| Batman...Hey Ryan... | |
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Jacqueline 12:01 am UTC 12/23/06 |
| http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/12/21/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-82/ COMIC URBAN LEGEND: Jim Steinman is attempting to make a Batman musical. STATUS: True You may not know who Jim Steinman is just by hearing his name, but you probably have heard his work before. Steinman is the brains behind the massively successful album, Bat out of Hell, with singer Meat Loaf. bat-out-of -hell.jpg He also wrote hit songs for Bonnie Tyler (”Total Eclipse of the Heart”) and Celine Dion (”It’s All Coming Back to me Now”). jim96.gif However, what Steinman has been trying to get off the ground for years now, is a musical based on, of all things, Batman! index.jpg He sure loves his bats, huh? Interestingly enough, the musical came VERY close to being done a little while ago, and Steinman has already written the songs for the show (with writer David Ives writing the book). The website Dark Knight Of The Soul catalogues the developments of the musical, and here is how it describes what happened: Not many people are aware that Warner Bros. Theater Ventures, a new wing of one of the most powerful entertainment forces in the world, announced a BATMAN musical in 1998. Believe it or not, this is true. Jim Steinman, creator of Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell saga, was tapped to compose, alongside David Ives, who would write the book (the “spoken” parts). The Broadway “Premiere” was announced for 2001, which quickly deteriorated… Then, in 2002, in the lead-up to the premiere of Jim Steinman’s “Dance of the Vampires” (at the Minskoff Theater, New York) a new break-through was announced. Tim Burton, director of the original and much-beloved Batman franchise, would helm the stage show for a 2004 out-of-town try-out and, then, 2005 Broadway premiere! Everything seemed perfect. Warner’s were on the verge of discovering new heights with their Batman franchise, Michael Crawford - one of the greatest stars of the musical theatre - was to appear as the lead in “Dance of the Vampires” and Steinman’s 30-year struggle to get a show on Broadway was nearing an end. However… “Vampires”, and Crawford’s performance, severely distracted from the show it was based on, still a phenomenon in Germany. The show was utterly trashed and closed in a matter of months. In the end it played 65 previews which was more than the 56 (troubled) performances it endured. In the darkest hours of that production, worked continued on “Batman”. Jim Steinman, and his long-time recording associate, Steven Rinkoff, met and recorded “The Batman Demos” at The Hit Factory, New York. Later, this historic studio would be demolished. Rob Evan starred in the role of Batman, with Karine Hannah as Catwoman and contributions from Elaine Caswell, the original vocalist of Steinman’s HIT for Celine Dion “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”, and Steinman himself. Believing there was *still* hope for the project, while exploring other options, Warner Bros. (supposedly) called and announced the project was “cancelled”. Whatever the case, none of the announced dates were met. Tim Burton has released over four movies since. Steinman is working on “Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical”, a spectacular co-written with Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) and Warner Bros. produced the mammoth flop “Lestat” as the production that *should* have been “Batman” However, back in April of 2006, “Lestat” producer Gregg Maday stated that “he hasn’t given up on “Batman,” so there is hope! Dark Knight Of The Soul also helps us by linking to all the songs that Steinman wrote for the musical (two of which, “In the Land of the Pig the Butcher is King” and “Cry to Heaven,” where included on Meat Loaf’s latest album), with lyrics and links to Steinman’s released versions of the songs. Here are the links. As a fan of Steinman’s work, I hope this gets worked out. Imagine a Batman musical!! | |
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