A pop-culture icon was born when Superman debuted in Action Comics No. 1 in 1938. The man with the "S" on his chest, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, has endured through radio and TV shows, blockbuster movies and decades of best-selling comic books.

There was even a musical. It's a Bird ... It's a Plane ... It's Superman opened and closed on Broadway in 1966, failing to reach the popularity of other Superman- related endeavors.

But thanks to the Dallas Theater Center and its artistic director Kevin Moriarty, the show is getting a reboot. Moriarty commissioned a reworking of the musical's book, and the new version features a rewritten plot, updated songs and a shift in setting from the '60s to the '30s.

One of the crucial moves in making the show relevant again was getting the right actor to don both Clark Kent's specs and Superman's cape.

Moriarty and company found their man in Matt Cavenaugh, a 32-year-old Arkansas native with experience on Broadway (West Side Story, Grey Gardens) and TV (One Life to Live, As the World Turns). Cavenaugh has the chiseled look to pull off the "man of steel" thing, as well as the pipes to deliver the musical goods. But he admitted in a recent interview just after rehearsals began that he's no expert on Superman mythology.

"The Superman I knew was the one in the Christopher Reeve movies," he said. "I didn't really know the comics all that well, or the TV series or the radio program.

"As kids, though, we all have the times where we wish we could fly. I remember riding on hills on my bike and yelling 'Superman!' when I made it leave the ground. Just the myths involved are powerful – the idea of moving beyond yourself and being heroic."

Here's more from our chat with Cavenaugh about his dual role, his decision to leave New York for the show's run and more.

Q: Have you been getting familiar with Dallas since you arrived for the first rehearsals?

Cavenaugh: A little bit. I am from Arkansas originally, so I've been to Dallas a few times. I think I came as a kid and went to Six Flags. That was fun. For some reason, at the hotel we stayed in with my mom and Aunt Bea – yes, I have an Aunt Bea – the only thing available was the honeymoon suite. I remember looking at mirrors on the wall and the ceiling and not knowing what that was about. [Laughs.] But as far as Dallas now, I was just chatting with someone about all the food options here. My wife, who is in the show, has a gluten allergy, so it's great that there is so much Tex-Mex here. It's all corn-based, so she can have it. We are on a Tex-Mex tour of Dallas.

Q: You're the second of seven kids in your family. What made you the actor of the bunch?

Cavenaugh: Yeah, it's usually the baby who's dramatic, right? I don't know. My older brother is five-and-a-half years older than me, and he was involved in music. My family members were always singing in the church choir. And my brother got involved in theater a little in high school and kind of encouraged me, I guess. But I went to go see a high school production of West Side Story in Jonesboro, Ark., and I was just blown away. I was like, "I've got to do this."

Q: You hadn't really dreamed about it before that?

Cavenaugh: No, I'd just wanted to be a baseball player or a football player. Like so many kids in the South, my dream was doing sports. I'd always sang, but I was a little bashful about singing in front of others. But I saw that show and knew I had to make it happen for myself. I got involved in high school theater after that.

Q: And years later, you ended up playing Tony in 'West Side Story' on Broadway ...

Cavenaugh: I think Tony could be the best juvenile leading man role. I did it briefly at summer stock during college – we were doing West Side at night and Annie Warbucks during the day, and I was directing a children's show all at the same time. So it was nice to do it in a proper setting a few years later.

Q: What was it that brought you success, in your opinion, when so many other actors don't ever get a role?

Cavenaugh: I just really stayed focused and put all my energy into it, once I decided that's what I wanted to do. Tried my best to see everything and stay in the loop. The Interweb wasn't as prominent when I was a kid, so I didn't really have access to a lot of resources about theater. Nowadays, kids in Jonesboro, Ark., can know just as much as those who grow up in Manhattan.

Q: Your first big break?

Cavenaugh: Soon after graduating from college, I booked the lead in two Broadway-bound shows – Urban Cowboy, as the [John Travolta-originated] character Bud, and a show called Dorian, based on The Picture of Dorian Gray. So I did Dorian in Denver in late summer, and the day it closed, I went to Miami and started Urban Cowboy. Obviously Cowboy came [to Broadway] and Dorian didn't.

