Dark Knight Trilogy

37. Garrick Theatre

Chicago, IL

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The historic Garrick Theatre in London played the role of the Gotham Opera House where Bruce Wayne spent the last moments with his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. Named after an influential Shakespearean actor, David Garrick, the nineteenth century theater is a Grade II listing based on it's history and architecture. The theater's top level is now closed reducing the original 800 seats available to 656. It's undergone multiple renovations, the most recent being transformed into a Gothic style opera house in Gotham city. Mostly associated with comedies or comedy dramas, the theater took a new turn with performing the dramatic Italian opera Mefistofele in Batman Begins. The only completed work by composer Arrigo Boito, Mefistofele is based on the German philosopher Faust and his summation of the Devil. The scene that frightened the young Bruce in the film was an excerpt from the chorus "Warlocks and Witches," in which a gory display of actors dressed and contorting themselves like bats move about the stage. Considering the traumatic encounter the boy just experienced, it was no surprise he pleaded with his parents to leave the opera. Bruce and his parents left the theater and entered Park Row Alley, a Gotham street set created on film. After the shocking murder of the two Gotham icons, the comics renamed the street "Crime Alley." Thomas' lasting words of comfort to his son were: "Bruce, don't be afraid." The guilt Bruce felt over his parents murder remained with him throughout his life; a cataclysmic event that triggered his growing need for justice.