Top 10 reasons musical theater people are like Superman

It’s a bird---it’s a plane---it’s an ingénue … ? The June 14 release of Man of Steel has really got me excited for everyone's favorite Superman. Meanwhile, as someone who's involved in local theater, I am always enthusiastic about performing.

I started to ruminate on a direct correlation between Kal-El and well, people like me. So, read on for my reflections on the performer as Superman:

1.    We have super powers - Wikipedia defines "superhuman" as “exceptional proficiency at something far beyond the normal.” Our abilities to sing, dance and create art are talents that don't get bestowed on just anyone. When we are onstage, whether singing Sondheim or nailing a double pirouette (oh, 80 percent of the time), we are sharing our exceptional proficiencies with the audience. Not to mention those lucky ones with perfect pitch---if that’s not a gift from the yellow sun, I don’t know what is.

2.    Most of us have a secret identity - Many actors have a day job, not unlike Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. We go to workplaces where we put on our glasses, act as though we are just like everyone else and maybe even have a separate name. It’s not until the sun goes down and we enter the stage door that our true self emerges.

3.    We are given our powers by the yellow sun - Back on his home planet of Krypton, which rotates around a red sun, Superman is just like all other mortals. Similarly, musical theater folk are transformed by the yellow sun---that is, the spotlight. As photons are radiated in our general direction, an extra dose of performance power is unleashed upon the stage. Supervillains in the audience beware!

4.    Clearly we are all from another planet - I wasn’t really around other theater people until high school. Until that time, I felt extremely awkward and out-of-place in any social setting, whether it was in class, with friends or just around my neighborhood. Once I found other theater people, even though we were all from different places and socio-economic backgrounds, I knew that really we were all the same!

5.    We were never allowed to play on the football team - While the reason may be different for all of us (lack of talent, time, and/or will, or possession of superhuman strength and speed that makes involvement unfair to other players), none of us really spent time on the field.

6.    We do our job wearing tights - Superman’s blue tights help to identify him as he flies among the buildings of Metropolis. They aid in his job and ensure his legs don't get caught on sharp objects as he brushes by them. Along those same lines, tights give us that extra layer of body armor. They say to an audience that we are onstage as another person … even our legs are in character!

7.    We are accepting of others - The Man of Steel never discriminates when fighting for truth, justice and the American way. In the same vein, theater people don’t care about your race, religion or sexuality. So long as you can stand somewhere in a group scene and sing "watermelon," you are A-okay to us!

8.    We can change costumes in a fraction of a second - Clearly Superman uses Velcro instead of buttons and is already wearing all the right undergarments for a quick change. In the theater, we are also used to swapping outfits at lightning speed.9. We have our own kryptonite - Superman’s super weakness is kryptonite: It robs him of his powers, makes him sick and probably does a number on his confidence. Similarly, our kryptonite is another terrifying, 10-letter word: insecurity. Yes, that harbinger of negativity has been plaguing theater people since well before we all did Bye Bye Birdie in high school.

10.    We dream of a certain journalist’s affection - Lois Lane, reporter with the Daily Planet, is the ultimate object of Superman’s affection. Theater people also tend to place a great deal of importance on one reporter from the local paper: the theater critic. Though we know it should not matter, we crave the critic's love and affection. A good review can make us feel like we are flying through the clouds, while a bad review is like losing our superhero powers and then getting beat up by a bully at a diner while a blizzard rages outside.

Have any other reasons why theater people are like Superman? Please leave a comment if I missed any other obvious comparisons.