“The Boy Who Loved Batman” Director Jeff Calhoun addresses the audience at an industry reading in New York City. (Photo by Paula Lobo)
TAMPA | “The Boy Who Loved Batman,” which made its world premiere at the Straz Center Oct. 1, will close its celebrated run this weekend with performances through Nov. 10.
The new play is based off Michael Uslan’s memoir of the same name, detailing his lifelong affinity for the DC Comics character. It follows his life from comic book reader to executive producer of 1989’s “Batman” film.
“The Boy Who Loved Batman” is “an inspirational comedy about one man’s vision that became a national phenomenon,” the synopsis reads. “It’s a crazy journey that goes from New Jersey to Hollywood, comic books to the silver screen. Every hero needs a hero.”
Hear from Uslan below:
The Asa Somers show is produced by the Straz Center in association with Nederlander Worldwide Productions. It was directed by Jeff Calhoun, an LGBTQ+ Broadway veteran who has received Tony nominations and other accolades for his work on “Grease,” Disney’s “Newsies” and more, and closes with a cast of fan favorites led by David Jenkins.
Calhoun discussed the show with Watermark ahead of its final weekend.
WATERMARK: How did your involvement with “The Boy Who Loved Batman” begin?
Jeff Calhoun: Well, Bob Nederlander called me. [Nederlander Worldwide Productions] had seen a musical I had done Off-Broadway called “Between the Lines,” which was about putting literature on stage, taking something two dimensional and making it three dimensional. I think, given that this was based on a memoir, they thought maybe it would be a good fit … One show leads to another, nothing’s wasted.
Stepping back, what drew you to the theater in general? Where did your passion start?
I didn’t realize at the time, but ever since I was a kid, I was drawn to sports and to theater — and what I realize now is I was just attracted to all different types of people coming together that wouldn’t normally be together. Gay, straight, whatever, I think that only happens in the arts and in sports.
So at a young age, theater sort of became my church. I was also our quarterback my freshman year in high school, and I just find such parallels between sports and the theater. I don’t understand why more of my gay friends aren’t more into sports — there are fabulous costumes, fabulous scenery, the lighting is fabulous, and the script’s being written right in front of your eyes.
There are some parallels.
Oh, absolutely, 100%. Actually, I had my knee bent backwards before our very first game and I never got to fulfill the season, but I returned the next year as drum major. So I went from quarterback to drum major, and this was way before “High School Musical” or “GLEE,” or any of those storylines penetrated the consciousness of America.
But because I was our quarterback, I had friends who were on the football team, and I also choreographed and directed our summer spring musicals. I got the football team to be the chorus, and I picked “Once Upon a Mattress” just so I could put them all in tights. (Laughs.) They never really forgave me for that, it was the end of our friendship. (Laughs.)
What can you share about your experiences with the Tonys?
I’ve lost the Tony twice. I’ve been nominated twice … I did a show with Deaf West Theater called “Big River,” and they gave us a special Tony Award … to be really accurate, we all won it for the show. But I personally lost.
I was nominated for “Newsies” as Best Director, and I lost. I was nominated for the revival of “Grease” that I did with Rosie O’Donnell as a choreographer, and I lost that too. So I’m a two-time loser. But it’s funny, because I went to Northwestern for my freshman year, and Tommy Tune, who was my mentor … he was the Broadway legend. He ruled basically the 80s and 90s on Broadway.
He asked me to leave college and to tour as the lead dancer in a show called “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and after talking to my parents, they finally acquiesced and let me do it. So when we were at the Tony Awards for “Newsies,” my second Tony nomination, I brought my parents as my date. After the show, I said to my dad, “well, two Tony nominations, I hope you think I made the right decision leaving college.” And he said, “well, if you had stayed in college, you might have won.” (Laughs.) Damn, I was like, “I can’t win.” (Laughs.)
That’s a great story at least.
You know what, you learn at my age — it’s so funny, when you’re young and stupid, you just want to be rich and famous, right? And then if you have the right mentors, as you grow up, you realize it’s not about either of those things. If you really love the theater, it’s about the work.
