NYTimes.com: Two-dimensional isn’t usually an adjective that any self-respecting musical would want attached to its name. But the show that opened at City Center on Wednesday night seems perfectly contented — no, make that downright delighted — to exist entirely on a flat surface. And therein lies the not-to-be-dismissed charms of the winning Encores! concert production of “It’s a Bird ... It’s a Plane ... It’s Superman,” which runs through Sunday.
10 comments:
I don't know how successful spiderman on broadway was but I would have no interest in seeing this on broadway. I think super heroes should be limited to comics and movies where special effects can aid their stories. There are musicals and there are heroes. I don't feel they can mix.
Unlike Alex, I would actually really like to see this. I always find it interesting when a story is transferred from one medium to another. Comics have their own language, style, and conventions, and translating it to the theater must have been an interesting process.
Like some of the critics quoted in this article, I don't think it's a problem if a show doesn't comment in depth about the human condition and all of our feelings. Sometimes, a show can simply be a show, for entertainment and entertainment only. This reminds me of how I felt about CMU's production of "4 Saints in 3 Acts"; I did not come out with questions or pressing thoughts, but it was one the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had. All I had to do was watch and go along with the fun.
I think that it's definitely a risk to produce a "two-dimensional" show like Superman, with characters as flat as its aesthetic, and pulling it off well is a sure sign of success.
I'm not sure I totally agree with alex. I think superheroes usually tell excellent stories and I don't see why good stories shouldn't be told on the stage in addition to print and the screen. The staging in this show sounds interesting. On one hand having everything on one plane to emulate the page of a comic book is a cool and unique idea but it also sounds like it could easily become boring.
I find it extremely interesting that we seem to be so desperate to write new shows that comic book characters are showing up on stage. Don't get me wrong, I love comics and super heroes, I just find it surprising that these stories are coming to life as musicals (of all things). I think it's a good thing that the writers aren't trying to take Superman too seriously the way the creators of Spiderman did. I'm sure the design process must have been really interesting and fun because, as Camille said, comics have such a distinctive style that transferring it to the stage and keeping the aesthetic of a comic book (or as the article put it, keeping it "two dimensional") must have been a challenge. I'd love to see this production, just to see how it was done.
Oh boy. I wonder how much money Marvel and DC would make if they made a musical for all their comic books heroes. They way they've chosen to design the show reminds me of the 3D installation work Roy Lichtenstein did for an art festival in my town a few years ago, which I thought was a really interesting way to bring that comic book style to 3-dimensional life. As for the hero's story, I'm a bit skeptical. I think this is one of those shows where you just have to accept the campiness and enjoy it for what it is-a 3D comic- and not necessarily for a life-changing, perspective-altering look at art.
Don't get me wrong, I love super hero's. The books, the films, the crazy outfits, but they have they place and the stage is not one. That's not to say that I wouldn't love to see this production and examine how they tried to keep a 3D production grounded in it's 2D roots. It's an intriguing challenge, but nothing more. Yes it's nice to go see a sweet and simple show that promises nothing more than to entertain you but I don't thing Superhero's are the way to go. Maybe in a few years when the Superhero craze has died down a little this would be a fun thing to go watch. But as for now, there are two many superhero's in pop culture to add another superhero themed show to the mix.
This sounds great. I can appreciate a throw back and enjoy it all the same. If the production is done with the right taste and effort, I would have no problem accepting a 2-d Superman flying across the stage. That sounds like a great idea. A ton of special effects and super hero fights are not always needed. Since Superman is from a past era and has roots in that era, I think that could help a production like this survive and be fruitful. Sounds like the current production is only open for a short stay and maybe that would be best, Get in "hopefully make some money" and Get out. So to do that correctly you would need a shorter run. I would totally go and see the production and I hope the run is a positive one.
I think that the point that this review makes is an important one: There's nothing wrong with two-dimensionality, if that's the goal, and sometimes, theatre can just be about entertainment. I don't really care either way about super heroes being represented onstage vs. in comic books/movies, but I do think that creating new ways to approach a well-known and loved style or specific character in that style is a good thing. In this case, the show is about a two-dimensional character in a two-dimensional world, and so the designers and actors found a way to represent that onstage, and from this review, it seems like they were successful.
I do have to wonder what is with the what seems to be the recent surge of superhero themed things which are not comics. I don't know if I'd like to go see the show, but it sounds, cute, I guess is the correct word. And it's nice to see a comic story that's a throwback to the old Silver Age of Comics. I love the fact that they're not trying to follow the realistic bent most of the recent comic movies have been following. So long as everyone involved doesn't approach it as attempting to make a serious play, and it doesn't sound like they did, I believe this sounds like it would be a lovely, entertaining piece of theatre.
I would love to see this show. I think it is great that in these times in which we live where Hollywood is again on the rise that it is important to maintain a steady stream of young audiences into the theatrical world. Superman and Spider man along with Shrek the musical are all great ways to get young ones in those seats. Ultimately we run the risk of losing interest from the younger generation who might be swept away by the big screen and not the limelight.
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