Superman in Dallas?- Page 3

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 10:58am

Another review from a local critic...
Critical Rant & Rave Review of "Superman" Musical

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:02pm

Seems that reviewer thinks Matt is too skinny and doesn't have the singing voice for the Man of Steel too.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:06pm

I love how the built Cavenaugh is considered "skinny" now.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:10pm

He is built but very lean. In tights he looks skinny.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:12pm

Who is built enough for the role? Nick Adams?

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:13pm

"I love how the built Cavenaugh is considered "skinny" now."

Well, he's definitely lost a lot of his "Urban Cowboy" beefcake, so I don't think it's unfair. And he looks a little gaunt in recent pics, if you ask me.

And let's be honest, Superman is a very specific body type, and Matt just doesn't have that build. And I doubt many of the cast of "300" can sing. Further, I doubt Flying by Foy would want to hoist and maneuver someone of that body type, so it's a double-edged sword.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:16pm

He looks sickly now, lol? Just because he lost some weight? He looked totally fine and quite big in West Side Story...shirtless and all.
Updated On: 6/26/10 at 12:16 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:18pm

"I doubt Flying by Foy would want to hoist and maneuver someone of that body type, so it's a double-edged sword."

Please, Flying by Foy used to fly Chris Farley!

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 12:25pm

Actually, as far as body type and general look goes, Cheyenne Jackson would make a good Superman.

Oh, and a Dallas reviewer friend of mine told me this morning that Matt C. came off as really gay in the show. She asked me if he was, and I said, ummm, technically no because he's married to the actress playing Sydney. She was a bit surprised - my friend, not Jenny Powers.

[RWilliamsCenterStg]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 1:18pm

What a ridiculous post and an even more insane comment from a "critic".

I saw the show last night and had a great time. It made me smile to see so many younger kids in the theater. A family friendly show that clearly made a connection with the audience. I highly recommend it.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 2:59pm

I'm sad they cut "What I've Always Wanted". I thought that was a beautiful song. I thought they were only going to cut the not so well written songs lol. Oh well.

[tourboi]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 5:03pm

I love that the critic complained that Chitty had better flying effects when it toured through the Music Hall.

Does she not understand that Chitty, being a first national tour, had a much, much, MUUUUUCCCCH bigger budget, compared to this... a regional house production? C'mon. Not really fare to compare them.

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 5:13pm

Maybe not fair to compare it to CHITTY (whose effects failed more often than they worked, from what I understand), but it is fair to criticize a show about a flying superhero which fails to impress on its flying effects.

And, trust me, DTC put a LOT of money into this show.

[RWilliamsCenterStg]

Posted: 6/26/10 at 6:52pm

(harsh) - ^^^

There are so many other wonderful topics on this board that you should offer your thoughts on. Since you have so recently joined this board I would be happy to give you a tour.

Much love and admiration....

-Reba Updated On: 6/26/10 at 06:52 PM

[DWalk]

Posted: 6/27/10 at 1:10am

I just returned from the Saturday evening performance and although I agree with many of the things in the reviews...overall I really enjoyed it.

The weakest part of the show, for me, was hearing how often Patrick Cassidy struggled for the high notes. It was quite frequent and really stood out. I also agree that Lois Lane was miscast but I thought Matt Cavenaugh did a really good job as Superman/Clark Kent.

I wasn't familiar with the show before tonight and once I understood it was meant to be campy I sat back and really enjoyed it.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/27/10 at 2:03am

"What I've Always Wanted" might have been a pretty song, but it definitely should have been among the first to go in any discerning revision. It makes this show's version of Lois even duller compared to Sydney, and there are words in that song that should never, ever, ever come out of the mouth of Lois Lane. The show generally pissed on any lore or characterization established in the comics to that point, but Lois was the worst victim. Even then, Lois was always a very strong, snappy, independent, funny, daring woman reporter. Sure she's in love with Superman, but her one big song has her singing that her only big dream is to settle down Somewhere That's Green? I always thought it was ridiculous. It's a fun show, but it totally threw out all of the strong material it could have drawn from, which is why I was so excited when I heard about this production. Sad to hear so many of the problems are probably still there. Ah, well...I'll never get to see it.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/27/10 at 9:56pm

So...my review:

I flew down to Dallas this weekend from Chicago to see the show with my dad, who is a Superman fanatic. We've known about this show for years. He actually saw the original Broadway production, and when I became obsessed with theater as a kid he introduced me to cast recording. We've always accepted it as a rather mediocre piece of work, but it has always had a special place in our hearts so the opportunity to see a big production of this rarely revived musical was too big to pass up.

