Written by Arya Ponto
Tuesday, twelve April 2011
batmanlive
Fear that the upcoming Batman Live stage tour can mirror the disastrous Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark Broadway show was addressed today when the production unveiled the forged and costume in 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's no newly created-up villain, and Bono is nowhere close to this issue.
Yes, as the producers keep stressing, this will not be a musical like Flip Off the Dark, despite being directed by Anthony Van Laast, who's famous for choreographing musicals like Mamma Mia!, Sister Act and Joseph and therefore the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not that I actually have anything against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and the Bold did it brilliantly), but it's probably better for this production to concentrate on stunts and awes instead of songs, and to draw as abundant distinction as potential from one amongst the biggest trainwrecks in Broadway history.
In the video below, watch as Joker introduces the other villains, before having his monologue interrupted by you-recognize-who.
The actor will a pretty good Joker. The body language of Cesar Romero combined with the deep, lip-smacking voice of Heath Ledger? As far as Joker actings go, much worse have come back and gone.
The media launch also showed the concept styles for what the world can look like, together with this gorgeous badass miniature Gotham City. Other sets include Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the massive Prime circus scene where Dick Grayson's parents tragically die, pushing him to become Batman's sidekick Robin. On top of the sets, the show additionally features a brand new design of the Batmobile, concocted by Formula One designer Gordon Murray.
All this, for but one/3 of Turn Off the Dark's budget.
The hardest factor to stomach, and is possible to be the primary gripe individuals can fixate on, is the design of Batman and Robin's costumes, which are too close to Joel Schumacher for comfort. Don't let it shadow the whole production, though, as a result of A) They do not have nipples, and B) No one has nevertheless to tug off a satisfactory and convincing live-action Batman costume, anyway. Even in Batman Begins, it was more like Fat and Cannot Breathe Leather Man Begins, which they then had to turn into a dirtbike get-up in The Dark Knight.
Speaking of—one in every of my initial worries when this was announced was that they would try to piggyback off of the Christopher Nolan movies, but it looks like they're going for a more colourful, comic book look. Some Batman fans will insist that Batman will solely be portrayed during a dark and edgy urban crime context, that is requesting a betrayal of the character's wealthy history.
It's a good 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 changing into Robin. Sadly, for whatever reason, they had to form him an older teen a la Batman Forever, rather than a ten-year-old child.
The focus on Robin is sensible knowing the writer, Allan Heinberg. Heinberg has had success as a TV author on shows like Sex & the City, The OC and Grey's Anatomy, but is better known to comic fans as a writer on Wonder Woman and, a lot of importantly, as the creator of Young Avengers. He's no stranger to the approaching-of-age stories of teenage superheroism.
It's a neat plan, really. Batman, Joker, and all the other villains can be iconic and set in place, but have the audience align with Dick, who sees these people as the mythic figures they are and needs to enter that world.
The show premieres July 19 in Manchester.
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