Musical Monday: Superhero

Spoiler warning: This review contains slight spoilers for the new musical Superhero. You have been warned.

The concept of moral ambiguity in superheroes isn’t a new theme. Whether it be Alan Moore’s The Watchmen asking questions of sacrificing for the “greater” good or asking how far a superhero (Batman in this case) can be pushed in The Killing Joke? Even The Incredible Hulk asks what it means to be given incredible powers and immeasurable strength if you can’t control it. It can be an incredibly interesting question, adds much more depth than the simplest form of super-heroism, but like with any theme, there are varying quality of stories. Superhero, the musical that just opened off-Broadway on February 28, is a story that plays into this theme and has lots of entertaining songs along the way.

superhero.jpg

Superhero clocks in at 2 hours and 10 minutes including a 15-minute intermission. It tells the story of a mom and son who recently lost his father in an accident. The son writes his own comic book, and sees a neighbor he believes to be a real life superhero. It’s a story of heroism, but it’s really a story of human emotion. Specifically, Kate Baldwin playing the mother is absolutely splendid—she’s funny, emotional, torn, and powerful. She absolutely stands out in the role and makes you cheer for the struggling mother.

The music of Tom Kitt is also a lot of fun. Whether it is the song telling the plot of the comic the son is writing or if it’s a song about why being a superhero isn’t “like it is in the movies,” the songs are catchy, move the story along smoothly, and do sound good. I will note that they reminded me a lot of Tom Kitt’s music from Freaky Friday, and with both stories having moms who are struggling to relate to their kids, some of the songs could probably be switched between the musicals without anyone really noticing. That isn’t a major complaint—I like the music in both.

My main drawback with the musical is that it tries to fit a lot into a pretty short musical. The biggest casualty of this is the romantic subplot for the son feels entirely wasted. From the first song when the son sings about whether he will be able to save the girl before realizing he might need her to save him, there isn’t another major point for the romantic interest in the show until we find out the resolution of their potential romance near the end. The relationship between the son, neighbor, and mother dominate the time in the play, which is fine because it is very interesting, but it feels like this makes the romantic interest subplot feel lacking and not nearly as complex, deep as the other relationships. I wanted either a lot more of this subplot or for it to be cut.

I enjoy superhero stories—I love comic books. I am willing to discuss more about the moral ambiguity of super powers with anyone who wants to, but I don’t think you have to be well versed in any superhero lore to appreciate this musical. While it could be cut in some parts to make it a tighter story, Superhero is still a fun musical that is worth seeing.

Clint Hannah-Lopez

©2022