DC Comics on Broadway - could it work?

[Lightning Rider]

Theater plays - whether musical or not - offer a particularly vivid and engaging experience for audiences. I've often wondered what a play utilizing DC characters would look like, and the more I think about it, the more I think the inherent format would endear viewers to the characters and offer some things a movie can't.

I'm curious what kind of stories, characters, and stage effects you all imagine might resonate the most and really impress audiences.

Now the ill-fated Spider-Man play would certainly weigh heavily on such a production, but there surely must be ways around such dangerous mishaps. (And I'm sure for some, the whole idea is just too corny, but that's probably besides the point).

[Lightning Rider]

I know Superman has been on Broadway - but without having seen it in full, the vibe I get is almost purely comedic and almost satirical.

[Digifiend]

I've seen a Marvel stage play advertised on TV (and not just the Spider-Man one, I'm referring to something that had the Avengers in it, might have been at Disneyland or something), so DC having something like that could work.

[Restingvoice]

Holy Musical Batman

Oh you mean something more serious or epic?

My mind immediately go to Batman because of the cape and shadow

[Lightning Rider]

Holy Musical Batman

Oh you mean something more serious or epic?

My mind immediately go to Batman because of the cape and shadow

Well, the magic of in-person performances is often in the charm and charisma, so I wouldn't mind a very jovial tone overall. But when emotional beats or battles happen, I would want them to be serious and impressive.

Batman is an obvious choice because of the reasons you mentioned. In fact I often imagine Batman and Robin scaling the rafters above the audience's head and them slowly coming to the realization that they are so close.

For some reason I always imagine a very basic JL story. Having the Legion could also be hilarious. GL light effects are reasonably achieved; Flash would take some trickery - multiple costumed stunt-doubles, moments where the rest of the actors move in slow motion, projections, etc. But for big overhead battles, if Mary Poppins, Aladdin & Jasmine, and Elphaba can fly, I don't see why Superman can't float or we can't have a few brief but flashy Arial duels.

[Restingvoice]

Ooh! Batman gliding in above the audience using the rope thingy
GL and the rainbow corps would be great
Flash with multiple actors enter stage left and stage right sounds fun

[Lightning Rider]

I've seen a Marvel stage play advertised on TV (and not just the Spider-Man one, I'm referring to something that had the Avengers in it, might have been at Disneyland or something), so DC having something like that could work.

I did read something about that.

https://marvelspotlightplays.com/

I guess Marvel licenses out the ability to perform young-adult-themed stage plays?

[Digifiend]

That's not what I was talking about. so that's another example of Marvel doing theatre already. It'd be surprising if DC has never had any stage shows in it's 80+ year history.

[Frontier]

I think it could work, depending on how they want to execute whichever DC property they're doing.

[j9ac9k]

Batman makes the most sense in terms of practicality, audience recognition, sets and theatrical characters.

Or The Question in one of those immersive, audience participation murder mysteries!

[Gaius]

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

I mean, theoretically yes. It definitely could. I mean, they did it for the Harry Potter franchise. And I get that Cursed Child isn't necessarily a favorite among Potter fans, but there's no denying it's at least successful. I mean, it won the Tony for Best Play the year it debuted on Broadway. So, why not give that same love to the DC properties.

And despite Hawkeye showing us what a Marvel-themed musical would look like, I think that, like Cursed Child, any DC property should stay away from the musical treatment, lest it run the risk of being too hokey. Plus, they need to be wary of going TOO crazy with the stunts. I mean, from what I've heard, that was what ultimately doomed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark: the fact that actors kept getting injured.

But, if they learn from those lessons, I don't see why we couldn't see a Wonder Woman play on Broadway. Green Lantern would also be incredibly interesting to see how they'd utilize the lighting to bring the constructs and the Central Power Battery to life.

[Vakanai]

No, I don't think so. Broadway has it's strengths, musicals and dramas and comedies, but it can't really do action. And sure, there's nothing wrong with a superhero musical, Brave and the Bold's Music Meister episode for example, and there's plenty of drama and comedy to mine in the genre, but ultimately at the end of the day superheroes are mostly about action. And Broadway just doesn't have the resources to really pull off all the fight choreography, special effects, and as especially illustrated by all the injuries and troubles and woes of Broadway's Spider-Man, the stunts. Maybe one day it could be done, when things like Disney's Spider-Man stunt robot are relatively cost effective for something like a Broadway show, but until then it really is just more trouble than it's worth in my opinion.

Edit: Also, no one's posted the Batman The Musical clip from Batman Beyond yet? Surprised.

[Fergus]

The animated movie Batman Ninja has a pretty popular and impressive stage version in Japan.

[Falcon16]

"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman," anyone?