David Bar Katz's story about Superman and his comic book creator might sound like an amusing, nostalgic show. The Shelterhouse Theatre is papered with comic book panels, and the lights come up on Superman (handsome Steve Wilson) with a confident "I'm in charge" look as he begins to describe his genealogy. The true subject, however, is vulnerability rather than invulnerability.  

David Bar Katz probably has more in common with Jerry Siegel than with Superman, but he's put them onstage together in his world premiere play 'The History of Invulnerability' at the Cincinnati Playhouse. "They interact with one another," Bar Katz explains. "Superman represents his unconscious provoking him."  

When the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park kicks off its 50th anniversary season this fall, Ed Stern will be in his 18th year as producing artistic director. That's a remarkably long tenure as a theater leader, but he has an uncanny knack for offering tried-and-true classics alongside works by rising playwrights.