Classic Batman & Robin Costumes for a High School Stage Play

[HardyGirl]

This is really Bat-tastic! These costumes are AMAZING! And imagine, those kids get to dress in costume (and it's not even Halloween), and not get teased or called geeks or nerds or something, b/c they'll be the stars of the show! If my school had done this, I'd be all over it! You have SKILLS , my friend! Thanks for sharing them w/ us. I can't wait to see a video of your play.

[darklord1967]

Wow, thanks so much everyone for the kind words:

I just realized that I jumped right in to presenting these costumes without really telling you anything at all about this school play! Duh!!!

Alright here is is:

The name of this play is FATHERS OF THE DARK KNIGHT (Written, produced, and Directed by yours truly for the stage)

The plan is to (hopefully) have this play ready for presentation by early Fall (in time for the start of the new school year), in two or three small community theaters and school auditoriums in our area.

Our play is really the story of the Batman mythology creators, the late-1930's comic book artist and writer team of Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson.

The ambitious young men have accepted the assignment from DC Comics publisher Vince Sullivan to come up with another successful comic book costumed Superhero, just like the previous year's "Superman". As they develop the specifics of their comic strip, it becomes pretty clear that Bob Kane is somewhat egotistical, and he takes a lion's share of the credit for his partners' ideas as if they were his own!

Every time the young creators imagine a new piece of their "Bat-mythology", we see it come to life in a different part of the stage as part of its own, separate, fictional stage storyline.

So this is basically TWO-plays in one: The biographical story happening side by side with the imagined fantasy stuff. The style of this play will NOT be comedic. It will be a straight drama in BOTH the biography AND the comic fantasy portions. The comic fantasy portion will be presented a dark, noir, gothic, theatrical style.

The STAGE SETS for this play will include:
Bob Kane's studio Bronx Apartment
Creepy Gotham City Night Rooftoop (Re-dressed throughout the show to be Generic Roof and Police Headquarters)
Villain's Lair (Re-dressed throughout the show to represent the lair of different Bat-Villains)

In terms of FANTASY CHARACTERS, this play will feature:
The Batman
Robin The Boy Wonder (Dick Grayson version)
Batgirl (Barbara Gordon version)
Nightwing
Police Commissioner James Gordon
Catwoman
The Joker
The Riddler
The Penguin
Harley Quinn

STAGE SET-PIECE PROPS include:

The 1950's style comic book Batmobile (done as a flat)
The Bat-Signal search-light prop on the roof of Police Headquarters (Working light-up prop)

There will be some use of STAGE SPFX like smoke and fog machines, and occasional mild pyrotechnics.

We will be utilizing a FULL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK throughout the play (borrowed from the 1989 Batman film score, and The Animated Series)

Here now is the finished Riddler costume worn by the student actor who will portray him:

[darklord1967]

This is one of the best threads I've read. I can't believe what a phenomenal job you've done on these costumes--just superb--and I'm guessing the kids are having a blast with it.

Brother, you don't know the HALF of it.

These costume fittings photos were taken in my home back in February. The kids came over one weekend with their parents and tried on their suits for the first time. Between the parents freaking out over how good their kids looked in their suits, and the kids themselves geeking out over the awesomeness of becoming these characters for an afternoon, I had a DEVIL of a time trying to get them all to stay in character.

Somehow, I managed it, though...

Presenting BATGIRL and CATWOMAN as they will appear in the play, portrayed by student actors:

[rche]

interesting that you are including Nightwing and Harley as part of the cast.

Very cool to see your encylopedic posts on your creation. You are truly a talented and fastidious artist. The kids you are working with are quite lucky to have someone as dedicated and thorough as you. Hopefully a few of them will realize that and understand that quality follows effort.

Good luck with the production and please let us know how it goes on opening night.

[darklord1967]

^^

Thanks, pal!

Yeah, I included Nightwing as an extension of the Dick Grayson character to see how he evolved long AFTER the original creators were no longer involved with the strip (Kane did NOT really appreciate his creation being mucked around with too much).

I did the same with Harley Quinn... as a very recent addition to The Batman mythology, I find her to be a fascinating character that really brings out interesting aspects of The Joker.

[darklord1967]

The BATMOBILE (14 feet long and over 6 feet tall)!









This life-sized BATMOBILE FLAT will be created as a giant hi-res photo enlargement of a Johnny Lightning 1950's Comic Book Batmobile kit. The kit will be custom equipped with Radir-style racing rims and street tires (used on the 1966 TV Batmobile). The enlargement will be mounted on plywood, and jigsaw-cut around its contours. Three "L" brackets with wheels will be mounted at the rear of the flat so that it can be rolled into and out of position quickly.



MY BATMOBILE PHILOSOPHY:

For this stage play, I have selected the 1950's comic book Batmobile. I am VERY attracted to the notion of The Batman driving around in a 1950's converted street "hot Rod", while still maintaining the look of a large, dark, mysterious (Bat-customized) car.

The concept of Bruce Wayne majorly souping-up and Bat-customizing an existing car seems much more in line with his early comic book approach to automobile selection and construction. And frankly, it makes a LOT more sense to me than the current approach.

