#187 "Superman" musical: It's not a bird, but is it camp?

Just a couple of months after Batman hit the airwaves in 1966, another superhero emerged from the comics, as Superman arrived at the Alvin Theater on Broadway in It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman. How did the musical's creators approach the same question William Dozier and Lorenzo Semple, Jr., dealt with in 1965: how to make a "children's character" appealing to adults? We compare and contrast the two shows' approaches. After a good start, the musical closed in less than four months; was Batman to blame? And, what's the deal with that late-night 1975 TV version? All this, plus Adam's story of meeting the pope, and your response to our Hizzoner the Penguin script episode! Concord Theatricals offers two weeks with the musical's libretto at no charge Broadway cast album on Amazon "It's a Bird" 1975 TV version 1975 newspaper column confirms date of broadcast Abraham Riesman's Vulture.com article Keith DeCandido's Tor.com article Bob Holiday as Superman in Aqua Velva ad New York Times on 2013 production Drew Friedman on the musical (Lots of cool photos)