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| The Guard |
BATMAN: THE MUSICALI know how Batman fans have reacted to this idea. I've seen and heard excerpts from the abandoned Tim Burton/Jim Steinman Broadway version. Go here to see more on the project that might have been:http://www.freewebs.com/batman_themusical/home.htm What are "normal" people's thoughts on this concept? Does the average theatre fan think that Batman's story can work as a musical? I ask because I'm currently writing the book and lyrics for just that, a fully staged Batman musical, which a fairly talented composer friend will be doing the music for. I've got most of the songs laid out and about half of the lyrics written. I'm aiming to actually make this a reality at some point, at least at the local level, and I do have an investor lined up, so money's not really an issue. This isn't the campy Adam West stuff, nor is it the high tech movie take on the character. It's more of a "Back to basics, Batman as a swashbuckling vigilante detective, quasi-Zorro at the turn of the century" kind of a feel. Elements of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, SWEENEY TODD, LES MISERABLES and JEKELL AND HYDE mixed with the classic elements of the Batman mythology, and just a touch of oh, say, RENT. Batman, The Joker, Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Dent, and various other characters will feature. What do you all think? Can a Batman musical fly? More importantly, can it draw? I'm just interested in general thoughts. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
Anything can work if it is done well.
However, it might not get interest. Titanic the musical never made it to opening night in Australia because it didn't sell any where near enough tickets. |
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| MusicalGal1194 |
dadadadadadadadadada BATMAN!
I think it would be AWESOME! 
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| Kiwi |
like mungojerrie said, if it's done well it ca work. I mean, if Bat Boy worked...why not Batman? | ||||||
| jackissensational |
I'm seeing a trend here. First Spiderman, now Batman? I just don't think a superhero story would work. You can't condense a superhero into a few hours. Their stories should be continuous. | ||||||
| Xack |
I think that it would work best if it WERE the campy Adam West batman. It would be hilarious! | ||||||
| dolbinau |
If it can work for 2-3 hour movie why couldn't it work for a 3 hour musical? |
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| The Guard |
Don't even talk to me about the Spider-Man musical. I heard a synopsis of it...and as much as I like what's his name and what's her name...
(shudder) I've seen a semi professional Adam West Batman musical. It was pretty bad. The Adam West show only worked because West played such a ridiculous character so seriously. He absolutely nailed what was WRONG with the character for so many years. I just can't see a Batman musical not getting the interest if it was on Broadway. One, it would be arriving at precisely the time one of the most popular superhero franchises in history is at its height of popularity. Two, Tim Burton was attached to direct it, and he's just...huge right now, especially in the musical realm. Rob Evan was the rumored choice for Bruce Wayne/The Batman. And Warner Brothers was going to produce it (read: market the hell out of it). If THE BOY FROM OZ can garner interest, Batman could. Superhero stories should be continuous in nature, but there's no reason you can't take a moment from a superhero's life and show that while his story is continuout, this is the nature of his world. The movies have been doing that for years. My particular version deals with all the obvious things, and focuses more on the tragic side of things...the psychological and social costs to Bruce Wayne, his friends, and his allies that come from the presence of Batman. And the current "book" I'm working on for the project features elements that make it obvious that Batman's crusade is an ongoing on. It's not so much a snapshot of his life as it is a composition of the classic Batman "themes" and "ideas". |
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| Anno_Domini |
Hmm, bad idea, in my opinion. With the Nolan films being all the rage nowadays, people will want to see the gritty and dramatic Batman...quite frankly so would I. |
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| Salome |
Nolan's Batman fil;m was the dullest superhero movie i've seen since Daredevil. | ||||||
| jackissensational |
But you see, superhero movies are made for sequels. The superhero never dies, because the story never ends. They are always left open-ended so a sequel can be made, and other people have the chance to make their sequels. That's why the same superheroes that were popular in the 1950s are popular now. Sequels to musicals don't work. They are not succesful, appealing, or interesting. And you just don't kill off a superhero. |
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| The Guard |
I get what you're getting at, but to me, it's really no different than seeing Curly and Laurie together at the end of OKLAHOMA. You don't know what their future holds, but you have some idea. At the end of BATMAN: THE MUSICAL, you're going to see what kind of a direction Gotham's moving in, and it will be akin to the "classic mythology" we all know from the comics and movie franchises. Essentially, he's going to have work to do. Will we see that work? No. Do we see Joseph after DREAMCOAT? Do we see Seymour after LITTLE SHOP? Nope. It's the same kind of dynamic, that is really a staple of fiction. The unfinished story. I'm writing this so that if there was a sequel musical, it wouldn't be boring or uninteresting, etc. BATMAN: THE MUSICAL is about Batman beginning his crusade, about him forging his alliance, losing friends, and dedicating himself to his war on crime. Any "sequel", and that is a LONG way off and would likely never happen, would obviously involve Robin and a new villain threat that informs the mythology, which are never boring. 
