It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman - wikipedia It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman Original Broadway Cast Recording Music Charles Strouse Lyrics Lee Adams Book David Newman Robert Benton Basis Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Productions 1966 Broadway 1975 ABC TV special 2007 Los Angeles Concert 2010 Dallas 2013 New York City Encores ! 2014 London 2015 West End 2016 Germany It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman is a musical composed by Charles Strouse, with lyrics by Lee Adams and book by David Newman and Robert Benton. It is based on the comic book character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Production history 3 TV special 4 Original Broadway cast 5 Original West End cast 6 Musical numbers 7 Awards and nominations 7.1 Original Broadway production 8 References 9 External links Synopsis The plot revolves around Superman 's efforts to defeat Dr. Abner Sedgwick, a ten - time Nobel Prize - losing scientist who seeks to avenge the scientific world 's dismissal of his brilliance by attempting to destroy the world 's symbol of good. Additionally, Superman comes into romantic conflict with Max Mencken, a columnist for the Daily Planet newspaper, who resents Lois Lane 's attraction to Superman, and later teams up with Sedgwick to destroy Superman. Production history The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on March 29, 1966. Directed by Harold Prince with choreography by Ernest Flatt, it starred Bob Holiday as Clark Kent and Superman, Patricia Marand as Lois Lane, Jack Cassidy as Max Mencken, and Linda Lavin as Sydney. The production received generally positive reviews, but it failed to catch on with the theater - going public and closed on July 17, 1966 after 129 performances. The musical received three Tony Award nominations, for Best Actor in a Musical ( Cassidy ), Best Featured Actor in a Musical ( Michael O'Sullivan, playing the main villain ), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical ( Marand ). One of the songs from the score, `` You 've Got Possibilities '' ( introduced by Lavin ), had some success outside the show as a nightclub and cabaret standard. Two productions were staged the next year. Both the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the Kansas City Starlight Theatre ( in 1966, titled Superman ) re-staged the show, and Bob Holiday played Superman in both productions. Each was an open - air venue, requiring the use of a large crane to facilitate Superman 's flights. Other cast members in these two productions were Karen Morrow as Sydney and Charles Nelson Reilly as Dr. Sedgwick. The show was produced at the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut, from June through July 3, 1992, with Gary Jackson ( as Superman ), Jamie Ross, Veanne Cox and Gabriel Barre. On May 14, 2007, the Reprise ! Marvelous Musical Mondays program in Los Angeles presented a concert version of the musical. The cast featured Cheyenne Jackson as Superman, Jean Louisa Kelly as Lois Lane, Richard Kind as Dr. Sedgwick, Patrick Cassidy in his father 's old role of Max Mencken, and composer Charles Strouse in a special appearance as Perry White. From June 15 -- 17, 2007, the musical was presented in concert by the York Theatre 's Musicals at MUFTI series in New York City, with Jackson, Kelly, and Strouse reprising their roles from the Los Angeles concert. Others in the cast included Lea DeLaria as Dr. Sedgwick, Shoshana Bean as Sydney, and David Rasche as Max Mencken. Bob Holiday, the original Broadway Superman, attended the June 16 matinee. From June 18 to July 25, 2010, the Dallas Theater Center presented a revised version of It 's a Bird..., starring Matt Cavenaugh in the dual role of Superman / Clark Kent, Zakiya Young as Lois Lane, Patrick Cassidy as Max Mencken, and Cavenaugh 's real life wife Jenny Powers as Sydney Sharp ( Cassidy developed laryngitis during the run of the show, and choreographer Joel Ferrell took over the role until Cassidy recovered ). The new book for the show was written by playwright and comic book writer Roberto Aguirre - Sacasa. Kevin Moriarty, the Dallas Theater 's artistic director, believed that the show 's campy, pop art - inflected book had `` not dated well, '' and approached Charles Strouse in 2008 for permission to revise the musical. Strouse acquiesced, and Moriarty hired Aguirre - Sacasa, a `` lifelong fan '' of the musical. Aguirre - Sacasa moved the musical 's setting to 1939, and made the show 's primary focus the `` love triangle '' between Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Superman. Songs were cut, new songs commissioned, the order of songs changed, In November 2009, Moriarty and Aguirre - Sacasa held a private reading of the revised book with the show 's surviving creators, Strouse, Adams, and Benton. A staged concert production took place as part of New York City Center 's Encores ! series from March 20 -- 24, 2013. The cast included Edward Watts as Superman and Will Swenson as Max Mencken, with Jenny Powers playing Lois Lane. Powers had played Sydney Sharp in the 2010 Dallas revival. On March 23, Bob Holiday, who originated the role of Superman on Broadway, attended the show and met with the cast. The show 's UK premiere was played in London in March 2014 at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre and was produced by All Star Productions. After positive reviews, `` the real star of the show is Charles Strouse and Lee Adams ' delightful score... '' wrote the musicaltheatrereview.com, the show transferred to the Leicester Square Theatre in the West End for a limited run in February 2015. In September 2016, there was the first production in the German language in Braunschweig, Germany. The OnStage - school of musical is producing the German Premiere at the Brunsviga. Still photos from the original Broadway production can be seen in the documentary Look, Up in the Sky : The Amazing Story of Superman, as well as footage from the TV version. Book authors Robert Benton and David Newman went on co-author the screenplay for the 1978 film Superman. TV special David Wilson and Lesley Ann Warren as Superman and Lois Lane in ABC 's 1975 TV production of the musical. It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman was made into a TV special on February 1, 1975. Filmed on video over the course of 3 days, the show was significantly shortened, the script significantly changed, and the ethnicity of a troupe of evildoers was changed from Chinese acrobats to Mafia - style gangsters. The musical numbers `` Doing Good '', `` It 's Super Nice '', `` So Long, Big Guy '' and `` We Do n't Matter at All '' were all dropped from this production, while the sound of the remaining musical numbers was updated to a more contemporary 1970s sensibility. In addition to these, a new musical number was made for the TV special : `` It 's a Great Country. '' The show was broadcast on the ABC network under its Wide World of Entertainment late - night umbrella title to poor critical reception. It starred David Wilson as Superman / Clark Kent, Lesley Ann Warren as Lois Lane, Loretta Swit as Sydney Carlton, David Wayne as Dr. Abner Sedgwick, Allen Ludden as Perry White, and Kenneth Mars as Max Mencken. Viewers of this re-make felt that the TV production lacked the energy of the original Broadway show. Original Broadway cast Max Mencken -- Jack Cassidy Jim Morgan -- Don Chastain Superman / Clark Kent -- Bob Holiday Lois Lane -- Patricia Marand Perry White -- Eric Mason Sydney Carlton -- Linda Lavin Dr. Abner Sedgwick -- Michael O'Sullivan Father Ling -- Jerry Fujikawa William, the Exchange Student -- Haruki Fujimoto Suspect # 2 -- Dick Miller Original West End cast Superman / Clark Kent -- Craig Berry Lois Lane -- Michelle LaFortune Dr. Abner Sedgwick -- Matthew Ibbotson Max Mencken -- Paul Harwood Sydney Carlton -- Sarah Kennedy Jim Morgan -- Charlie Vose Father Ling -- Jonathan Chan Perry White -- Andrew Truluck Tai Ling - Christina Harris Fan Po Ling - Thomas Widdop Ming Foo Ling / Ling Captain - Jade Nelson Ding Ling - William M. Lee Ensemble / Dance Captain -- Charlotte Debattista Ensemble - Vicky Longley Musical numbers Act I Overture - Orchestra, Superman, Lois `` Doing Good '' - Superman `` We Need Him '' - Company, Lois, Max, Superman `` It 's Superman '' - Lois `` We Do n't Matter at All '' - Jim, Lois `` Revenge '' - Dr. Sedgwick `` The Woman for the Man '' - Max, Lois `` You 've Got Possibilities '' - Sydney `` What I 've Always Wanted '' - Lois `` Everything 's Easy When You Know How '' - The Flying Lings `` Revenge '' ( reprise ) - Dr. Sedgwick `` It 's Super Nice '' - Company Act II Entr'acte - Orchestra `` So Long Big Guy '' - Max `` The Strongest Man in the World '' - Superman `` Ooh, Do You Love You ? '' - Sydney `` You 've Got What I Need '' - Dr. Sedgwick, Max `` It 's Superman '' ( reprise ) - Lois, Superman, Sydney, Max, The Flying Lings, Jim, Company `` I 'm Not Finished Yet '' - Lois `` Pow ! Bam ! Zonk ! '' - Superman, The Flying Lings Finale - Company `` You 've Got Possibilities '' is generally considered the show 's most memorable tune, and is the only one to be often