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The saga of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark continues to spin a web of intrigue that has little to do with building positive momentum toward its February opening. The saddest development is that Natalie Mendoza, poised to make her Broadway debut with a showy villain role created especially for the musical, has officially exited. These tough breaks happen occasionally for all kinds of reasons both onstage and onscreen–imagine how Emily Blunt feels now, locking up the Black Widow role in Iron Man 2 and subsequent sequels and spinoffs, only to bow out when Fox enforced an option and dropped her into Gulliver’s Travels, for instance–but losing a lead in a big Broadway show to a concussion suffered during the first preview performance is particularly unfortunate. Besides safety issues that have dominated the headlines, the show’s new crisis is the prospect that reviewers won’t wait for opening night to pan the musical. Bloomberg’s Jeremy Gerard did just that on December 27 after paying $292 for an orchestra seat. Gerard, a seasoned critic and theater writer for New York Newsday and The New York Times among other places, expresses sentiments that don’t flatter the show. While beginning his critical assessment by revealing that Broadway’s most expensive show was “hardly the worst show of all time,” Gerard declared that “It is, however, an unfocused hodge-podge of story-telling, myth making and spectacle that comes up short in every department.” As for the hope that songs by U2′s Bono and The Edge will save the day, Gerard wrote, “Bono and The Edge haven’t a clue about writing for the theater.” Today, the New York Post columnist Michael Riedel writes about being moved just short of forcibly from an orchestra seat he’d purchased, and deposited into a crappy seat for murky reasons (like it’s a good idea to piss him off). At least preview performances are selling out, with a volume of journalists paying full freight for tickets. Some might be hard pressed to wait more than a month as the show’s creators work feverishly to improve in time for the opening night curtain.
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As the producers have no problem charging theatregoers full price for a show whose endless tinkering has forced several long delays in an “official” opening then they should have no objection to reviewers publishing their opinions so that the public can have more awareness about what they are investing in.
Broadway history is littered with expensive stink bomb musicals with prolonged preview periods (see “Nick and Nora” and “Legs Diamond”) so the fact that Taymor’s Folly has the meter running past $65 million is no safety net that the plug won’t get pulled just because it’s too big (and self important) to fail.
I hear a lot of talk about sexism and racism. They *do* need to be stamped out. That said…
If my kid were hurt in this production, and the director were male, I would break his jaw.
Many people have to suffer for Julie Taymor’s art. It’s for the greater good. Broken bones, concussions, millions of dollars. Who cares? It’s all worth it in exchange for the brilliance of Taymor’s production.
You’re kidding, right?
For the production that she was hired to do, by the people that are giving her the money, and by the people that are not cancelling the show even after a few people got hurt (sorry someone had to get hurt, but look at every broadway show in existence that featured groundbreaking special effects. No amount of training and pre-planning can prepare you for what happens during the show itself, and it’s these experiences that make the actors and crew more aware of the dangers to be had. The show’s effects were approved by all of the powers that be, and all accidents have been human error).
Well said.
You said it, JB! All the accidents were completely the actors’ faults, not anyone elses! Those dumb idiots! The higher-ups will not be held responsible for their safety!
Warner should hire Emily Blunt to play Lois Lane in the next Superman movie. She’s perfect for that role.
We saw it last night. First, and it’s incredibly important as no one ever mentions this: This is the most visually stunning piece of theater to ever play on a Broadway stage. I was wondering where 65 million went and every other minute I was saying ‘That’s where it went” over and over again. If you love set design and incredibly imaginative theater this is a double banana split and then some.
Now for the criticism: the second act needs to be cut by 20 minutes and revamped. The audience was still with it at the end of Act One even though it wasn’t as strong as it should be. But the big problem is the music, Bono and the Edge did not write any memorable songs for this, it desperately needs to be more tuneful. U2 knows how to write for themselves but should be rewriting what is the weakest part of Spiderman yet I’m sure that’s the only thing that isn’t being tweaked before opening. I still trust Taymor will fix some of this by Feb 7 but without the music being revamped it won’t fly like Taymor’s work does, and that’s a shame.
Taymor is not a director… she’s a stunt coordinator.
I’ve seen higher art out of NYU tech one classes.
next.
“losing a lead in a big Broadway show to a concussion suffered during the first preview performance is particularly unfortunate”
True. But better to be an out-of-work actress than a quadraplegic one.
Are we sure that the producers actually intend to have open this show? Or is it a Producers like scheme to produce a flop and skip the country with the money?
If Spider-Man ends up lasting only a few months it’s clear that Taymor’s career will likely go with it. After the flop of “Across The Universe” and the likely flop of “The Tempest” plus the biggest Broadway flop of all time she won’t have much credit to her name any more even if she did help create the biggest Broadway cash cow for Disney. The biggest question for me is how are they going to make back the $65 million when a sold out theater only brings in $1.1 million and it costs a million a week to produce? You can’t see millions in shirts and programs a week, or at least I don’t think you can.
I don’t know how much they make but the concession/souvenir line before, during and after the show was substantial. I guess those fans are rabid.
I hope all the injured performers file lawsuits and win their cases and take from this production all the profits this disaster might earn. Nothing is worth life and limb.
Save a Life
I’m sure the actors had to sign waivers that release the production from any liability. That’s standard.
I don’t think Emily Blunt waited for the “Gulliver’s Travels” box office results to feel horrible about having to give up the Black Widow role.
as a comic and Spider-Man fan, this wasn’t a good idea from the start…who is going to see this anyway??
It reminds me of the ill-fated attempts to do Superman, Batman and Captain America on Broadway. Thankfully the two latter attempts failed and the former was incredibly short-lived.
