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?

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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.

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!

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SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com

SupermanBobHoliday.com SupermanBobHoliday.com