Update on Broadway's Spider-Man Expected Soon

By Kenneth Jones
November 5, 2009

Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark, the multi-million dollar live superhero spectacle scheduled to begin Feb. 25, 2010, at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, is reportedly still finding its footing less than four months before its debut.

Tickets for the new Broadway musical — which has direction and script by The Lion King's Julie Taymor and music by U2's Bono and the Edge — were supposed to have gone on sale to the general public on Oct. 31, but are currently on sale only to American Express cardholders.

Cash-flow issues reportedly stopped pre-production in the summer, but work resumed by September. The elaborate technical aspects of the show (including special effects, massive cityscape sets and the feat of a web-slinging Spidey flying throughout the auditorium) necessitates construction within the cavernous Hilton, one of the largest theatres on Broadway.

As of Nov. 5, the launch date remains Feb. 25, 2010, toward a March opening.

But three people close to the production told the Los Angeles Times (in a Nov. 5 story) that the producers still need to raise as much as $24 million to cover its proposed $52 million budget (including theatre renovations) — Broadway's biggest ever. The paper reported that separate from theatre renovation and restoration cost, the production itself is budgeted at $42 million and weekly running costs will exceed $1 million.

An official update from the producers is expected shortly. The New York Times indicated that a major meeting of the show's producers and investors was to be held Nov. 6. Executives involved with the production spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that Taymor and other creatives would be in on the meeting to discuss the show's future.

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The most recent statement from the show's producers — released in August — reiterated that, despite speculation, performances are still scheduled to begin Feb. 25, 2010. An opening date has not been announced.

The only announced casting includes Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker's girlfriend, and Tony winner Alan Cumming as Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin), Spider-Man's most notorious nemesis.

The show has roots in the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee. In the comics (and the later Hollywood franchise) Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and wakes up with the abilities of an arachnid. He turns to crime fighting after his Uncle Ben is murdered.

Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark features direction by Tony winner Taymor, music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge and a book by Taymor and Glen Berger.

Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books, Spider-Man, according to press notes, "spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of the Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen. The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down — literally — when he's bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek — suddenly endowed with astonishing powers — soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character. Spider-Man's battles will hurtle the audience through an origin story both recognizable and unexpected — yielding new characters as well as familiar faces — until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero's journey."

The creative team also includes choreographer Daniel Ezralow ("Across the Universe," The Green Bird), set designer George Tsypin (The Magic Flute, The Little Mermaid), costume designer Eiko Ishioka (Academy Award for "Bram Stoker's Dracula," Tony nomination for M. Butterfly), lighting designer Donald Holder (Tony Awards for The Lion King, South Pacific), sound designer Jonathan Deans (Fosse Young Frankenstein, Ragtime) and musical supervisor Teese Gohl ("Across the Universe," "Frida").

The musical will be produced on Broadway by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris. It will be produced in association with Omneity Entertainment/Richard Weinberg, the Mayerson/Gould/Hauser/Tysoe Group, Patricia Lambrecht and Jam Theatricals/S2BN Entertainment.

Interested theatregoers who possess an AmEx card can call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Group tickets are also now on sale by calling (800) Broadway.

The Hilton Theatre is located in Manhattan at 213 West 42nd Street.

For more information visit www.SpidermanOnBroadway.com.