The Troubles of "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark"

"Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark" has been plagued with problems from its very conception, much like some Hollywood movie productions. There has been financial turmoil, mediocre reviews, and constantly resheduled opening dates. Safety issues are the latest to be added to the list of ongoing challenges.

It has been five years since the original production deal was made. With a soundtrack provided by U2's Bono and The Edge and visionary director Julie Taymor, the promise of this Broadway play seemed bright indeed. Now, it may need those virtues even more to be redeemed from the mire of bad press and mishaps that have surrounded it.

"Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark" is the most expensive production aimed for Broadway to date. It is estimated that it will have to sell out nearly every performance for two years to break even. It is set to break other records as well. It is a wholly unique show that incorporates Broadway musical, rock-n-roll concert, Hollywood blockbuster, circus, and illustration of moral values. It will have perhaps the most stunts of any show. It is both faithful to the Marvel comics (in the first act) and totally reinvented with all new characters (in the second act). The Foxwoods Theatre, which is its home and was originally the Hilton, has been renovated just to handle the technical specifics that the show requires.

Some are beginning to whisper that the Spiderman brand is cursed. The misfortunes started right away. The original producer, Tony Adams, struck a deal with Marvel for the stage rights that some called crippling. It's been eight and a half years since he approached Bono and The Edge about writing the score (it was the boys of U2 that insisted Julie Taymor be brought on board) and in 2005 he died of a stroke in The Edge's New York apartment as The Edge was set to sign the contract. He retains a production credit. David Garfinkle stepped in as producer and famously bankrupted the show. Michael Cohl, who until recently was the chairman of Live Nation, took over at Bono's request. By the time he managed to right the financial ship by securing substantial investments from Disney, lead actors including Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood had backed out because of scheduling conflicts. Some set pieces were discovered to have been dismantled for scrap instead of being in storage as supposed. The first preview was littered with long interruptions due to technical difficulties. Certain aspects of the score were badly reviewed, causing one song, "A Freak Like Me Needs Company," to be replaced entirely with another number called "Deeply Furious."

Then the injuries began. Despite Taymor's assurances that every precaution has been taken, including casting an alternative actor to give Reeve Carney- who plays Peter Parker- a break for a few performances a week, there have been four seperate incidents so far. The latest occurred on Monday, December 20, 2010, when a stuntman dressed as Spiderman made a leap from a platform that is supposed to be the Brooklyn Bridge. The cable attached to his harness broke and he fell ten feet to the orchestra pit. The show was immediately shut down and he was taken to Bellevue Hospital where it was found he suffered several broken ribs and internal bleeding. He is listed in serious condition. The Department of Labor and the Actors' Equity will conduct an investigation of the safety measures in place for the production.

The famous saying is that "the show must go on" and that's true in this case. Wednesday night's performance will go ahead as planned. Some are questioning the wisdom of that. But ticket sales continue to be impressive despite the constant delays and many believe that it will be worth it. Opening night has been pushed back again to February 2011.

Sources:

BWW News Desk, Spiderman Now To Open "Sometime" In Feb., 2011 , broadwayworld.com.

Daniel Kreps, Spider-Man Actor In "Serious Condition" After Broadway Stunt Mishap , Y! Music.

Jesse Green, A Web and a Prayer, New York Magazine.

Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, Wikipedia.