Q: 'Urban Cowboy' didn't last long, though. Was it still a good experience?

Cavenaugh: Oh, I loved it. Before anything hits, you are just trying to read the tea leaves. You don't really know. Urban Cowboy was an incredible experience – I learned an incredible amount. Made some very good friends. I was 24, at the center of this hurricane. The Iraq war started a day before we started previews. There was a musicians' strike. There was the SARS outbreak – remember that? There was no possible way a new show with no stars would have much chance of succeeding at that time. There were days during previews that they'd hand me 30 new pages to get into the show that night, and I did it.

Q: Your accent has no trace of your Southern roots, so did that throw off the 'Cowboy' producers?

Cavenaugh: The first time I walked in to audition, the casting director said, "Matt, where ya from, son?" And I said, "Arkansas." And he said, "Well, [expletive] damn it, talk like you are from Arkansas!" All that money I'd spent, down the drain. [Laughs.]

Q: With so much experience in New York, what made you want to drop everything and do a show in Dallas?

Cavenaugh: They asked me to do the reading back in January and February, and I thought playing Superman and Clark Kent would be fun. I didn't know the original '66 show – well, I knew a couple of songs, but I certainly didn't know the book or the story. But it was encouraging to see the work that went into the new version. Some things are cut and gone, there are some new songs, there's an entirely new book. It's really a new musical that we're doing. I loved the tone and the great work that [writer] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] had done. I also love the time period. For some reason, I do really well with that '30s and '40s thing.

Q: Why's that?

Cavenaugh: There's something about the rhythm and the language that comes easily to me. The crispness of it, the cadence of it – I get that humor. I've done a lot of shows in that time period. There's something very musical about that time period. The original score was from '66 and it definitely has that '60s feeling. Some songs have changed very dramatically to fit more into a "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," Andrews Sisters-type thing.

Q: Does Superman dance in this thing?

Cavenaugh: Superman doesn't necessarily dance, although I do think he will have some impressive aerial moves. Flying fight scenes, maybe. We'll see how Crouching Tiger we can get.

Q: So they haven't strung you up yet in rehearsals?

Q: Is there a good way to prepare for personal flight?

Cavenaugh: You kind of just do it. A lot of sit-ups, I guess. [Laughs.] Make sure the harness is strapped on well.

Q: What about the suit? Tried it on yet?

Cavenaugh: I had my first fitting recently. They've built a beautiful '30s suit for Clark Kent. And I put on the mock-up Superman suit, too. It was exciting, and also like, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" [Laughs.] It's like I was 7 years old again and running around in my Underoos. But I am looking forward to wearing the suit. I think the first time Superman flies in will be cool. And it will be exciting to do it here, at this new theater.

Q: What else thrills you about this gig?

Cavenaugh: Well, I get to work with my wife. She's not my love interest in the show, but she tries to seduce me, which is fun. I love that I get to play these two very different characters, who are the same person but opposite ends of the spectrum. It's interesting in the show to see how these two characters merge.

Q: Do the lines for Clark and Superman require you to get into different moods?

Cavenaugh: We are still putting the whole thing together, so I'm starting to realize where these personas come from. With Superman, there's an inner confidence. And it's not to say he's cocky or egotistical. But I think Superman has that. And we all have our public selves and our private selves. I know I have those, and it's fun to play on that in my work.

Q: What would your personal superpower be if you could create one?

Cavenaugh: Hmm ... well, I've always, in my family, been the one that my younger siblings have come to for problem-solving. They've leaned on me. So I guess my power would be ...

Q: A magic tool belt?

Cavenaugh: Exactly. A magic tool belt. [Laughs.]

Music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams. Original book by David Newman and Robert Benton. Revised book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Directed by Kevin Moriarty. Choreographed by Joel Ferrell. Preview performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and June 24 at 7 p.m. Opening night performance is June 25. Runs through July 25, with performances on most days except Mondays. Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora St. Friday's show is pay-what-you-can; tickets go on sale that morning at 10 a.m. and can be purchased in person at the Wyly. All other performances $15 to $86. 214-880-0202. dallastheatercenter.org.