It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman (1966 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording]

Charles Strouse (Artist), Lee Adams (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 24, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027WB
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,629 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Album of a Nearly-Great Show, April 7, 2002

By 

Jaime J. Weinman (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman (1966 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

SUPERMAN is one of those flop musicals that was just so, so, so close to being a hit. It had all the right ingredients: A very funny book (by Robert Benton and David Newman, who would hit it big the next year as screenwriters of BONNIE AND CLYDE), a tuneful score with at least one obvious hit ("You've Got Possibilities"), a fine cast, a distinctive production, and a rave review from the New York TIMES. So what happened? Basically, the story was weak. (Story counts; Strouse and Adams' next show, APPLAUSE, had a disappointing score and book, but the strength of its storyline helped carry it to the hit column.) The main plot hooks -- Superman doubting himself; Lois Lane considering marrying someone else -- weren't particularly interesting, and the show was dominated to an inordinate extent by characters who were really peripheral: Jack Cassidy as a Winchell-type columnist and Linda Lavin as his secretary. Maybe some of the show's problems were due to Harold Prince's relative inexperience as a director. If Newman and Benton would reunite to strengthen the story just a little (without losing too many of the hilarious lines from their book), this show really could be the hit it should have been in 1966.

Until then, we have the album, and it's great. Except for one horrible number ("It's Super Nice," which apparently was even worse onstage), it doesn't sound like a flop; Strouse and Adams are at their considerable peak with wonderful tunes and witty lyrics (Lois sings of Superman: "Tell me please, when will he learn it's not some silly fly-by-night affair?"). The album is one of the best ever produced by Columbia's Goddard Lieberson, with great stereo sound, superb performances (especially from Cassidy and Lavin), and somewhat more dialogue than usual -- so we get such goodies as Cassidy's hilarious speeches in his two solos. Plus the CD has bonus tracks in the form of demo recordings of cut songs played and sung by Strouse, including the amusing (if dramatically irrelevant) "Dot Dot Dot." This CD was one of the best in the long-defunct Sony Broadway series, and it is one of the most entertaining cast albums of any flop show. It's too bad that the CD couldn't reproduce the brilliant back cover of the original LP (done in the form of an issue of the "Daily Planet"), but you can't have everything. Get the CD and enjoy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superman was a great show, April 8, 2002

By 

Jim Jr (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman (1966 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

I was lucky enough to have seen "Superman" on Broadway and it was one of the most enjoyable times I've had in a Broaway theater. Yes, it had it's faults, but as a show that entertained an audience, it was (to use a cliche) SUPER. I left the theater smiling and humming the music. There were great flying sequences, break apart props as Superman accomplished his feats, great cheorography including the fights. There was one very funny bit during one of Clark Kent's songs, a telephone booth followed him around the stage waiting for him to get in and change to Superman. A really FUN show.

One of the biggest faults was that the starring role was NOT Superman, but that of an unscrupulous newspaper columunist. Jack Cassidy was given star billing for this part over Bob Holiday as Clark Kent/Superman. This pulled the show somewhat out of focus.Good as Cassidy was, it was wrong to emphasize his part.

Bob Holiday was wonderful in the title role. It's a shame that he didn't go on to other roles. He was every inch Superman and had a great voice and imposing presance. He was able to convincingly create two different characters - Kent and Superman - in one performance. However, the major musical numbers were given to Cassidy as the "star".

One of the true joys of the show was Linda Lavin. Her two songs were absolute show stoppers. "You've Got Possibilities" is a really great show tune. It was obvious she would be the major star she has become. Her performance alone, was a reason to see this show.

The other female lead, Patricia Marand, was also wonderful, again, she should have gone on to other Broadway shows. I did see her opposite Yul Brynner in a tour of "King and I" as Anna and she was magnificent. She is drop dead beautiful, a wonderful actress and singer.

There were many reasons "Superman" did not make it on Broadway - it should have - and for a complete run down check out Ken Mandlebaum's book on Broadway failures "Not Since Carrie".

It is wonderful to have this CD of a show that should have been a classic.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast, funny and hip musical, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman (1966 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

If you didn't think that the tale of Superman could be turned into a musical, well, you are in for a surprise. This is an old-style musical with it's toungue firmly planted in its cheek-no melodrama here. Our high school performed this musical, and it was the most fun I ever had. The songs are goofy and funny, and the story is just as fun. This goes along side Charles Strouse's "Bye Bye Birdie" as a pure, fun-filled delight. It is a hip and cool musical, and this soundtrack is an excellent primer to the actual show.