The show was, honestly, better than I thought it would be. The songs on the OBCR range from great ("Revenge," "You've Got Possibiliities") to awful ("Why is the strongest man in the world/the saddest man in the world?..."). And based on the 1970's TV version, the book was just horribly cheesy. But Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's rewrite (aided by a couple new songs and other musical changes from Strouse and Adams) has, from what I can tell, improved the show immensely.

Which is not to say that it's good. It is still pretty hokey, and very, very quaint. Also, from what I can tell, Aguirre-Sacasa rewrote the book to feature Lex Luther, Jimmy Olsen, Lana Lang, and other characters from Superman lore not in the original before getting the "ixnay" from DC Comics, and it's pretty obvious that rather than start all over again, his Lex was changed back to Max Mencken (the villain in the original) in name only, and the same went for Jimmy ("Torchy"), Lana ("Emily Emerson") and the secondary and tertiary villains (who really, REALLY just should have been cut out completely anyway) to various other poorly-disguised copywright avoidances (i.e. The Prankster is the "Court Jester"). It's distracting, althugh one really should blame DC for being over-protective of their property, rather than any of the re-creators. The musical certainly isn't bad though. It has a fair amount of charm, and it's never boring. The Dallas Theatre Center team has done some great work in breathing some life back into it, and made some good changes. They have smartly made Lois Lane a more important character, giving this old-fashioned show the required satisfactory romantic arc, and cut the fat and added some muscle to the musical score.

As for the cast...well, I have to agree with everyone who has said that Matt Cavenaugh is miscast. He's a talented guy, but Superman he's not. He's too small-framed and boyish to be the Man of Steel, and his tenor voice is just all wrong for a part that was originally played by--and should be played by--a baritone. His trademark JFK-like way of speaking don't help matters either.

Patrick Cassidy was similarly disappointing, although not as much. The Dallas critics have faulted him for his limited vocal range, but Cassidy was once a fantastic tenor (just listen to the original "Assassins" recording). Maybe he's just sick, or maybe time has not been kind to him, but it is true that he is having very obvious trouble singing the role. I was shocked. He is, at least, very well suited for Lex...ahem...I mean, Max...in the acting department. He was certainly more believable as his character than his onstage nemesis.

The women, as others have pointed out, fare much better. Zakiya Young is so perfect as Lois Lane that the "color-blind casting" actually works, and Jenny Powers is so sexy as Sydney and belts her songs so well that if this production were ever to make it to Broadway she'd be a shoo-in for a Tony nomination.

The production values are also top-notch as far as regional theater goes (DTC certainly pulled out all the stops for this one), although the flying effects are not particularly exciting.

All in all, it's an okay show, and a good production despite the egregious miscasting of the title character. If you are in the Dallas area, or if you really want to know what it's like to see Superman sing, I'd recommend it.


Updated On: 6/27/10 at 09:56 PM

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/27/10 at 10:55pm

Thanks, Baritone, for that insightful post. I'm glad you made the trip to Texas and can see the high production values that our regional theatre prides itself upon.

Something occurred to me today. I wonder if DC Comics might have been more inclined to cooperate, had the new writer of the "revisal" not possessed a long-term professional relationship with Marvel Comics. It's one thing to protect the DC brand, it's quite another to give over the most valuable property of that brand to the competition. Just a thought.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 12:27pm

Actually, as far as body type and general look goes, Cheyenne Jackson would make a good Superman.

Didn't he play the part in a concert version of the show?

ETA: Found the link
Photo Coverage: Superman in Concert

Updated On: 6/28/10 at 12:27 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 12:53pm

Cheyenne Jackson did indeed play Superman, I think in two different concert versions, and I imagine he would be nearly perfect for the role.

[Director1971]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 4:46pm

Review from D Magazine...
D Magazine Review of "Superman" Musical

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 5:10pm

"Only problem is, Superman is no longer the star of his own show. This “revisal” of It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman belongs almost entirely to Patrick Cassidy as super villain Max Menken."

I guess this reviewer wasn't really familiar with the show in general. She seems to be faulting the revised book for minimising Superman's role, but the musical has always been The Max Mencken Show.

[RWilliamsCenterStg]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 5:38pm

Variety review.......(I think its behind a paywall)


Variety

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 5:53pm

Man Lois Lane looks like she can beat the living Bejesus out of Superman!

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 7:06pm

Wow, the Variety review is so positive you'd almost think it was written by the theater's PR manager! However, the review will hopefully encourage Tams-Witmark and DC Comics to allow this new version to become available to be produced at other regional theaters (Broadway, is alas, a pipe dream). It's obviously superior to the original version, so it might as well just officially replace it.

BTW, I wish the bigwigs in charge of the licensing of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret would do the same thing. The Sam Mendes Broadway revival version is even better than the original, so why don't they let regional theaters do it?