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I'm what you would deem a "middle of the road" Batman fan, but having noticed the trailer and numerous posters in and around Yorkshire recently, I'll have to admit that I was pretty excited at the opportunity go see Batman: Live.

Approaching the main doors at Sheffield's Motorpoint Arena for one of the city's three scheduled shows, I found myself surrounded by young kids in Batman masks and parents who were seemingly taken in by the cool artwork in the £15 programme.

There was a growing sense of enthusiasm and eagerness from all ages to see one of the comic book world's most iconic figures, and that for me only got better when I was met with a giant bat-shaped video screen and a miniature Gotham city covering most of the central floor space as I made my way to my seat.

A cross between West End Theatre and the circus, this live-action arena adventure is reportedly costing £7.5m to produce, and it was pretty easy to see why.

Es Devlin (who has previously worked with Lady Gaga, The Pet Shop Boys and Kanye West, among others) managed to transform the arena in such a way that it was barely recognisable from the days that I used to come and watch pro wrestling back in the nineties with my dad.

Amazing, I thought, just before the lights went down, and Gotham City's streets were made to look dark and grim as a sole police officer took to the stage and began patrolling in aid of a searchlight.

A large number of acrobats soon followed in a quick change of scenary, which exhibited some striking choreography involving various bodies and hoops flying through the air.

Then about twenty minutes in, along came Batman, the star of the show. In his impressive attire (courtesy of costume designer Jack Galloway), he glided down to the centre of the stage to confront a circle of bad guys, resulting in rousing applause from parents and children alike.

From there, as Batman journeyed to Arkham Asylum in pursuit of The Joker and his variety of enemy sidekicks (only Mr Freeze of the main bunch seemed to be missing), there was the added treat of some beautiful-looking cartoon footage on the big screen courtesy of video director Sam Pattison and world-renowned DC Comics artist Jim Lee.

Perhaps most awe-inspiring, though, was the introduction of the batmobile past mid-point: A truly awesome-looking vehicle created by Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray that was a cross between a harrier jump jet, a hovercraft and the APC seen in the film Aliens.

All looks aside, hardcore fans wishing to go see the live-actioner will be pleased to hear that Bruce Wayne's motivations in becoming Batman were given a good share of the proceedings; as were Dick Grayson’s (perhaps in more detail), as he grew to become his sidekick, Robin.

Allan Heinberg stuck faithfully to the original DC comic books, but also left plenty of room for the actors to give their own take on the classic characters.

Nick Court and Sam Heughan essentially gave commanding performances as Batman and Bruce Wayne respectably; likewise, Mark Frost, who seemed very confident and really enjoying his part as The Bat's arch nemesis, The Joker. Poppy Tierney as Harley-Quinn was also a standout performance; though perhaps the most standout (and perhaps surprising) performance, at least for me, came from Michael Pickering as Dick Grayson.

Pickering's passion for acting and been part of the whole production came across very well, and made Robin a very likeable and sympathetic character (his past depictions in the movies have often annoyed me). At times, he even overshadowed Batman.

My only criticism of the overall production would be that it was a little too "family friendly" in regards to the fight scenes, which never really saw swinging arms or legs truly connect with opponents, as they appear to do in the movies. In this instance, a fight choreographer would've definitely benefited.

Despite some initial chattering that this was a musical, Batman: Live can only be described from my experience as an enthralling live theatrical adventure with bright costumes, larger-than-life performances, a striking set design and, of course, a batmobile.

Be sure to check the official website for forthcoming tour dates.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2011.