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 nowadays when the production unveiled the cast and costume during a media launch in London. At the very least, they are already doing three things right: the script is written by a comic book book author, it has no newly made-up villain, and Bono is nowhere close to this factor.
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 also the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not that I have something against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and the Bold did it brilliantly), however it's in all probability higher for this production to focus on stunts and awes rather than songs, and to draw as abundant distinction as potential from one amongst the largest 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 reasonably smart Joker. The body language of Cesar Romero combined with the deep, lip-smacking voice of Heath Ledger? As way as Joker actings go, a lot of worse have come and gone.
The media launch also showed the concept styles for what the world can look like, as well as this beautiful badass miniature Gotham City. Different sets embody Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the big Prime 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 complete 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 issue to abdomen, and is probably to be the primary gripe people will fixate on, is the look of Batman and Robin's costumes, which are too close to Joel Schumacher for comfort. Do not let it shadow the entire production, though, as a result of A) They do not have nipples, and B) No one has however 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 flip into a dirtbike get-up in The Dark Knight.
Speaking of—one among my initial worries when this was announced was that they would try to piggyback off of the Christopher Nolan movies, however it looks like they're going for a more colourful, comic book look. Some Batman fans will insist that Batman can only be portrayed in a dark and edgy urban crime context, which is asking for 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 is not sidelining Robin's existence. So much from it: the story actually centers on Dick Grayson's journey into becoming Robin. Sadly, for no matter reason, they had to form him an older teen a la Batman Forever, instead of a 10-year-old child.
The specialise in 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, however is best known to comic fans as a author on Wonder Woman and, additional importantly, because the creator of Young Avengers. He's no stranger to the approaching-of-age stories of teenage superheroism.
It's a neat plan, extremely. Batman, Joker, and all the opposite villains will be iconic and set in place, but have the audience align with Dick, who sees these individuals because the mythic figures they're and has got to enter that world.
The show premieres July 19 in Manchester.
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