Fear that the upcoming Batman Live stage tour will mirror the disastrous Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark Broadway show was addressed today when the production unveiled the cast and costume in a media launch in London. At the very least, they're already doing three things right: the script is written by a comic book writer, it has no newly made-up villain, and Bono is nowhere near this thing.
Yes, as 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 the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Not that I have anything against a Batman musical (Hey, The Brave and the Bold did it brilliantly), but it's probably better for this production to focus on stunts and awes rather than songs, and to draw as much distinction as possible from one of the biggest 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 does 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 and gone.
The media launch also showed the concept designs for what the arena will look like, including this pretty badass miniature Gotham City. Other sets include Arkham Asylum (naturally), Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, and the Big Top circus scene where Dick Grayson's parents tragically die, pushing him to become Batman's sidekick Robin. On top of the sets, the show also features a brand new design of the Batmobile, concocted by Formula One designer Gordon Murray.
All this, for less than 1/3 of Turn Off the Dark's budget.
The hardest thing to stomach, and is likely 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. Don't let it shadow the whole production, though, because A) They don't have nipples, and B) No one has yet to pull 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 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 colorful, 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 thing that, despite Nolan's insistence on Batman being a lone vigilante, the show is not sidelining Robin's existence. Far from it: the story actually centers on Dick Grayson's journey into becoming Robin. Sadly, for whatever reason, they had to make him an older teen a la Batman Forever, rather than a 10-year-old kid.
The focus on 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 coming-of-age stories of teenage superheroism.
It's a neat idea, 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 has to enter that world.
The show premieres July 19 in Manchester.
