Events

Published on October 25th, 2024 | by Andrew Bistak

Batman in Concert Review (Melbourne Australia)

Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the blockbuster 1989 film Batman, starring Michael Keaton as the enigmatic Bruce Wayne and his alter ego of the caped crusader comes Batman in Concert. This epic concert production starts its tour in Melbourne Australia at the Regent Theatre (24/10/24) with the music of composer Danny Elfman provided by the excellent John Foreman Australian Pop Orchestra with 50-amazing musicians.

Melbourne also got into the celebration of Batman – with the classic Adam West Batman; Batman making an appearance on opening night (I called him Bruce by mistake), even Batmen in the audience that made this even a true party with lots of audience hoots and shouts of joy to coincide with the music and certain moments in the film.

As the film is screened, the soundtrack of Batman (1989) is performed live by this orchestra that is nothing short of emotionally moving. The concert is also led by famed Australian conductor Sarah-Grace Williams (our interview can be found here) who is a joy to watch, however different orchestras play this score in other cities across Australia.

This film was directed by Tim Burton and is considered by many as the definitive Batman film which moved this character away from the comedic and slapstick era of the Adam West Batman TV series. This Batman was not only darker but provided a much more realistic view into this DC character, including the psyche of Bruce Wayne. There are still laugh out moments and more importantly, this film has dated very well.

Burton’s take was a true blockbuster spectacular and he did something a little different – Moving away from the stereotypical casting of action heroes was Michael Keaton who played the titular role and he perfectly brought his character(s) to life. He brought warmth and emotion to the character, including the darker burden of him witnessing his parents being murdered at a young age that led him to become the protector of Gotham. Also supporting Michael Keaton as Batman was a star-studded cast that included Jack Nicholson (The Joker), Kim Basinger (Vicki Vale), Jack Palance (Carl Grissom), Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Dent) and Michael Gough (Alfred).

Additionally, Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast as the villainous yet comedic Joker who provided the yin to Michael Keaton’s yang. Nicholson was born to play Joker and wow; his Joker is still “bad ass”. Also, the onscreen chemistry between both actors was a joy to watch as was the story thanks to the vision of Tim Burton with the screenplay written by Batman aficionado Sam Hamm.

However, what takes this concert to the highest levels of Gotham City itself is the John Foreman Australian Pop Orchestra that with their equally amazing conductor Sarah-Grace Williams take the score of Danny Elfman to new levels of super heroics that resonates not with your soul but also through your body. The action scores make you feel like Batman, whereas the emotional tracks tug at your heartstrings, it’s a perfect rendition of this soundtrack that is best heard live.

As expected, when the orchestra commenced, the audience applauded – particularly with the Batman Theme that for many (myself included) is THE theme of the Dark Knight. Hearing the orchestra come together in perfect harmony as it played the soundtrack of the film live was brilliant. Equally was seeing Sarah-Grace Williams bring it all together like a superhero of music and the end result was nothing short of “bat-tastic”. It’s also a slightly strange experience because you are drawn to both the film and the orchestra but at the end of the day, it was about the music and the Sarah-Grace Williams and the John Foreman Australian Pop Orchestra succeeded on levels.

Highly Recommended!

About the Author

Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.

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