Taymor is the James Cameron of Broadway. Purely fuelled by ego and to hell with the consequences.
The difference being that Cameron always makes a healthy profit…
Taymor did too–with THE LION KING.
I saw the Spiderman last week and I must respectfully disagree with the Newsday critic: In my opinion, Spiderman IS worst shows of all time. Not only is it completely non-sensicial but its actually incredibly boring. The only genuine suspense is waiting to see if an actor will get hurt. The flying is cool but it makes up less than 8 minutes of a 3 hour production. And the rest of the show is a chore to endure. It is stunning that a team of such creative and successful people could create a show so wholly awful.
The story makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It is such a mess that I cannot even begin to describe everything wrong with it. The music, with the exception of one guitar lick by The Edge which plays repeatedly throughout the evening, is totally unmemorable.
If the show ends up succeeding, it is a true testament to the fact that one doesn’t need quality to succeed, only hype.
Peter Parker picked a pack of prevaricating producers.
I am looking forward to the music for this show.
A lot of great rock writers have written great musicals.
The producers should be hiring the best script doctors right now to punch up the dialog.
Bloomberg should shut this show down permanently he should hold a news conference in front of the theater with cops behind him and tell everyone the show is being shut down for safety concerns. Let the insurance company refund the investors and everyone who bought tickets will be refunded. Come on Bloomy do something right for a change you screwed up the snow removal here’s your chance to get some good publicity. Kill this show before one of the people who work on it gets killed. This show is a death trap they’ve had all the time they need and they still can’t make it safe to work on.
Julie Taymor is brilliant and she changed the face of Broadway musicals with “The Lion King” and thank god she did.
Ås for breaking protocol and publishing reviews in advance of the opening – I say “bad form” to these reviewers. It’s easy to kick a show when it’s down, and when it’s being run by a woman! Sorry, but I do think sexism is playing a role here but I won’t belabor that point.
People will go to see this show regardless of the reviews. The biggest audience for this show probably doesn’t read reviews anyway! (Even in previews, people are paying 292.50 for a seat.) I agree with JB – the accidents on this show appear to have been human error, so all the finger-pointing at Ms. Taymor seems to be the most spiteful schadenfreude.
“The biggest audience for this show probably doesn’t read reviews anyway!”
Do you even live in New York? EVERY PRODUCTION save for “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera” LIVES and DIES by reviews! It doesn’t matter that it’s an adaptation of “Spider-Man”!
Julie has pulled out of a NY Times talk event in January, citing the need to rehearse more accidents. Seriously, anyone still holding tickets to this snuff Spidey is a ghoul.
I bought tix to the Jan Times Talk because I figured Taymor would be three shades of crazy and the talk would be a good object lesson in hubris. Unfortunately someone on her team figured this out. The reason to pull out because the show needs that 1 hour in the middle of an afternoon on January 8th is laughable.
Sadly, people are buying t shirts and programs and going to show precisely BECAUSE it’s a trainwreck (with literal injuries) and that to me is pretty ghoulish. But whatever. Most of what’s on TV is ‘trainwreck’ TV. That’s what we like in our culutre. Failure. No, not just failure, spectacular failure.
And U2 last wrote a good song when..?
Dear Dark Jewel, you are simply deluded: “Sorry, but I do think sexism is playing a role here but I won’t belabor that point.” Sure, why belabor after making a crass and unsubstantiated syllogism, just act dismissive and walk away from the damage. The fact that there is a unjustified bar to women directors in both stage and screen does not absolve Taymor and the backers of this show for creating a dangerous and expensive mess. But wait, you continue to add insult: “The biggest audience for this show probably doesn’t read reviews anyway!” Oh really? You mean those cretinous, nerdy comic book readers, many of whom statistically are male don’t have the brains to read about something they would have to pony up hundreds of dollars for a single seat? Now who’s being sexist?
This story has just made the local news here in LA.
Its a strange show. I liked the first act- but they need to get rid of the annoying 15 year old Greek chorus. The 2nd act was a really really bad version of Kiss of the Spiderwoman. It has nothing to do with Spiderman. And there was do ending , they dropped a lame pic of Spiderman. and that was it. Most people were saying WTF- thats it ? First act music was ok , not great- but the 2nd act was ok didn’t I hear that already ? Bono can do much better
I don’t care about the money. And I don’t care about the quality of the show (it’s Julie Taymor and bound to be shambolic and ridiculous and largely co opted from international trends — but hey so is Pier One and they do good business). And I don’t care what they charge for tickets.
The ONLY thing I care about (re Spiderman) is that the cast and crew are SAFE. Concussions are serious and potentially life altering for someone who has a job that is centered around movement and dance. And to consider a serious concussion is one of the minor injuries that has yet occurred…what is to come?
There is no excuse for the way this team has done business. If equity isn’t protecting it’s talent, they should walk or the city should step in. I’m a disinterested party but the story here made me sick. The people who are set up to make a lot of money are taking chances with the health and livelihoods of people who are making SCALE. That’s like what they’re charging for 4 seat a week.
IT’s not worth it.
Julie needs a show doctor and a song doctor. That’s the way it has been done in the past on Broadway.
Well, they should keep a whole team of doctors on call – script, song and medical.
There is a point in any production, be it a musical or a straight play, that the show is “frozen”. Changes are no longer made, the actors can explore their roles knowing that new lines, blocking, etc. will not occur (usually)and the rhythm of the show is set. For Ms. Taymor, spectacle trumps character. If she comes up with a more flamboyant/exotic/stupefying visual, it goes in the show. Stunts at the expense of the actors is appalling. Why charges have not been brought against Ms. Taymor by the theatrical unions is a crime.