Image Credit: Jacob Cohl
In anticipation of its official, no-really-we-mean-it-this-time opening night this Tuesday, June 14, the long-delayed, much-beleaguered Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is officially a “frozen” show, according to a New York Times report. That means no more changes — to lyrics, choreography, etc. — after a record-setting 177 preview performances. READ FULL STORY »
Shrill. Insipid. Flop. Worst ever. “What is Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark?” Ding-ding-ding. Correct. That is how critics received previews of the accident-plagued $70 million Broadway musical, which finally opens up on June 14 after a significant makeover that did not include its original co-writer/director Julie Taymor. But those unflattering assessments were nothing that its music and lyrics team, U2′s Bono and The Edge, weren’t whispering to each other. “That’s the sort of stuff we were saying backstage,” Bono tells Nightline‘s Cynthia McFadden in an interview that will air tonight. “It might have been a little hard for some other people around here to take that, but we don’t disagree with the New York Times.” READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jacob Cohl Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
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Image Credit: Jacob Cohl
Will the new Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark fly with Broadway crowds and critics? That was the question last night when the show swung back into the Foxwoods Theatre for its first preview performance after a three-week hiatus. (Opening night is now set for June 14.) Since its debut last fall, the $65 million-plus musical has become a pop culture punchline thanks to a series of cast injuries, technical malfunctions, and production delays — not to mention a some of the most scathing reviews in Broadway history. Then, in an unprecedented move last month, producers shut down the show for retooling following the departure of original director Julie Taymor. Composers Bono and the Edge remained on the creative team, bringing in director Philip McKinley and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to help reconfigure the production.
So what’s different about the show now? Plenty. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jacob Cohl
The “Geek Chorus” in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has reportedly been cut from the show, according to the New York Times. The four-person group — modeled after the chorus in classical Greek drama — consisted of three comic geeks and a young woman who explained plot points in the musical. The chorus was widely panned by critics, leading some to predict its removal after the departure of ex-director Julie Taymor earlier this month. “The production will not comment on any substantive changes to the show,” said spokesperson Rick Miramontez in a statement.
The $65 million Spider-Man will go on hiatus beginning April 18 and is expected to undergo a drastic overhaul before reopening on May 12. On March 22, the production faced another setback when T.V. Carpio, the actress who took over the role of Arachne after Natalie Mendoza was injured, was forced to leave the show due to an injury sustained during a performance.
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Another ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ actor sidelined due to injury
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Director Julie Taymor leaving day-to-day duties
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Julie Taymor breaks silence on ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ cast performs on Letterman
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Which review is the harshest?
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ actress says ‘major changes’ are under way — EXCLUSIVE
Image Credit: Jacob Cohl; Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images
Another day, another piece of bad news for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Producers announced today that actress T.V. Carpio, who plays the enigmatic villainess Arachne, was sidelined from the show for two weeks after an onstage injury during the March 16 performance. She has been replaced by America Olivo. Carpio herself was a replacement for the original actress playing Arachne, Natalie Mendoza, who withdrew from the show after sustaining a concussion in November. The nature of Carpio’s injury was not immediately known.
Read more:
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Director Julie Taymor leaving day-to-day duties
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ faces sixth delay and possible exit of director Julie Taymor: Report
Julie Taymor breaks silence on ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ cast performs on Letterman
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Which review is the harshest?
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ actress says ‘major changes’ are under way — EXCLUSIVE
Image Credit: Jacob Cohl Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Read more:
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Director Julie Taymor leaving day-to-day duties
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ faces sixth delay and possible exit of director Julie Taymor: Report
Julie Taymor breaks silence on ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ cast performs on Letterman
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: Which review is the harshest?
Image Credit: Joan MarcusAfter days of reports speculating on the fate of the embattled Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the show’s producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris officially announced today that Julie Taymor will no longer be continuing her day-to-day duties as the director and co-book writer. The $65 million show will under go “significant” revisions, and the opening night has been pushed from March 15 to a non-specified date in “early summer, 2011.” As such, the producers stated that “Julie’s previous commitments mean that past March 15th, she cannot work the 24/7 [schedule] necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for our opening.” Cohl and Harris are clear, however, that Taymor “is not leaving the creative team.” READ FULL STORY »
Tickets for a preview performance of Broadway’s endlessly delayed, accident-riddled, critically savaged, ever-changing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are still going for upwards of $275. But Late Show viewers got a free peek at the show last night, when cast members Reeve Carney (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), T.V. Carpio (the villainess Arachne), and Jennifer Damiano (Mary Jane) stopped by Letterman’s set to sing “Rise Above,” one of the numbers penned for the show by U2′s Bono and the Edge. Taken out of its context from the story — the song comes right after the death of Peter’s beloved Uncle Ben — the performance came off as a strangely angsty advertisement for the musical, whose TV ads have mostly spotlighted high-stakes acrobatics and surreal set pieces. Check out the clip below, and then let us know: Does it make you want to see the musical? READ FULL STORY »