I know that sounds corny, and maybe it’s just justification from a two-time loser, but I’m really more interested in putting work out into the world that I’m really proud of. Because the shows where I feel like I’ve done my best work didn’t get a nomination, so it puts it all in perspective. You have to trust your own sense of accomplishment and pride and not look for that from any outside sources, or else it’ll just be a career disappointment.
Why are you proud of “The Boy Who Loved Batman” in particular?
I think it’s because it was really a challenge to take something that was basically a TED Talk, a first-person memoir, and make it theatrical. Taking something that is two dimensional and making it sculptural on stage to feel like drama and entertainment, and not feel like you’re just watching a TED talk, I think that was the biggest challenge.
So the multimedia aspect [prevalent in the show’s stage design] came to me very quickly, because I knew that comic books needed to be our metaphor, because they’re certainly another character in the show. I treated the comic books as if they’re another character in the show, which got me to the screens with projections. And then, to be honest, the fact that we only had six actors. There were times when all six actors were on stage and we needed a seventh or eighth actor, and I was like, oh, “we’ll just put them as panels in comic books.”
It’s those limitations that force you into being creative. I think if we had all the money in the world, we might have made the mistake of having a bigger cast. But it’s those restrictions and limitations that always push you into using your imagination.
What was it like working with the cast and crew?
I have to say, for the most part, the cast I fell in love with. Four of them were local actors, and then two came in from New York, and I can’t say enough about the local actors — and the crew for that matter, because this was a very big show for that space. I think it was the most ambitious show to date for them, so everyone was being challenged, and everyone rose to the occasion. I’m actually looking forward to trying to bring more shows into that space and to develop new shows with [Executive Producer] Summer [Bohnenkamp] and [Straz CEO] Greg Holland.
The hopes are for this to go to Broadway. What are the benefits of doing a premiere like this at the Straz?
With new material, developmental productions are invaluable. There are very few shows that opened up cold on the West End or on Broadway — and for me, it usually takes three incarnations to feel like I really got it right. Back in the old days, you did one or two out-of-town cities, and then you came in. Costs have gotten so exorbitant, so that’s a very difficult model to fulfill. The producer doesn’t always have those kinds of resources.
Finding a place like the Straz Center is perfect for a new show, because a new show is like a baby. You don’t bring a baby home from a hospital and put it in a king-size bed. You put it in a crib, and the Straz was like a crib for new material. Next we’ll move to the West End, and we’ll be in the bigger theater, and then hopefully, after the West End, we’ll be in a Broadway house.
What else do you want to share about working with the Straz?
Without Greg and Summer offering a place like the Jaeb Theater, directors like me, that only develop new work, would be out of work. I’m incredibly grateful and Greg Holland is an icon in this business. Everybody knows Greg Holland, and so the fact that he wants to develop new shows in that space is really wonderful — and he found someone quite wonderful in Summer. She’s just cool and smart and I can’t say enough about Summer and Greg. It was an honor to be there, I hope they have me back with other new material.
Why do you think “The Boy Who Loved Batman” is a must-see for both fans of comics and those who aren’t fans of comics?
Well, I’m not presumptuous enough to think anything is a must-see, but think it certainly is a fun night out. I happen to be one of those people that know nothing about comic books. I don’t think I’ve ever read a comic book in my life, and I think I’ve probably only seen one or two Batman movies.
So for me, I was really interested in making it entertainment for people that were not Comic Con or Batman fans. Because Michael Uslan, he took care of that; his story will fulfill those people’s desires. I wanted to reach across to people that really just love good theater, who may actually get to learn something and go, “oh, that’s how that movie got made.”
You know, Batman for Warner Brothers, since Harry Potter has been retired, is their number one franchise. They’re very protective of it, so everything is a negotiation with a fine-tooth comb. They had to review the script, every line of dialogue, everything. They’re very protective of their franchise, as they should be.
Why do you think the show can appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences?
Because it’s theater, darling! (Laughs.) Don’t we love theater? I mean, we wear our hearts on our sleeves. We love and support the arts. The LGBTQ+ community, we are the huge supporters of the arts and I think as long as you give folks a good time, whether you’re gay or straight you’re gonna love the show. And as an openly, out married gay man, I’m very proud of the work, and all my friends that have seen it who are gay have had a have had a really good time.
“The Boy Who Loved Batman” plays at the Straz Center through Nov. 10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit StrazCenter.org.
