From a Mad Barber to a Man of Steel at Theater Fest

The PCPA Theaterfest is something of a tradition in the Santa Ynez Valley and the central coast region. Now into its fourth artistic director (Jack Shouse) and its 14th summer of repertory between the Marian Theater of Santa Maria and the Festival Theatre in Solvang, it is offering three musicals and three plays. Left, Sylvie Drake reviews “Sweeney Todd” and “The Tempest.” Right, Don Shirley reviews “It’s a Bird

The “Superman” movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with their throbbing John Williams scores, took the Man of Steel (if not his adversaries) fairly seriously. But the antiheroic late ‘60s regarded him as a joke.

That joke was never funnier than in “It’s a Bird ... It’s a Plane ... It’s Superman,” a 1966 Broadway musical that has been given a brisk and breezy revival at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts Theaterfest.

The writers of the book for the musical, David Newman and Robert Benton, also had a hand in the later “Superman” movies. But the tone is quite different--and not just because of the tenor of the times.

The stage version was written for a relatively sophisticated audience, at least compared with the crowds who were expected to turn the movies into blockbusters. The emphasis was on the wit of the language (Lee Adams’ lyrics as well as the spoken dialogue) instead of the special effects.

In the Theaterfest production, directed by Brad Carroll, Superman does fly (Flying by Foy) back and forth from the wings to the stage. But it’s nothing next to the aeronautical feats witnessed in the movies, and at one point the whole idea of Superman’s flight is gently mocked with a nifty little sight gag.

No, the priorities of this show lie elsewhere. We hear a song in which a mad scientist, the 10-time Nobel Prize loser Dr. Abner Sedgwick, plots his revenge over the Nobel Prize winners and humanity in general. And we see Sedgwick shrewdly attack Superman’s psychological defenses instead of his physical powers.

“I’ve used you to satisfy my superego,” concludes a tearful Superman after his session with Sedgwick, before he rebounds for the requisite happy ending.

In other words, notwithstanding the fact that PCPA director Jack Shouse regards “Superman” as his “family” show, it’s a treatment of the Superman story that adults will probably enjoy more than children.

Which is not to say that it’s a steady stream of quasi-Shavian talk. It is a musical. Charles Strouse wrote some fetchingly lighthearted toe-tappers, and choreographer Carolyn Shouse created some smartly executed steps, influenced by ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll dances.

Carroll’s cast includes only three professionals (Equity members), but these three are knockouts: Milan Dragicevich as Dr. Sedgwick, David E. Kazanjian as the oily gossip columnist Max Mencken, and most notably, Riette Burdick as Mencken’s scintillating girlfriend Sydney. Burdick has a stellar quality that would surely shine in much bigger burgs than Solvang or Santa Maria.

The student actors are more variable. In the title role, Rhys Pugh is a ringer for Christopher Reeve (with the help of some padding under the costume) but he lacks the super-voice that one would expect from Superman. Michelle Felten’s Lois Lane has a better voice and a lot of moxie, but her cynical love interest, James Friedman, looks awfully young to be so world-weary.

Carolyn Ross designed a set covered with giant, silvery-gray clippings of the “Superman” comic strips. Costumer Mary “Sam” Fleming added pop art colors to the look (except in one clever scene that depicts a black-and-white movie), and Heather McAvoy’s lights help keep the stage in motion.

Not much keeps the stage in motion in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” This play does not wear well with repeated viewings; at least, it seemed awfully long and turgid at a Santa Maria matinee.

Among its problems is a George, Jonathan Gillard Daly, who seems much too urbane to be a Depression-era farmhand. In fact, just last summer he shone as the urban outsider in PCPA’s “The Foreigner.” Aaron Alpern is better cast as Lenny, though he doesn’t do much to freshen this stale role.

Director Sandy McCallum, playing the old man Candy, has the production’s best moments.

Shows play in repertory with “On the Verge , “ “Pump Boys and Dinettes,” “Sweeney Todd” and “The Tempest” at 420 Second St. in Solvang and 800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria evenings at 8:30, with matinees Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays in Santa Maria only at 2. Call theater for schedule. Tickets: $8.50-$15.50; (800) 221-9469.