The Echo Arena is transformed into Gotham City for five nights this week as Batman Live opens with a flurry of acrobats and enough bad guys to last a lifetime.
With a cast of forty-three, the arena is the perfect place to house this mammoth production. The story of Batman and Robin has been around the block a long time, but this is the first time we have seen it done on stage. Adapted from the DC comics we follow the story of Dick Grayson in his quest to find justice for the murder of his parents. It tells us how he came to be fighting alongside his hero, Batman, and how he becomes known as Robin.
As you enter the arena, your eyes are instantly drawn to the fifty-foot wall that is used as a giant screen throughout the show. This is used as a visual guidance, allowing the story to shift from one location to the next. The images are instantly recognisable as they are the same images that are used in the comics. The characters are equally as cartoony and exaggerated as they are in the TV series. Excellent performances from Nick Frost as the terrifying Joker, just as evil are his fellow bad guys, Penguin (Alex Giannini) and Two Face (Garry Lake). The caped crusader himself, played by Sam Heughan, gave a strong performance alongside his sidekick faithful Robin played by Kamran Darabi-Ford.
This show is packed with acrobatics and daring stunts, there is even some magic thrown in. The costumes and props are the biggest that I have seen in a production. Even though this is based on the comics, they have not taken anything away from them, in fact they have put more into it. A huge balloon is used at one point for one of the Joker’s exits, and there is plenty of hire wire flying going on. But of course there is one thing that needs to be mentioned, and that is the Batmobile. It has been designed especially for the show by Professor Gordon Murray, the designer of McLaren Formula 1, and earned itself a round of applause.
Batman Live is a multi-million pound extravaganza. A visual explosion on a huge scale that should not be missed. Holy smoke, get yourselves down there, you’d be batty to miss it!
9/10
Batman Live runs until September 11th. Contact Box office 0844 8000 400 for more information.
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