Written by Arya Ponto
Tuesday, twelve April 2011
batmanlive
Fear that the upcoming Batman Live stage tour can mirror the disastrous Spider-man: Flip Off the Dark Broadway show was addressed these days when the production unveiled the cast and costume during a media launch in London. At the terribly least, they are already doing three things right: the script is written by a comic book author, it has no newly made-up villain, and Bono is nowhere close to this factor.
Yes, because 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 have anything against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and therefore the Bold did it brilliantly), however it's probably higher for this production to focus on stunts and awes instead of songs, and to draw as much distinction as possible 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-know-who.
The actor will a fairly smart Joker. The body language of Cesar Romero combined with the deep, lip-smacking voice of Heath Ledger? As far as Joker actings go, abundant worse have come and gone.
The media launch conjointly showed the concept styles for what the arena can look like, as well as this gorgeous badass miniature Gotham City. Alternative sets include Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the large High circus scene where Dick Grayson's oldsters tragically die, pushing him to become Batman's sidekick Robin. On high of the sets, the show conjointly options a brand new style of the Batmobile, concocted by Formula One designer Gordon Murray.
All this, for but 1/3 of Turn Off the Dark's budget.
The hardest factor to stomach, and is seemingly to be the primary gripe people can fixate on, is the planning of Batman and Robin's costumes, that are too shut to Joel Schumacher for comfort. Do not let it shadow the whole production, though, as a result of A) They do not have nipples, and B) No one has yet 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, that they then had to flip into a dirtbike get-up in The Dark Knight.
Speaking of—one amongst my initial worries when this was announced was that they'd strive to piggyback off of the Christopher Nolan movies, however it appearance like they are going for a a lot of colourful, comic book look. Some Batman fans will insist that Batman can solely be portrayed in an exceedingly dark and edgy urban crime context, that is soliciting for a betrayal of the character's rich history.
It's a good factor 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 becoming Robin. Sadly, for whatever reason, they'd to make him an older teen a la Batman Forever, rather than a 10-year-old kid.
The specialize in Robin makes sense 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, but is better known to comic fans as a writer on Wonder Woman and, more importantly, as the creator of Young Avengers. He's no stranger to the approaching-of-age stories of teenage superheroism.
It's a neat idea, extremely. Batman, Joker, and all the other villains can be iconic and set in place, but have the audience align with Dick, who sees these individuals as the mythic figures they are and should enter that world.
The show premieres July nineteen in Manchester.
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