Did you know that Batman used to live in Pasadena? Sure, Gotham City is a not-so-cleverly disguised New York City, but on TV Adam West and Burt Ward live in Pasadena.

To be exact, the exteriors for the 1960s TV show were shot at 380 S. San Rafael Drive. The interiors were on sound stages. The Pasadena house was also used in an episode of “Mission: Impossible” (“Charity”). The style of the house is Tudor Revival, but the home is not visible from the street.  More recent uses of the house include the 1991 “Dead Again.”

Other Batman houses, have been as far as England. The 1989 “Batman” used Knebworth House which is 28 miles north of London ( and pretty far from New York).  Director Tim Burton used Hatfield House in Hertfordshire for the interior. I don’t imagine Batman with an English accent.

Joel Schumacher used Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York for the 1995 “Batman Forever” and the 1997 “Batman & Robin.”

Christopher Nolan went back across the pond for the 2005 “Batman Begins” for the Rotchschild estate, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire. In “The Dark Knight” rises, it’s Wollaton Hall in Nottingham.

If you’re batty over Batman, then you might want to check out a new theatrical event. Following the trend of Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: The Immortal,” theater comes to the circus and the circus comes to the Staple Center.

In this case, it’s “Batman Live.” Just what it is? I’m not sure yet, but I’m going tonight.  According to the website, it is:

Faithfully adapted from the DC Comics’ characters and stories, “Batman Live” focuses on Robin’s quest for justice, which leads him to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the mysterious vigilante known as the Batman – much to the dismay of his protective guardian, millionaire Bruce Wayne – who secretly happens to be Batman.

This dynamic triangle resolves itself in a non-stop thrill-ride across Gotham City that transforms Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson into the legendary crime-fighters Batman and Robin and transports the audience from the Big Top of Haly’s Circus to the lower depths of Arkham Asylum – from the glittering peaks of the The Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge to the subterranean wonders that await inside the Batcave, which features a revolutionary, all-new Batmobile designed exclusively for “Batman Live” by Professor Gordon Murray.

A new Batmobile! Holy oil! Or maybe I mean “Holy oleo!”

“Batman Live” premiered in the UK in July 2011 and has been performed in six languages in 15 countries. The production requires two days to build in each arena and requires 115 people–actors, acrobats, stunt performers, crew, caterers and merchandise staff and truck drivers for the 20 53-foot semi-trailer trucks. It sounds like a super hero circus, but we’ll see what it is tonight when it opens.