Spider-Man musical’s troubled production history officially pays off

then The Spider-Man musical, the costliest musical in history, couldn’t seem to get a break; between accidents, director changes, music-rewriting and the whole nine yards, it’s surprising this cobweb got off the ground.
now The musical is well along to recouping its $75 million cost, with ticket sales at $77 million and the show coming off the best week of ticket sales in Broadway history — $2.9 million. That’ll pay for a lot of pyrotechnics, guys. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 number of preview performances the average Broadway musical gives before opening night
146 number of previews “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has had so far … and more are coming source

» Spider-Man’s retooled web: After the show (a financial if not critical hit) took a three-and-a-half week hiatus to make some changes, fewer screw-ups are happening, Bono’s lyrics suck less, and one of the major characters former director Julie Taymor invented for the production got a major demotion. (The character was once the main villain; now it’s a mere guardian angel.) It’s all in an attempt to fight off the unbelievably high level of bad press the production currently has — what with its record number of preview performances and all. (That, by the way, is due to the fact that the play didn’t have an out-of-town tryout and has delayed opening night SIX TIMES.)

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

cool Following the death of the Human Torch, Marvel is shaking things up with The Fantastic Four. First and foremost, they’re adding a new member to the team: Spider-Man. Intriguing!
stupid They’re also giving the troupe lame new costumes and an awful new name, “The Future Foundation,” that sounds more like a political action committee than a team of crime-fighters. source

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

I have to weigh in on Spiderman. They should put Julie Taymor in jail for assault! I know what it’s like to fall and get hurt in front of 2,000 people. It’s no fun, but at least it was the one time it happened. I hope whoever was hurt is ok and sues the sh– out of Julie, Bono, Edge and every other a–hole who invested in that steaming pile of actor crippling sh–!
“Rent” star Adam Pascal • Expressing anger over the “Spider-Man” Broadway show, which has faced multiple injuries since it started its previews. As of right now, shows are getting cancelled to improve safety, and director Julie Taymor is fighting some pretty nasty PR. “An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally,” Taymor said in a statement. The actor injured in the most-recent incident, Christopher Tierney, is reportedly doing better, but the negative hype is definitely hurting the show. (By the way, since you asked, we do think Bono and The Edge should go to jail – but not for this.) source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

nine performers play Spider-Man during the performance, mostly during stunts
one of those performers was injured last night after one of the dangling stunts went awry
20+ number of feet Christopher Tierney fell last night; he’s in serious condition source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

$65
million the amount the “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” cost to produce – easily the biggest ever for a Broadway show
$4
million the cost of a two-week delay in getting things up and running; it finally got a performance in last night

five number of times the play had to stop during due to technical problems that still plagued it
10′ number of feet Spidey was hanging above the stage after the shortened first act
one number of embarrassing catcalls the play had – during a break in the action in act two source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jan 2012 11:11