Texans have a new reason to look up in the sky next summer. The city of Metropolis' man of steel is off to Dallas for a new remake of the "It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman" musical by playwright and comics scribe Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ("The Stand," "Marvel Knights 4") and director Kevin Moriarty.
Based on the 1966 Broadway production and subsequent 1975 ABC TV special featuring the songs of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams ("Bye Bye Birdie"), the musical is slated to run from June 18 through July 25, 2010 at the Dallas Theater Center. Aguirre-Sacasa and Moriarty acquired the rights to create a new book for the show, which means a brand new script and brand new special effects to frame Strouse and Adams' songs. (Check out a clip from the original "Superman" musical after the jump.)
The original plot pitted Supes against a sort of Lex Luthor analogue called Dr. Abner Sedgwick who builds a death ray to destroy the world's symbol of good after being denied the Nobel Prize on ten occasions. The last son of Krypton also contended with rival reporter Max Mencken for the heart of the Daily Planet's perky Lois Lane.
These conflicts come to a head at the crux of the story when a beleaguered Superman sings, " Why must the strongest man in the world be the saddest man, tell me why? Don't they know the strongest man can cry?"
The revised "It's a Bird…" will feature Superman facing off against an entire team of super villains and likely foster a more contemporary tone. In a press conference announcing the musical, Moriarty emphasized that the revamp would feature a completely new take on the original work and pointed out the new version's comic book influence stating, "There'll be nothing mild-mannered about this action-packed show."
There's still no word, however, on whether the new version will feature a Superman who can cry.
What do you think Superman fans? Is the world ready for an updated Superman musical? Would the original "It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman" hold up today? Let us know in the comments.
