Bob Holiday, Broadway's First Superman
Bob Holiday's Publicity Portfolio

What Did the
Philadelphia
Critics Say?

It's well known that critics in Philadelphia hoped to crash land Superman! Just exactly what did they say?


Last week, we read an interview with "It's A Bird It's A Plane It's Superman©" producer and director Hal Prince. Mr. Prince expressed a bit of displeasure with the way the show was treated by Philadelphia's critics, promising that he would never again try out a show in Philly.

Program from Philadelphia Tryout

A few years back, webmaster Toni Collins purchased a PLAYBILL from Philadelphia's Shubert Theatre tryout. It was interesting to see confirmation that Joan Hotchkiss was listed as "Lois Lane," later replaced by Patricia Marand. And a number of songs were different in Philly. Some songs didn't make it to Broadway: "Dot Dot Dot" (Max), "A Woman Alone" (Lois), "Superman March" (Company), and "I'm Too Young to Die" (Lois). Four new songs were added: "We Need Him" (Company), "It's Superman" (Lois), "So Long Big Guy" (Max), and "I'm Not Finished Yet" (Lois). "Superman March" was re-written as "It's Superman" with 1960's harmonies replacing a certain John-Souza rhythm.

That PLAYBILL contained a lovely surprise, not mentioned by the seller: Three newspaper clippings were tucked inside, each from a different critic of our favorite show. It wasn't their favorite. But for the sake of history, we've preserved these reviews, if for no other reason, so you can see the triumph of the re-written show! CLICK THE HEADLINES BELOW!

Superman '65 Never Gets Off The Ground

SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com

Superman Lands in Town

SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com

Superman Needs a Quick Course in Muscle Building

SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com

Photos Courtesy of Brian McKernan, Toni Collins, and the Estate of Bob Holiday
Additional Text © 2019 Toni Collins
All images, video and audio not in the public domain are used in
accordance with the Fair Use Law (Per Title 17—United States Code—Section 107)
and remain the property of the film or photo copyright owners.
SUPERMAN and all related elements are the property of DC Comics. TM & © 2019
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Bob Holiday as Superman Bob Holiday as Clark Kent