Early reports say Spidey’s Broadway debut needs a lot of work before it’s ready for the public.
With a budget of more than $65 million, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the most expensive show in Broadway history — and it also might be the most flawed. The Julie Taymor-directed musical had its first preview performance Nov. 28, and although the high-flying acrobatics left young theater-goers enthralled, The New York Times reports that the show was marred with mistakes and actually stopped five times throughout its run of more than three hours.
Stop No. 1 came during a scene in Peter Parker’s (Reeve Carney) bedroom, when the Times says the star had to be released from a harness. But this minor glitch was nothing compared to the blunder that occurred at the end of Act I. The Times reports that Spider-Man landed on stage with Mary Jane Watson (Jennifer Damiano) in his arms, but instead of following that up with another successful high-jump, Spidey was suspended “several yards up and over the audience, then stopped.”
And what would an unpolished performance be without a good heckler? During a pause in Act II, an angry patron yelled out, “I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I feel like a guinea pig today! I feel like it’s a dress rehearsal!”
What do you think of this news, HollywoodLifers? Do YOU plan on checking out Spider-Man on Broadway when it opens in January, or are you totally disinterested? Drop us a comment and let us know!
Molly
Posted at 8:35 PM on November 29, 2010
I think it has real potential as a blockbuster. If everyone recalls, Wicked was not extremely well-recieved when it first came out… and now look where it is – selling out shows every day. Spider-Man just needs some time.