Jason O’Connell’s one man show correlates the Batman movies and his life. Most recently seen as Mr. Darcy in Primary Stages’ production of “Pride and Prejudice”, Mr. O’Connell brings us along on his life’s journey. O’Connell is a huge Batman fan and it appears that major life events happened near the release of the Batman films. It was an absolute joy to experience.
O’Connell relates his life to the audience while also seeking refuge within his favorite superhero. Each film came at the right moment in his life as he grew from childhood to adulthood. Batman was there through it all. From his first date to his first years as a struggling actor he was able to find comfort in the caped crusader. O’Connell sought advice from the caped crusader and the other characters in the films and they take form in his pretty spot on impressions of the actors that portrayed them. He switches back and forth from him to the Batman characters giving him advice.
O’Connell’s passion for Batman is infectious. I loved it as a non comic fan as much as my Batman loving husband did. O’Connell unites all the Batmans from Michael Keaton to Christian Bale as well as the villains they face. The lights help differentiate between O’Connell and his Batman impressions, though he does that well enough on his own.
It’s a genuinely engaging show. O’Connell’s performance is as truthful as it can get while being funny and sad all at the same time. While he does mention Ben Affleck’s Batman, his story truly ends with “The Dark Knight Rises”. That was the perfect ending to him as Bruce Wayne finally got the happy ending O’Connell thought he deserved.
People can say it’s silly for a grown man to love something nerdy this much, but I disagree. O’Connell had an absent father and while his grandfather was a fantastic father figure, O’Connell was also influenced by Batman. We can all deny our inner nerd. However, I believe there’s something nerdy in all our lives that influenced us (even those of you who may outright refuse to admit it). My nerdy aspect is Harry Potter. If I wanted to, I could probably write how Harry Potter correlated and influenced me. We can all learn from Mr. O’Connell that the truth in our inner nerd is something to be celebrated.
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