Written by Arya Ponto
Tuesday, twelve April 2011
batmanlive
Fear that the upcoming Batman Live stage tour will mirror the disastrous Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark Broadway show was addressed nowadays when the production unveiled the solid and costume during a media launch in London. At the very least, they are already doing 3 things right: the script is written by a comic book author, it has no newly created-up villain, and Bono is nowhere close to this issue.
Yes, because the producers keep stressing, this can not be a musical like Turn Off the Dark, despite being directed by Anthony Van Laast, who's famous for choreographing musicals like Mamma Mia!, Sister Act and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not that I have anything against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and therefore the Bold did it brilliantly), however it's most likely better for this production to focus on stunts and awes instead of songs, and to draw as abundant distinction as doable from one among the most important trainwrecks in Broadway history.
In the video below, watch as Joker introduces the other villains, before having his monologue interrupted by you-apprehend-who.
The actor does a reasonably sensible Joker. The body language of Cesar Romero combined with the deep, lip-smacking voice of Heath Ledger? As so much as Joker actings go, abundant worse have come back and gone.
The media launch also showed the concept styles for what the world can seem like, together with this gorgeous badass miniature Gotham City. Other sets embrace Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the big High circus scene where Dick Grayson's oldsters tragically die, pushing him to become Batman's sidekick Robin. On top of the sets, the show conjointly options a whole new style of the Batmobile, concocted by Formula One designer Gordon Murray.
All this, for but 1/3 of Flip Off the Dark's budget.
The hardest thing to stomach, and is seemingly to be the primary gripe folks can fixate on, is the planning of Batman and Robin's costumes, that are too close to Joel Schumacher for comfort. Do not let it shadow the full production, though, as a result of A) They don't have nipples, and B) No one has nonetheless to tug off a satisfactory and convincing live-action Batman costume, anyway. Even in Batman Begins, it absolutely was more like Fat and Cannot Breathe Leather Man Begins, that they then had to turn into a dirtbike get-up in The Dark Knight.
Speaking of—one of my initial worries when this was announced was that they'd try to piggyback off of the Christopher Nolan movies, however it looks like they're going for a additional colourful, comic book look. Some Batman fans can insist that Batman will solely be portrayed in a dark and edgy urban crime context, which is inquiring for a betrayal of the character's rich history.
It's a smart issue that, despite Nolan's insistence on Batman being a lone vigilante, the show is not sidelining Robin's existence. Way from it: the story actually centers on Dick Grayson's journey into turning into Robin. Sadly, for whatever reason, they had to create him an older teen a la Batman Forever, instead of a 10-year-previous kid.
The target Robin is sensible knowing the writer, Allan Heinberg. Heinberg has had success as a TV writer on shows like Sex & the City, The OC and Grey's Anatomy, however is healthier known to comic fans as a writer on Wonder Woman and, more importantly, because the creator of Young Avengers. He's no stranger to the coming-of-age stories of teenage superheroism.
It's a neat plan, very. Batman, Joker, and all the opposite villains can be iconic and set in place, however have the audience align with Dick, who sees these individuals as the mythic figures they're and needs to enter that world.
The show premieres July nineteen in Manchester.
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