‘Marvel Universive Live!’ brings superheroes to stage
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The first time Louise Forsley put on the Black Widow costume to perfor in “Marvel Universe Live!” it felt a little off.
The reason had nothing to do with nervousness about fitting into a superhero's clothing, although Black Widow, a spy in Marvel's fictional intelligence organization S.H.I.E.L.D., certainly has some big shoes to fill. It was that the close-fitting leather suit combined with makeup and a red-haired wig — plus, a helmet to go atop the wig — made it uncomfortable for the former pro dirt biker and 2012 X Games EnduroX silver medalist to ride her trial bike.
“I had zero experience in that,” says Forsley, calling from Detroit. “So that was definitely weird.”
After she put the helmet over the wig for the first time, she says she got a headache immediately and the costume's layers restricted her movement. But now, in her four years of performing in “Marvel Universe Live!,” she says she doesn't “think twice about it.”
“Marvel Universe Live!” is exactly what it sounds like: a live action show that brings the famed characters from Marvel's comic books and movies to life right before your eyes. It opens Thursday night at PPL Center in Allentown for a four-day, seven-show run.
It isn't the show's first time at the PPL Center. In 2015, Allentown saw the likes of The Incredible
'Marvel Universe Live'
Hulk, Spider-Man and Captain America on stage. This time, the show comes through with a new plot, some new characters and some new stunts.
It all starts when supervillains Nebula and Yondu steal the Wand of Watoomb from Loki, Thor's evil brother. Not even the evil-doers can play nice: all three quarrel over the wand to keep it for themselves. And the stakes are high. The Wand of Watoomb has the power to destroy the universe. It'd be bad if it ended up in the wrong hands, and the clock is ticking.
Enter our heroes. The story features Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Black Widow and Captain America, who all roll in to save the day. Some of the new characters are Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, which includes Star-Lord, Drax, Groot, Gamora and Rocket.
Even more supervillains show up from across the Marvel Universe. Lizard, Rhino, Electro, Green Goblin and Black Cat all have a part in the high-stakes drama.
As more Marvel movies hit theaters, Forsley has noticed the crowds becoming more excited about certain characters. After “Black Panther” — which brought in a staggering $700 million in the U.S. box office —was released, she says “crowds usually freak out” when the King of Wakanda makes his first appearance.
Forsley says Wasp, Ant-Man's heroic partner, has also gotten more fans since this year's movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”
Part of the appeal of the show are the special effects and stunts. The plot takes the audience to places like New York City and the far-flung fictional Savage Land, a rainforest-like landscape. The scenes are meant to move as they would in real life.
“Hopefully, if you're sitting in the right seats, it looks like you're there,” Forsley says. “Like the stage is in an actual place.”
And characters fly through the air on hand loops, moving and bouncing up and down like a Marvel-themed circus. Cast members do parkour moves off props on stage, like a taxi cab. Not to mention the smoke machines and pyrotechnics. Even fire dancers play a role in “Marvel Universe Live!”
Trial bikes are in the show, as well. That's Forsley's area of expertise. Spider-Man, Captain America and Black Widow all ride bikes and perform stunts on stage, such as wheelies, nose wheelies and flips.
Forsley's favorite trick is called a splatter jump, in which she flies 15 feet in the air and lands on the top of the set.
It sounds dangerous, but Forsley has experience. She has owned a dirt bike since she was 7 and racing since 13. Forsley stopped for the job with “Marvel Experience Live!”
She heard about the work through a connection at a dirt bike race and Las Vegas. Soon after, she took a red eye to Florida for an audition and signed on in 2014.
Forsley took her ability to perform difficult skills under high-stakes with her.
“There are a lot of spectators at the X Games,” she says. “There's a lot of important people watching. A lot of huge sponsors there. And I think coming into this show, there's always a pretty large audience and crowd. And you kind of just get used to imagining that nobody's really there or just being in the zone and just focusing on the task at hand.”
One aspect that was difficult for Forsley was learning how to fight and act.
“I feel like sometimes growing up just riding dirt bikes — that's kind of all I did,” she says. “I didn't really play many sports, so maybe I was just awkward with using my limbs. You know, throwing kicks or punches — it takes a certain technique to make it look like you kind of know what you're doing.”
In addition to Black Widow, Forsley plays an alien toward the conclusion of the show. She enjoys acting like an extraterrestrial and even faking getting pummeled by other characters on stage.
“I feel like for some reason it's just fun showing that you're getting beat up and you have to take these gnarly reactions that would look real,” she says. “And you get to move around and jump around a lot. It's really exhausting, so it's kind of like a work out while you're doing it, which is fulfilling, as well.”
jodi.duckett@mcall.com Twitter @goguidelv 610-820-6704