New opening for 'Spidey,' Green Goblin gets stuck
NEW YORK (AP) - March 12, 2011
Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said in a
statement Friday that "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" would
officially open June 14. The show's opening, delayed an astounding
six times, was to have opened last on March 15.
The final preview performance before the shutdown will be April
17. Performances will be canceled from April 19-May 11, with
previews resuming on May 12.
On Wednesday, producers announced that Tony Award-winning
director Julie Taymor would no longer direct the show, and a new
creative team was brought in to change and polish the flawed
musical, which has also been plagued with a series of injuries to
cast members and aerial stunt mishaps.
The latest occurred Friday when the Green Goblin's flight system
failed during a fight scene, leaving him hanging over the stage for
about three minutes before stagehands lowered him down. It was the
second time this week that a technological glitch interrupted a
scene with the Goblin.
The replacement of Taymor in her day-to-day duties was a
stunning development for the heralded director of "The Lion
King," a megahit that is No. 3 at the box office more than a
decade after it opened. Taymor, known for her bold and creative
artistic vision, is believed to have been pushed aside because she
wouldn't accept the need for outside help and significant changes
to "Spider-Man," which she co-wrote with Glen Berger.
"I was hoping that by planning for a March show it would be up
to speed," said Sarah Marchitto, 31, of Linden, N.J., who spent
$300 for tickets to Friday night's show as a birthday present for
her boyfriend, a Spider-Man fan.
"I'm curious to see it because Julie Taymor was so attached to
it," said Marchitto, adding that she would go back to see the new
version when it opens in June.
After the show, she responded to a Facebook message, saying she
thought the musical "was fantastic."
"Visually it was stunning and really different," she wrote.
"I think the overall plot was a little disjointed so I'd be
interested to see if and how they tighten it up in the revised
version."
Nico Davidson, 5, had already been to see the show once and was
back Friday night for his second time. "I liked it when I saw
it," he said, as his buddy stood by in his Spidey shirt. Nico had
some advice for the producers as they rework the show: Fix the
ending. "It's too long," he said.
Though producers said Taymor, 58, would remain part of the
creative team, she was being replaced as director by Philip William
McKinley ("The Boy From Oz"). Also on the new team was Roberto
Aguirre-Sacasa, who worked on HBO's "Big Love" and has written
for Marvel comics, to help rewrite the show's script, and musical
consultant Paul Bogaev and sound designer Peter Hylenski.
"Spider-Man" has music by U2's Bono and The Edge, who
indicated Wednesday that they planned some new tunes for the show.
Many theater critics got fed up with the constant delays in
opening the show and reviewed it last month, largely panning the
musical. They did so before the show was "frozen," or no longer
in previews. Once a show is frozen, no more changes are permitted
and critics are invited to attend as long as they hold their
reviews until after opening night.
But "Spider-Man" continues to defy critics and post impressive
numbers at the box office. It was the second highest-grossing show
on Broadway this week, after "Wicked," pulling in close to $1.3
million - though it was slightly down from the week before.
Unlike "Wicked," tickets to "Spider-Man" are now available
at the discount TKTS booth - a possible reason that total grosses
slipped last week.
Keith Monzen, 43, of Honolulu, who was waiting to get into
Foxwoods Theatre to see Friday's show, was disappointed that the
show would shut down and be changed because he might not be able to
get back to New York to see the revision.
"It might be better, it might not be as good, but we're just
out having a good time," he said.
Producers said ticket-holders will be able to either exchange or
return their tickets for a refund, if purchased from the box office
at Foxwoods Theatre or through Ticketmaster. Those who bought
tickets from other vendors should contact the outlet, producers
said.