UNITED KINGDOM: Super-hero and comic book villain hopefuls audition for big budget arena extravaganza, "Batman Live", in London

Record ID: 593248

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Super-hero and comic book villain hopefuls audition for big budget arena extravaganza, "Batman Live", in London
  • Date: 27th January 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JANUARY 25, 2011) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) LINE FOR "BATMAN LIVE" AUDITION IN HOLBORN, LONDON WOMAN DRESSED AS THE JOKER FROM BATMAN PEOPLE DRESSED AS BATMAN AND ROBIN PAN SHOWING LINE ON EITHER SIDE OF STREET PEOPLE DRESSED AS THE JOKER, CATWOMAN, THE JOKER, AND ROBIN FROM BATMAN WOMAN BATMAN COSTUME TO PERSON IN QUEUE MAN GETTING DRESSED INTO BATMAN COSTUME VARIOUS PEOPLE IN COSTUME POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WOMAN HANDING OUT AUDITION APPLICATIONS PEOPLE SIGNING APPLICATIONS (3 SHOTS) PEOPLE IN LINE DRESSED AS BATMAN CHARACTERS HARLEY QUINN, THE JOKER, AND BATMAN THE JOKER HARLEY QUINN (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAN DRESSED AS BATMAN SAYING: "I'm Batman. I am Batman" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAN DRESSED AS BATMAN SAYING: "I am Batman" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAN DRESSED AS THE JOKER SAYING: "Why so serious?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAN DRESSED AS THE JOKER SAYING: "You killed Captain Clown. You killed Captain Clown! Just for that, Batman! (laughs)" (SOUNDBITE) (English) WOMAN DRESSED AS HARLEY QUINN SAYING: "Hello pudding, miss me?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAN DRESSED AS ROBIN, SAYING: "Holy smokes Robin!" SHOT OF LINE SHOT OF KERRY MILLS (DRESSED AS JOKER) (SOUNDBITE) (English) KERRY MILLS, AUDITIONEE, SAYING: "I got up at 5 o'clock to get all my make-up on and I've been queuing here since six o'clock." SIGN READING: "BATMAN LIVE WORLD ARENA TOUR" PEOPLE GOING INTO AUDITION START OF AUDITION (3 SHOTS) MAN AUDITIONING AS BATMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR ANTHONY VAN LAAST AND WOMAN AUDITIONING FOR HARLEY QUINN ANTHONY VAN LAAST (LEFT), CO-DIRECTOR, JAMES POWELL AND UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN WATCHING AUDITIONS VARIOUS OF MAN AUDITIONING FOR BATMAN (3 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CREATIVE DIRECTOR ANTHONY VAN LAAST SAYING: "You find hidden talent like this which is very important, very, very important. So this isn't just a stunt this is actually important." STEPHEN CAVANAGH AUDITIONING AS THE JOKER (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHEN CAVANAGH, AUDITIONEE, ON GETTING THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND SAYING: "Yes, very good feeling. Couldn't be more pleased, to be honest." STEPHEN CAVANAGH TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHEN CAVANAGH, AUDITIONEE, SAYING: "I don't know to be honest I haven't done any open auditions, at least, not for a very long time. But it's potentially anybody's I think at this point." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CREATIVE DIRECTOR ANTHONY VAN LAAST SAYING: "Are we influenced by the movies? Of course we're influenced by the movies, inevitably , but we want to create our own Batman, we want to create our own Joker. In the same way the films, each of the actors who play those roles creates their own personality, so we will as well. This is going to be like watching a movie live in an arena. We'll have Bat-mobiles we'll have Catwoman flying, Batman flying, we have stunt fights, real fights, we have. Because it's Robin, it's based in the circus as well so we have a huge circus company as well. It's going to be a huge theatrical event." (CROSSES FINGERS) MAN AUDITIONING AS THE JOKER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CREATIVE DIRECTOR ANTHONY VAN LAAST SAYING: "Everything we do is sanctioned by DC Comics. It's not like we're off making up our own thing and I think and I hope that it will appeal to families, this is a family show but also that it will appeal to the comic purists as well. Because actually one thing, my producer Nick Grace is one of those comic purists." AUDITION FOR ROLE OF THE JOKER (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 11th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA2J9L7R0CJ59P6FMSOEO9MQTCI
  • Story Text: Hundreds of acting hopefuls lined the street for two blocks in London on Thursday (January 25) for their chance to be a part of the upcoming arena extravaganza, "Batman Live".
    As well as the Dark Knight himself, the queue for the try-outs saw several other familiar faces from the enduring DC comic book series - but super-villain The Joker was clearly a favourite with auditionees.
    As well as the Dark Knight and his arch-nemesis, the mega-budget arena show promises other favourite characters from the comic like Robin, Alfred, The Riddler, Catwoman and The Penguin, as well as the familiar settings of Batman's world, including The Batcave, Arkham Asylum and Gotham City itself.
    While the production is also holding closed auditions through actor's agencies this open audition gave a chance to any member of the public with enough talent a chance to join the show.
    Auditions took place under the watchful eye of Creative Director Anthony Van Laast, an experienced Broadway and West End choreographer who has also worked on movies like "Mama Mia!"
    Van Laast said the open audition process gave showbiz hopefuls a real chance to be discovered, often providing up to ten percent of the company players.
    "You find hidden talent like this which is very important, very, very important. So this isn't just a stunt this is actually important," he told Reuters Television.
    Batman has recently been revitalised by the wildly popular, record breaking movie franchise as re-imagined by writer/director Christopher Nolan.
    Van Laast admitted that, as well as the comic book series, there would be an influence of the latest film incarnation of Batman - as well as Tim Burton's treatment of the in the 1990's - on the live production.
    But influences aside, he added that "Batman Live" will be a unique and original story created just for the production, with all the spectacle and action of a big budget film.
    "Are we influenced by the movies? Of course we're influenced by the movies, inevitably, but we want to create our own Batman, we want to create our own Joker. In the same way the films, each of the actors who play those roles creates their own personality, so we will as well. This is going to be like watching a movie live in an arena. We'll have Bat-mobiles we'll have Catwoman flying, Batman flying, we have stunt fights, real fights, we have. Because it's Robin, it's based in the circus as well so we have a huge circus company as well. It's going to be a huge theatrical event," he explained, adding that this will not be musical but a live action origins story about how Robin came to be Batman's sidekick.
    Thursday saw six hours of solid auditions which saw a lucky few make it through the first round.
    Stephen Cavanagh was one of the shortlisted performers.
    "Yes, very good feeling. Couldn't be more pleased, to be honest," he said after his audition.
    Cavanagh has been a professional actor for more than ten years, but said he didn't know if that necessarily gave him an advantage over all the amateur talent auditioning.
    "I don't know to be honest I haven't done any open auditions, at least, not for a very long time. But it's potentially anybody's I think at this point," he said.
    Comic book fans are known to be among the harshest of critics when it comes to adaptation of their beloved superhero tales - but Van Laast assured purists of an authentic Batman experience.
    "Everything we do is sanctioned by DC Comics. It's not like we're off making up our own thing and I think and I hope that it will appeal to families, this is a family show but also that it will appeal to the comic purists as well. Because actually one thing, my producer Nick Grace is one of those comic purists," he said.
    Batman is the latest comic book superhero to after Marvel's Spider-Man took to the stage in Broadway with a musical show.
    "Batman Live" has it's world premiere in Manchester in July before embarking on a tour throughout the UK and Europe. The production will move on to open in North America.
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