Being Superman III
When last we left See-oo–perman, he’d gathered a cast of stalwart thespians and rehearsed the daylights out of them. And now, the cast is ready for its opening night of…Flight to the North!
Oh, sorry. Actually, it was The Old Time Radio Show, plus bonus feature Flight to the North. I keep forgetting. We opened at the X-Act Theatre in Xenia on March 28, 2010. Response was very good. We played to a packed house Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Afterwards, we lamented the fact that we hadn’t opened on Thursday. But, of course, nobody had foreseen the splash this show would make.
X-Act director Cathy Bengson opened the proceedings with an impromptu radio quiz. “I’m looking for the character: ‘Get ‘em up, Scout!’ I’m looking for the program: ‘Just the facts, ma’am.’” (If you’re under fifty, you probably need the answers–Tonto and Dragnet). Through that portal, the crowd, which seemed each time to consist mostly of “seasoned” citizens, happily returned to the world of the Bickersons, Fibber McGee, and Burns and Allen.
After an intermission, Cathy returned to the stage to introduce FTN. You know, though, by that time I was invariably so keyed up, so anxious to get going, I barely remember now what she said. I do recall her cueing us with, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…” and the crowd’s enthusiastic reply, “SUPERMAN!”
I enjoyed the radio show. I really did. But, in all humility, friends, I think FTN had the edge. We didn’t simply stand and read scripts but we got on that there floor and we shook it, baby! There was action, surprise, and humor. Nobody knew what to expect from FTN, and they got more than their money’s worth.
The tip-off that something out of the mundane was afoot came with the entrance of our mule, Lily Belle. Actually, it was Sylvester J. Superman’s entrance, but when the audience saw what he was leading, a tall two-legged pack animal, its body draped in robe of gray velour, its long, absurd face presiding from above, they got tickled. When she later appeared in Airman Steve’s ice-covered radio shack wearing a woolen scarf and socks over her ears, they loved it.
The man beneath the mule mask was Glen Bengson, Cathy’s husband. He had no lines, of course. He showed up for very few rehearsals. He didn’t have to worry about blocking because Greg Delaney literally led him from place to place. Most of the time, he just stood there. And in so doing he became the most beloved character in the show!
And our hero, Superman? How did he fare before the crowd? Don’t miss the next thrill-packed episode!
