying in. Amazing. And I said to him years later, I
said, did you realize the risk you were taking? And Bob said, you
know, when you're that age, you're so gung ho, you really don't think
about it. Yeah. Well, that's the perfect Superman. Looking back, you
know, I guess I was
. But exactly, you're right. He really was the perfect Superman. He
was heavily into the role, heavily committed to the role he would
have kids in the audience, visit him after each performance they
could pose for pictures backstage. And you can see all of this stuff
on Bob's website, which is maintained lovingly by Ms. Tony Valeski
Collins. The website is. Superman, Bob, holiday.com. That's it.
Superman, Bob holiday.com
. We've also got the Superman, the Bob holiday Broadway
Superman Facebook page, which I encourage everybody to visit as
well. So all this stuff's out there, like the videos you're talking about.
Yeah. So the background and Tony was even nice enough. I know
prior to his passing, I was hoping to have him on the show and Tony
was nice enough to pay, you know, unfortunately his health, you
know, wasn't up for a podcast interview, but she passed along.
We've read that, that greeting that he had to the fans. So he was
just amazing
. But in the book, you talk about like you're just sort of meeting up
with him and there's a, it's what holiday and metropolis. So this is
like the Superman celebration. We know that takes place in
Metropolis, Illinois. Yes. And then in 2003, he visited, I think Noel
Neal, the great Noel Neal, and speak about that in 66, you're on
crying back, girl was there too
. So I wonder if they like, you know, but it ends over. You know,
your, your show took my Broadway show. I don't know. No, no, they
all got along wonderfully. They all got along wonderfully. But that's
all detailed in here too, about that sort of interaction of you coming in
and shooting a documentary and right. That was all Chuck Harder's
doing. He was the mastermind of this whole thing.
And he realized that the 1966 Broadway Superman had not yet
been a guest at Metropolis. So he got together with the Metropolis
people with Jim Hamburg and the super museum and had Bob
Holiday signed to be the celebrity, one of the celebrity guests that
year at the Superman celebration and Chuck and Bob said, we want
to shoot a documentary on this. So that was the responsibility of
Chuck, Steve McCracken, who was an excellent videographer, not
just a videographer, but a brilliant producer, editor. He had one
camera. I had another. We shot the documentary
. We just captured footage on the fly. And later on, in suing months,
Steve and his brilliant editing talents put it all together in a wonderful
hour long video. This is the DVD. This is the DVD there too. Yeah.
And it's on YouTube, right? Holiday Metropolis? It is. You can find it
on YouTube so you don't need the DVD necessarily. But we'll get
the DVD.
You've got physical media. You never know when streaming stuff
goes away. So that's what I always have physical media behind.
Yeah. Well, I have to say it's very hard to find this because it was
only a limited number that were duplicated. So very hard to find. But
so hopefully YouTube will stay there. But it was a wonderful
experience. Bob had a great time. And he loves the people
remembered him. And even though as far as we know, no film or
video was ever made of the original 1966 production. And the
original cast recording has never been out of print. It's on CD. You
can find it on YouTube. I have it on vinyl upstairs. I've got the
original vinyl.
Hey, can you ever been out of print? I told you no school like old
school. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, new school too. I mean, you
can get it on iTunes and all the streaming services. It's a bird. It's a
plane. It's Superman. Terrific score. Lots of fun. Fabulous. Love it.
Bob had a great time and it was a very memorable experience. You
can tell and the thing that's great about this book that I really want
people to understand too is that when you think about people like
Noel Neil and Bob Holiday and You Vaughn Craig, they're not with
us anymore. Christopher Reeve. And so that's some of the thing
when people talk to me is like, who do you want to say guest? I want
the ones that I can't get on
but it's nice that we've got that archive in here The George the
George Reeves era you mentioned is covered