performed outside the show. It was recorded in 1966 by Peggy Lee ( on the album Big $ pender ) and Matt Monro ( on the album Here 's to My Lady ), and has been performed and recorded by many other singers. It was also featured in a 2005 TV commercial for Pillsbury Grands ! Biscuits. Part of the overture from the original cast album was used as the opening and closing theme music for all the newscasts on WTOP - TV / WDVM - TV ( Channel 9, now WUSA - TV ) in Washington, DC, from 1970 until 1982. Awards and nominations Original Broadway production Year Award ceremony Nominee Result 1966 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Jack Cassidy Nominated Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Michael O'Sullivan Nominated Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Patricia Marand Nominated References Jump up ^ Cronin, Brian ( February 15, 2010 ). `` The Man of Steel returns to the musical stage ''. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 16, 2010. Jump up ^ `` History, 1960s '' kcstarlight.com, retrieved December 13, 2017 Jump up ^ Bob Holiday and Chuck Harter, Superman on Broadway, c. 2003 Jump up ^ Holden, Stephen. `` Review / Theater ; Superman as Dimwit in 1966 Parable '', The New York Times, June 20, 1992, retrieved December 13, 2017 Jump up ^ Gans, Andrew. `` Superman ! Concert -- with Cassidy, Kind and Jackson -- Presented May 14 '' Playbill, May 14, 2007, retrieved December 13, 2017 Jump up ^ Gans, Andrew. Jackson Is Man of Steel in Mufti It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman, June 15 - 17 ``, playbill.com, June 15, 2007. Jump up ^ Wilonsky, Robert ( February 15, 2010 ). `` A Musical Even the Fanboys Are Geeked Over : A Word With DTC 's It 's Superman Writer ''. Unfair Park. Dallas Observer. Retrieved February 16, 2010. Jump up ^ Wilonsky, Robert ( April 17, 2009 ). `` The Singing Superman : DTC 's Kevin Moriarty Talks About Tackling the Man of Steel ''. Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 16, 2010. Jump up ^ Taitte, Lawson ( 2010 - 06 - 26 ). `` Theater review : Dallas Theater Center 's reshaped ' Superman ' is almost super Lawson Taitte Columns and Reviews - Entertainment News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News ''. Dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2011 - 01 - 30. Jump up ^ Wilonsky, Robert ( November 23, 2009 ). `` Up, Up and Away : DTC 's Kevin Moriarty on the Status of the `` New '' Superman Musical ``. Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 16, 2010. Jump up ^ New York City Center `` Encores ! '' Nycitycenter.org Jump up ^ ( 1 ) broadwayworld.com ^ Jump up to : `` ' It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman ' -- Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre '' musicaltheatrereview.com, March 8, 2014 Jump up ^ `` Superman musical transfers to Leicester Square Theatre '' londontheatre.co.uk, 4 August, 2014 Jump up ^ It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman whatsonstage.com, retrieved December 13, 2017 ^ Jump up to : Scivally, Bruce ( 2007 ). Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway. McFarland. p. 70. ISBN 978 - 0786431663. Jump up ^ Superman Reviews & Ratings - IMDb Jump up ^ Ben Brantley ( March 21, 2013 ). `` He 's the Man of Steel, as Well as a Man of Song ''. New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017. `` Possibilities '', the one number from the score that has had any significant afterlife. Jump up ^ Joe Leydon ( June 28, 2010 ). `` Review : ' It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman ! ' ''. Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Peggy Lee -- Come Back To Me / You 've Got Possibilities ''. Discogs. Retrieved February 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Matt Monro -- Here 's To My Lady ''. Discogs. Retrieved February 14, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Paul Young ( June 15, 2014 ). `` 16 Actors Who Have Portrayed Superman ''. ScreenRants. Retrieved February 15, 2017. External links It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman at the Internet Broadway Database It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman on IMDb for the 1975 TV production Lyrics Bob Holiday 's web site Musicals by Charles Strouse Bye Bye Birdie All American Golden Boy It 's a Bird, It 's a Plane, It 's Superman Applause I and Albert Charlotte 's Web Annie A Broadway Musical Charlie and Algernon Bring Back Birdie Nightingale Dance a Little Closer Mayor An American Tragedy Rags Nick & Nora Annie Warbucks Marty Minsky 's Superman franchise media Comic strips