What about GREASE 2?
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| windscreen |
I'm thinking of writing "The Invisible Man" the musical. In the first scene everyone he touches becomes invisible. With this plot line I only have to pay actors for one scene, plus I dont have to have a leading man.
Home free........... |
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| jackissensational |
I hope you're kidding. |
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| lonewriter |
What's next, Harry Potter The Musical. | ||||||
| Mungojerrie_rt |
You don't see Seymour after Little Shop because he's dead. However, I do agree with you. The first Batman movie they made had a good ending that allowed it to stand on it's own, and also alowed for the next three movies. |
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| The Guard |
Actually, yes. It's in development. |
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| lonewriter |
Why am I not suprised. |
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| Sweeney Hyde |
The absolute ONLY way I think this could possibly have a shot, and I've done a good bit of research about this show, is if Batman didn't sing or hardly sang. Bruce Wayne can sing a bit. However, I think it would work best if the villians and other characters did the singing...and I think if each character had their own style it would help as well...Joker as a jazz...for instance. I would not put Catwoman in it. Dumb character, imo. Penguin would make a good operatic character. It wouldn't be a "good" show...it would be very campy and fun...but it COULD work...would it under Stienman? I don't think so. |
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| Salome |
Catwoman is the most clever and interesting villian batman has..are you nuts?????? | ||||||
| Sweeney Hyde |
Sorry, I was refering to the musical. Do you know what the Catwoman character in the musical version is like as it now stands? It's dumb. In the comic books she's okay...in the musical...she's terrible. |
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| The Guard |
Maybe because damn near everything has been made into a musical over the years?
Agreed, to a point. In mine, The Batman sings in a way similar to Valjean and Javert when they square off in Les Mis. Very quick and intense. He also has a sort of rising "call to arms" song with James Gordon and Harvey Dent that is reprised later on. Bruce Wayne sings plenty, though, and I think that really works well. It's not campy at all. Not in the sense that I think you mean. It's more along the lines of PHANTOM, where the world and characters are a bit outside the norm, and you accept the absurdities to them because there, they make sense and have dramatic potential.
The current version of Catwoman in the musical is what it is. She's a bit too conveniently developed. I'm not a big fan of the current version. Nor am I leaning in anything remotely close to that direction. In the version I'm writing, Catwoman's more like a combination of Fantine and Elphaba. A very tragic character, with some social relevance to her. |
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| Sweeney Hyde |
I picture Batman singing and I laugh out loud.
That is why I believe it won't work. |
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| Salome |
is it any different than leo frank or john wilkes both singing? | ||||||
| lonewriter |
I sure hope we don't see Star Trek The Musical. | ||||||
| jackissensational |
Good point. |
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| The Guard |
No one questions The Phantom's serious nature when he sings. Batman can be similar. | ||||||
| Salome |
yeah but we question the bad songs the phantom sings LOL | ||||||
| The Guard |
Bad...songs? In THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA?
This concept is foreign to me.
Anyway, for your perusal, a working list of the music that will be in BATMAN: THE MUSICAL (which is, itself, a working title). ACT I Gotham's Lament/Homecoming Gotham's Favorite Son/Wayne Manor Waltz I Promised (to protect you) The Batman Strikes Life's a Joke Bruce's Nightmare A City of Freaks Some Things We Can't Share A Woman Scorned The War on Crime ACT II The Flip of a Coin The Princess and The Clown Prince Fate Tears of a Clown Batman/Joker confrontation Alone War on Crime reprise/Gotham's Rejoicing The obvious problem I'm facing is that most of the songs take place during ACT I, but there is going to be some musical stuff in ACT II that doesn't involve singing. The other obvious problem is that said music has yet to be composed for the most part. |