Written by Arya Ponto
Tuesday, twelve April 201one
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 solid and costume in a media launch in London. At the terribly least, they're already doing 3 things right: the script is written by a comic book book author, it's no newly made-up villain, and Bono is nowhere near this thing.
Yes, because the producers keep stressing, this will 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 therefore the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not that I even have something against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and therefore the Bold did it brilliantly), however it's in all probability higher for this production to target stunts and awes rather than songs, and to draw as much distinction as attainable from one among the most important trainwrecks in Broadway history.
In the video below, watch as Joker introduces the opposite villains, before having his monologue interrupted by you-grasp-who.
The actor does a reasonably smart Joker. The body language of Cesar Romero combined with the deep, lip-smacking voice of Heath Ledger? As so much as Joker actings go, a lot of worse have come and gone.
The media launch also showed the concept styles for what the arena will appear as if, including this pretty badass miniature Gotham City. Alternative sets include Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the massive Prime circus scene where Dick Grayson's folks tragically die, pushing him to become Batman's sidekick Robin. On high of the sets, the show also options a whole new style of the Batmobile, concocted by Formula One designer Gordon Murray.
All this, for but one/three of Flip Off the Dark's budget.
The hardest thing to abdomen, and is seemingly to be the primary gripe people 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 entire production, though, because A) They do not have nipples, and B) No one has nonetheless to drag off a satisfactory and convincing live-action Batman costume, anyway. Even in Batman Begins, it absolutely was additional 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 of my initial worries when this was announced was that they might strive to piggyback off of the Christopher Nolan movies, however it appearance like they are going for a additional colourful, comic book look. Some Batman fans can insist that Batman will only be portrayed during a dark and edgy urban crime context, which is requesting a betrayal of the character's rich history.
It's a good issue that, despite Nolan's insistence on Batman being a lone vigilante, the show isn't sidelining Robin's existence. Far from it: the story really centers on Dick Grayson's journey into turning into Robin. Sadly, for whatever reason, they had to make him an older teen a la Batman Forever, rather than a 10-year-recent kid.
The focus on Robin makes sense 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, however is better known to comic fans as a author 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, really. Batman, Joker, and all the other villains will be iconic and set in place, but have the audience align with Dick, who sees these people because the mythic figures they're and has got to enter that world.
The show premieres July 19 in Manchester.
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