Dan Fogler And THE BOY WHO LOVED BATMAN

You might not know the name Michael Uslan but the work he has created has inspired multiple generations of comic book lovers. Adapted from Uslan’s memoir, Asa Somers has created The Boy Who Loved Batman which is now in performance at The Straz Center down in Tampa, Florida. 

Directed by Jeff Calhoun, Dan Fogler leads the company as Uslan where we follow his live story from the streets of New Jersey to the Hollywood Hills. I recently caught up with Fogler to chat about how this story came to be, returning to the stage, and his hopes for the project. 

Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. 

Theatrely: So to start, tell me how you got involved with this project.

Fogler: Long story short, Michael Uslan came onto my podcast and I was interviewing him and he told me about this project and that they were developing his novel for the stage. I basically planted the seeds then and was like: hey man, if you ever, you know, put this on its feet, I would love to have a shot at maybe playing you or playing someone in it. And then a couple of months later, he called me up and said: Hey, we're actually doing this. Would you like to be a part of it?

That's amazing. Were you always a fan of Batman and comic books growing up?

Oh, yeah. I always loved comic books and drawing, and Batman specifically. I had so many Batman toys as a kid as well. Pictures of me as a kid with, like, Batman Underoos. And the TV show, the reruns are playing all the time. And then in my formative years, the movie came out, the Michael Keaton one, which had such a huge effect on me. And the animated series I loved. So yeah, Batman was just a huge part of my childhood.

What has that collaboration with Michael been like?

Michael's great. I mean, he's a teacher, you know, so we've been around and doing the press circuit and you see that he's good at the gift of gab. And he's been selling himself and Batman for decades now — so he's an expert at it. We went to Tampa Comic-Con to announce it and it was like the American dream come true. You know, a guy from New Jersey does okay for himself. And so we have a lot in common. I grew up in Brooklyn. I obviously love comic books as well. And so we got along pretty well. It has been a great fit. 

Have you been wanting to get back to the stage?

Yeah, I miss it. I love it. That's where I come from, the theater. And I went to acting school for theater and I got my big break from Spelling Bee on Broadway. And I've had little moments where I was able to come back and do it, like I did Encores! A New Brain. I've been itching and I was like I hope something comes along that's right up my alley and this couldn't be more up my alley. I'm really excited to be a part of it and help it get to where it's going. Hopefully to Broadway or the West End. That's the plan!

Speaking of Spelling Bee for a minute, there is a new production at the Kennedy Center right now. What are your thoughts on this new life for this show?

Man, that's my American dream right there. Like, a bunch of kids; a ragtag crew got together and created this improv show about this spelling bee and we all created our characters. And so, you know, Mr. Barfée is this crazy 13 year old kid that I created and has gone on to live on. It just warms my heart, like being a kid who used to go to the theater growing up, my parents would take me and we would collect the Playbills. And, you know, it's like I'm part of that history now. It is so wonderful. I love all the different shapes and sizes of the interpretations of all the characters, wild it has been 20 years. I hope they break legs and I can't wait to see what they do with it.

Talk to me a little bit about collaborating with Jeff Calhoun and him as the director.

Jeff is great. He basically just got right into it so we were up on our feet day one. And he's got a real sense of the staging because I never leave the stage, really. So I'm basically just nonstop. And he's made it really fun to watch, it flows so nicely. This one act just zooms on by. I mean, it's like you're going to laugh, you're going to cry. You're going to root for Batman, you know? And. The fun part about Jeff is that he's just so musically sensed. So his timing is really funny and he has such an amazing vision. 

When young folks come to see the show, what do you hope they take away?

Well, I think everyone knows who has a connection to Batman. In the zeitgeist, it's just there, you know? However they approach it, whether they're approaching it for the first time, they're going to learn this rich history of how this iconic character got and transformed and evolved over time to become this pervasive character that has almost, you know, surpassed Superman. It’s a really interesting and fascinating story, and there is a lot of pop culture in there. So if you are a Marvel fan or a Star Wars fan, or just in general, you are going to love it. I really hope people realize that this man, he should be up there with the greats. I hope this helps get his face on that Mount Rushmore of pop culture. 

The Boy Who Loved Batman is now in performance at the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida. For tickets and more information, visit here.