I think this "retro" Batmobile approach draws LESS attention to the notion that the mysterious Batman must be a billionaire of some sort... or the beneficiary of one...(an idea made all too obvious when he drives a completely-invented, virtual military Sherman tank that is not available to the general public).

Most "post modern" (post-1995) Batmobiles don't really appeal to me, because they are all, overly excessive in their design and philosophical approach (as far as I'm concerned) .

The Batman's "War on Crime" is a phrase used largely symbolically to describe his psychological obsession.

There is NO actual "WAR" going on.
Gotham City is NOT being occupied by an outside military force requiring armed response!
The Batman is NOT actually going into armed military combat as he cleans up Gotham!
And he does NOT need an armored monstrosity with explosives and mounted Gatling guns to hunt down a giggling clown psycho with green hair! (Thank you Frank Miller for the exaggerations!).

In the live action films, The Batman drives cars that are either gaudy and conspicuously garish (like the Gieger-esque, neon-lit Batmobiles of Joel Schumacher's films)

OR...

they seem to be big, clumsy, blunt-object battering rams, that bear no resemblance at all to an actual automobile, and can't seem to travel two blocks without causing tremendous amounts of property damage and mayhem (as in Chris Nolan's Bat films).

To me, neither approach makes any reasonable sense for a dark, costumed avenger urban legend (and his boy partner) who are only really using their vehicle for basic stealthy night transportation into and out of the city limits.



In the play, the Batmobile will be HEARD "pulling up" during a complete black-out of the stage lights. The audience will ONLY see the blazing headlights in the darkness. They will HEAR the "rumbling engine" and the doors open and close (Sound FX) before the stage scene lights come up full, revealing the car. The Batman and Robin will already be standing outside the car flat.

This is basically an economic approach to the stage car. It allows us to avoid engineering working hinged doors, or actual seats for the actors to sit in behind the flat.

[jimsmegos]

This looks to be a fantastic presentation. PLEASE do us and the rest of the world a favor and RECORD IT, UPLOAD IT and SHARE IT!

[samurainoir]

I bet they would give you a slot to perform this at New York Comiccon in the fall.

Or at least have your students running around the con floor in these outfits. (does NYCC have a costume contest?)

[bobws]

This looks amazing and those kids looked great and you got 2 cuties for Batgirl and Catwoman. I would so love to see this.

[enyawd72]

Darklord,

Those are the most amazing custom costumes I've ever seen...just outstanding work. The only thing I would've liked even more is to see is the black on Batman a deep blue like in your original sketch. Never been a fan of the black and gray.
That is in no way a criticism of your work though, just a personal preference.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Those are really good; amazing reconciliations of the different takes on the characters that have come out over the years. No matter which take is "yours," it's represented in the final product.

Don C.

[darklord1967]

I bet they would give you a slot to perform this at New York Comiccon in the fall.

Or at least have your students running around the con floor in these outfits. (does NYCC have a costume contest?)

Hmmm... interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that! Wheels are turnin'...

Darklord,

Those are the most amazing custom costumes I've ever seen...just outstanding work. The only thing I would've liked even more is to see is the black on Batman a deep blue like in your original sketch. Never been a fan of the black and gray.
That is in no way a criticism of your work though, just a personal preference.

Thanks, good buddy! And I agree with you: My personal preference would have been to have the black costume items be dark blue instead. The trouble was that orchestrating the precice color matching between all the necessary garment items (between the various different manufacturers) would have been virtually impossible while still maintaining the quality I needed these costumes to have.

For example, assuming I had managed to find and purchase some of the 4-way stretch pleather material in dark blue to make the Batman's cape and shorts, I would have still needed cowl maker Shawn Reevez to color match the same blue when pouring the bat cowls (for both Batman and Batgirl). And THEN, I'd need to find that precise shade of blue in leather so that I could make the Batman's gauntlets. Finally, I'd have to find a way to dye the black Bat boots in blue (virtually impossible) to match everything else. I am aware of a leather coloring spray called Nu-life. But that comes in spray cans (with no way of mixing precise colors), and it is basically a paint that sits on the surface of the leather and cracks after a while.

Also, there is the comic book consideration: The Batman's costume parts were always intended to be BLACK, especially in the early days. The highlights in the garment were represented as blue, but then more and more, the blue dominated over the years. But BLACK was the original intention... kinda like the way black hair was rendered in the comics at the time... with blue highlights.

For of these reasons, (and because of money considerations), I decided it was best to go with The Batman wearing the (easily-matched) BLACK costume items. But my honest preference would have been the MIDNIGHT BLUE versions!

[rche]

I hope you have some of your design discussions as dialog in your play.

[darklord1967]

Actually, quite a bit of it DOES end up in the play. But I am being VERY careful about that. I don't want my own personal take on these characters to necessarily be mistaken for Bob Kane, Bill Finger or Jerry Robinson's... although my preference for the overall mythology is very similar to their original creation.

[LadyZod]

I want to see this.

I want to see this NOW.

You, darklord are a Bat-Tease.