Superman ( 1939 -- 1966 ) The World 's Greatest Superheroes ( 1978 -- 1985 ) Radio The Adventures of Superman ( US, 1940 -- 1951 ) The Adventures of Superman ( UK, 1988 ) Live - action films Serials Superman ( 1948 ) Atom Man vs. Superman 1951 film series Superman and the Mole Men Stamp Day for Superman ( short film ) 1978 film series Superman ( 1978 ) Superman II The Richard Donner Cut Superman III Supergirl Superman IV : The Quest for Peace Superman Returns DC Extended Universe Man of Steel Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice Animated films Superman animated shorts ( 1941 -- 1943 ) Superman : Brainiac Attacks Superman : Doomsday All - Star Superman Superman : Unbound The Death of Superman Superman / Batman : Public Enemies Superman / Batman : Apocalypse Superman / Shazam ! : The Return of Black Adam Superman vs. The Elite Television Live - action Adventures of Superman Stamp Day for Superman The Adventures of Superpup The Adventures of Superboy ( pilot ) Superboy Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman Smallville Supergirl Krypton Animation The New Adventures of Superman The Adventures of Superboy Superman Superman : The Animated Series Krypto the Superdog Novels The Adventures of Superman ( 1942 ) Superman : Last Son of Krypton Miracle Monday Superman : Doomsday & Beyond Lois & Clark : A Superman Novel It 's Superman ! Superman Returns Enemies & Allies Video games Superman ( 1979 ) Superman : The Game ( 1985 ) Superman ( NES, 1987 ) Superman ( arcade, 1988 ) The Man of Steel ( 1989 ) Superman ( 1992 ) The Man of Steel ( 1993 ) The Death and Return of Superman Superman ( 1997 ) The New Adventures Shadow of Apokolips The Man of Steel ( Xbox, 2002 ) Countdown to Apokolips Superman Returns Superman Returns : Fortress of Solitude DC Universe Online Injustice : Gods Among Us Infinite Crisis Music Superman III ( soundtrack ) Superman Returns ( soundtrack ) `` Save Me '' ( Remy Zero song ) Man of Steel ( soundtrack ) Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice ( soundtrack ) Documentaries Look, Up in the Sky : The Amazing Story of Superman The Death of `` Superman Lives '' : What Happened ? Stage It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman Toys Lego Superman Advertisement The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman ( 2004 ) Related Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Hollywoodland `` Lucy and Superman '' ( I Love Lucy episode, 1957 ) `` Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex '' National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications Sunman ( 1992 video game ) Superman curse Superman ice cream `` Superman and Paula Brown 's New Snowsuit '' `` The Reign of the Superman '' Kryptonite in other media Supergirl in other media Lex Luthor in other media Superwoman in other media Live - action television programs based on DC Comics TV series Current Arrow ( since 2012 ) Gotham ( since 2014 ) The Flash ( since 2014 ) iZombie ( since 2015 ) Supergirl ( since 2015 ) Legends of Tomorrow ( since 2016 ) Lucifer ( since 2016 ) Preacher ( since 2016 ) Black Lightning ( since 2018 ) Krypton ( since 2018 ) Former Adventures of Superman ( 1952 -- 58 ) Batman ( 1966 -- 68 ) Shazam ! ( 1974 -- 77 ) The Secrets of Isis ( 1975 -- 77 ) Wonder Woman ( 1975 -- 79 ) Superboy ( 1988 -- 92 ) Swamp Thing ( 1990 -- 93 ) The Flash ( 1990 -- 91 ) Human Target ( 1992 ) Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman ( 1993 -- 97 ) Smallville ( 2001 -- 11 ) Birds of Prey ( 2002 -- 2003 ) Human Target ( 2010 -- 11 ) Constantine ( 2014 -- 15 ) Powerless ( 2017 ) Upcoming Titans ( 2018 ) The Boys ( 2019 ) Swamp Thing ( 2019 ) TV films Wonder Woman The New Original Wonder Woman Justice League of America TV specials Unsold pilots The Adventures of Superpup The Adventures of Superboy Global Frequency Aquaman Wonder Woman Scalped It 's a Bird... It 's a Plane... It 's Superman Legends of the Superheroes See also Arrowverse Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=It%27s_a_Bird...It%27s_a_Plane...It%27s_Superman&oldid=848055892 '' Categories : 1966 books 1966 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on comics Science fiction musicals Superman music Superman in other media Superman television series Musicals based on comic strips West End musicals Musicals by Charles Strouse Hidden categories : Articles with IBDb links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 29 June 2018, at 14 : 26 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where did it's a bird it's a plane come from
Answer: the comic book character Superman