By Gustav Hollnagel–
Starting tonight, people can witness a fascinating show at the Tyson Event Center that tells the story of Batman and Robin in a staged theatrical version. It is based on the comic books written by Bob Kane. Batman is a Detective Comics hero, receiving great international attention in forms of various comic books, merchandise, and movies.
The Batman Live Show was first performed in Manchester, UK, and is originally a British production. Aside from all the technicians and set workers, the cast involves 42 members, including one lady from each France and Russia, some ‘Scots’ and one Bulgarian actor.
The Joker’s character mouth-lickingly shouted: “It’s a blast.” To prepare for the role, he watched the cinematic joker and looked at the cartoons. He pointed out “If you watch that too much you end up imitating. It’s more like a copy. The ideal and desirable thing to do is to get some inspiration for the role.”
Batman Live has been very successful in Europe, but also in Latin America and now Northern America. Naomi Foster is a choreographic manager and shot-caller, someone who gives direct physical orders of what happens when during the show. She said this production is the first stage-dubbed (synchronized) story telling of the Batman character.
Erika Newton, who works at the Tyson Event Center’s box office said the event is scaled for 2800 to 3300 visitors, but there is plenty more capacity in the arena. After tonight, both Foster and Newton said there will be more walk-ups as people start talking about the show.
If you are wondering if Batman Live is an event for you, Foster has a message: “This show is for all ages. It represents exactly what we’ve been promoting.”
Newton added, “We have a great arena for the dimensions and needs of this show. We have been working since August to promote and prepare for it.” The show’s crew, however, worked hard and long to set up all their stuff in only one day.
Foster said they sometimes have trouble with the ceiling adjustment, as there are flying scenes in the show. “We speak to each other, meaning there are people talking all the time. Sometimes we lose power, which really slows us down.” Also, connectivity and communication can be a challenge with all the testing and time it takes to get everything under tight control. However, things always turn out the way they are supposed to, and Foster utterly enjoys her work, even though she has a husband in the UK. She said, “It’s like traveling with a family of 88 people.”
Foster mentioned the show might even go all the way to Asia, even though the current tour will conclude in December. Before that, seven more venues in America will be visited, including Green Bay and Rockford. Go to www.batmanlive.com for more details on the show, the cast and the background.
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