High-flying superheroes are coming to OKC
In some ways, Ashley Olivier has been preparing to be a high-flying superhero for her entire life.
The Lufkin, Texas, native says when she was young, she received a big swing set for Christmas. Shortly after, her parents discovered her atop the highest bar, eight or nine feet in the air.
Oliver will be even higher in the air as she plays the role of the Wasp in “Marvel Universe Live,” coming to the Chesapeake Energy Arena beginning on Thursday.
The high-flying Wasp is one of the team of Avengers, and the character flies around the arena in this program.
“This show is very high intensity on stunts,” she said. “We bring the movie stunts to real life right in front of you.”
In the live arena production, Marvel characters the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man join forces with Doctor Strange, master of the mystic arts, in a race against time to recover the Wand of Watoomb before it is acquired by Thor’s brother Loki, the Norse god of mischief.
Produced by Feld Entertainment, “Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes” will be performed through Dec. 17.
The show will feature special effects, aerial maneuvers, pyrotechnics, martial arts, motorcycles stunts and video projection in an adventure created especially for this format. Unlike films, Olivier said, there aren’t multiple takes to make sure a stunt or effect lands properly. “We have to do it right, right now, right in front of the audience,” Olivier said.
Olivier’s background helped make her a strong fit for the role of the Wasp. “I was a gymnast and a cheerleader when I was growing up, and I honestly thought I’d never use those skills again,” she said. “I started acting and doing live performances about four years ago, and I got into a show that had some roles that did aerial arts and different stunts, and I just fell in love with it.”
Now, as a Marvel superhero, Olivier said the character’s personality and the crowd reaction to the jaw-dropping stunts can add up to an exciting evening.
“We definitely feed off the energy of the crowd,” Olivier said. “These Marvel characters have emotions and strengths and depending on which character, you have to bring different personality to each character. Because no Marvel character is exactly the same.”
The Wasp is becoming more high-profile, with the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp” set for release next July, but the character has long been a favorite of Olivier’s, even before auditioning to play the character.
“I like that there’s a character out there for young, peppy girls that maybe aren’t as serious in their personalities as Black Widow or Gamora,” Olivier said. “It’s somebody for the young girls to look up to and see, I don’t have to change my personality to still kick butt.”
Olivier recommended a recent comic-book series for fans of the character hoping to dig deeper into the character. “Marvel just put out a new comicbook series with Hope Van Dyne, which is Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp’s, daughter,” Olivier said. “It’s called The Unstoppable Wasp. ... It’s a really fun comic book series so I hope these young girls who like the Wasp can read that out, too.”
Meanwhile, expect the Wasp to get a hometown reception when “Marvel Universe Live” kicks off at the Chesapeake Energy Arena next week. Olivier’s father is originally from Oklahoma City, and much of her extended family still lives here. “My entire dad’s side of the family are coming to the show,” she said. “I’m really, really excited about it.”