True story; I loaned my bootleg DVD of this to a coworker whose roommate actually destroyed it, and I wasn't even mad. I tend to really enjoy cheesy "so bad it's good" type productions, but this is the worst kind; unfunny comedy.
In the wake of the 60s Batman, there was a prevailing idea that live-action superhero projects had to lean heavily on campy comedy. Even the early drafts of what became the 1978 Superman feature film heavily used gags, puns, and slapstick. So it makes sense that a Superman project based on the comedic musical could have worked. Unfortunately, the production values are below average for a high school play, and the title character is very poorly miscast.
Worse, it could have worked as a smaller project; there are a few scenes that are very reminiscent of early Saturday Night Live, and a few songs are catchy. Also, Kenneth Mars and David Wayne try their best to get blood from the figurative stone and often succeed in getting a chuckle out of bad joke lines.
But the few bright spots are dragged down by seemingly unending unfunny jokes, bad dialogue, and music that is just awful. David Wilson's portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman is clearly a case of his not really wanting to be there, so the audience doesn't want to invest with him. We can forgive lousy costumes and cheap sets, but we can't forgive so little effort everywhere else.
In the wake of the 60s Batman, there was a prevailing idea that live-action superhero projects had to lean heavily on campy comedy. Even the early drafts of what became the 1978 Superman feature film heavily used gags, puns, and slapstick. So it makes sense that a Superman project based on the comedic musical could have worked. Unfortunately, the production values are below average for a high school play, and the title character is very poorly miscast.
Worse, it could have worked as a smaller project; there are a few scenes that are very reminiscent of early Saturday Night Live, and a few songs are catchy. Also, Kenneth Mars and David Wayne try their best to get blood from the figurative stone and often succeed in getting a chuckle out of bad joke lines.
But the few bright spots are dragged down by seemingly unending unfunny jokes, bad dialogue, and music that is just awful. David Wilson's portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman is clearly a case of his not really wanting to be there, so the audience doesn't want to invest with him. We can forgive lousy costumes and cheap sets, but we can't forgive so little effort everywhere else.