Superhero
Music and Lyrics by Tom Kitt, Book by John Logan
Directed by Justin Been
Choreographed by Sara Rae Womack
Stray Dog Theatre
December 4, 2025
Jabari Boykin
Photo: Stray Dog Theatre
Superhero is a musical by celebrated composer Tom Kitt and playwright John Logan that played a short Off-Broadway run in 2019. Now, Stray Dog Theatre is taking this lesser-known show and giving it an entertaining staging at its Tower Grove Abbey venue that seems just the right size for this small-but-memorable show about relationships, love, loss, and superpowers. Although the show itself isn’t perfect, under the direction of Justin Been and featuring a terrific cast and impressive effects, it’s flying high and packing a strong emotional punch.
The story follows teenage aspiring comic artist Simon (Jabari Boykin) and his mother, college English professor Charlotte (Sarah Gene Dowling), who are both still dealing in their own ways with grief two years after the death of husband-and-father Mitch in a tragic accident. Living in a city apartment that they moved to after the accident, Simon is still struggling to find his place at his school and in the neighborhood, and spends much of his time drawing and writing comic book stories–a love of which he shared with his late father. Meanwhile, Charlotte is dealing with career struggles as well as a new flirtation with mysterious neighbor Jim (Aaron Fischer), who Simon suspects of being more than a simple bus driver. Simon is clearly wanting a father figure, as well, and encourages the relationship between Charlotte and Jim, even though both adults have their reservations despite their mutual attraction. He also has a crush on classmate Vee (Lindsey Grojean), agreeing to work with her on a project for school. As the story goes on, secrets are revealed, relationships are challenged, and grief is explored as the tale builds to a dramatic, ultimately poignant conclusion.
The story itself is intriguing, and the cast is first-rate, but the structure has some issues, especially in that the tension takes a little too long to come to a peak, to the point where it seems like there’s almost too much drama all at once, with not much time to come down to earth and reflect on the lessons learned.
Still, the characters are engaging, especially as led here by the impressively talented young Boykin and SDT veteran Dowling, who are both fantastic and believable as a mother-son pair. Both have strong voices as well, and carry much of the dramatic weight with strong, believable portrayals. Fischer is also strong as the conflicted, mysterious Jim, who has memorable moments with both Charlotte and Simon. Grojean as Vee is also likable and memorable, and there’s a strong turn from Todd Garten as sympathetic landlord Vic, with good support from Justin Bouckaert, Kevin Hester, and Maggie Nold in smaller roles. The score has echoes of Kitt’s well-known other work, Next to Normal, as well as a bit of an homage to John Williams’s iconic Superman film score, and a few standout songs well-sung by the excellent cast.
The visual world of this production is achieved with expert creativity and flair by means of Rob Lippert’s multi-level life-meets-comic-book set and Justin Been’s truly stunning projections that are enhanced by Tyler Duenow’s lighting to achieve a more comic book look at key moments. The special effects are out of this world, as well, and Colleen Michelson’s costumes suit the characters well and fit perfectly into the well-realized world of the show. There’s also an excellent band led by music director/keyboardist Mallory Golden.
Superhero is, for the most part, a thoroughly absorbing musical and emotional adventure. Its especially strong cast is a particular highlight. For comic book fans, or for anyone interested in checking out a newer show that you may not have heard of, this is an excellent opportunity.
Sarah Gene Dowling, Aaron Fischer
Photo: Stray Dog Theatre
Stray Dog Theatre is presenting Superhero at Tower Grove Abbey until December 20, 2025
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