SUPERHEROES
They’re ready to save the day — in Albany ‘Marvel Universe Live’ at the Times Union Center
ALBANY, N.Y. >> This week Albany will be the safest place in the world. Maybe the safest place in the galaxy. For that matter, the safest place in the entire universe.
How could you not feel safe and secure with dozens of superheroes in town? No, it’s not a superhero convention. These superheroes are on a mission to save the universe from the forces of evil.
From Thursday through Sunday at the Times Union Center, the “Marvel Universe Live” plays seven performances. In the gigantic production, some two dozen superheroes, led by Captain Marvel and the rest of the Avengers, will be fighting the forces of evil. Helping them are members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, plus Spider-Man and several other free-lance superheroes
One of those individual superheroes appearing in the show is the Black Panther. Performing the role is William Irizzary, who enthusiastically describes the show as “an adventure that is guaranteed to leave audiences exhausted from excitement. It’s epic.”
The former martial arts devotee describes the work as being filled with explosions, projections, fights, motorcycles, people flying through space, flips and more.” Sounding almost breathless after describing the non-stop action, he exclaims, “And the characters are so close the audience can almost touch them.”
To a layman, it sounds like a cross between a motorcycle derby and a steel cage match rolled into one big busy celebration of lights and noise. But to the fans of the comic books and the films of the superheroes, this is a morality tale with modern gods - the equal of Zeus, Achilles and Mercury - saving humankind.
The bones of the story, as explained by Irizzary, is that Thor’s evil brother has developed a Cosmic Cube that could destroy the universe if unleashed. It has been split into three parts, so Captain Marvel has called together this bevy of heroes to recover the cube. He divides them into three groups, with each group assigned to secure a section of the Cosmic Cube. This division of labor assures the action is constant throughout the performance. Think of it as a three-ring circus of adventure.
Irizzary admits that his major responsibilities playing the Black Panther are physical. “It demands strength and stamina,” he says. He explains by pointing out that the performance takes about two hours (with an intermission) and they offer three performances on Saturday and two on Sunday. He admits he is tired at the end of the weekend.
He says that performing in the show also demands concentration. “There is so much going on all the time, you have to be in the right spot or accidents can happen. Everything looks easy but it’s really strenuous.” He laughs and says, “But I can never look tired. Man, I’m a superhero. Superheroes aren’t supposed to get tired.”
Even though Irizzary gets a lot of stage time and his dazzling flips draw the crowd’s attention, he is so made up in costume that he is kind of anonymous as a person. “I’m comfortable with that,” he insists. “For me just doing what I do well in front of thousands of people is my reward. I don’t want glory. I just want to see the audience entertained. The entire concept is about individuals working together for the greater good.”
That said, beyond being a member of the team – representing the Black Panther is important to him. “There have been side-kicks who were men of color, but Black Panther is the first black superhero. He is looked up to by a lot of people. I must show that pride through my bearing and in my performance.”
There is another level of pride that Irizzary has for the character. He points out that in the world of superheroes, Black Panther is of the type that wasn’t born with special powers. Before he was allowed to take of the herb that heightens his skills he had to pass tests that showed him worthy of being a superhero. “That makes him a very special human being.”
You get the feeling that Irizzary knows that being a special human being beats playing the most super of superheroes.
“Marvel Universe Live!” at the Times Union Center, Albany. Thursday to Sunday. Tickets and schedule information at ticketmaster.com or 1-800745-3000.