Thumbs Up from Clinton, Thumbs down from Critics as Spidey 2.0 opens

Former US president Bill Clinton has given U2’s Spiderman musical on Broadway the thumbs up after attending its star-studded gala opening on Tuesday night. But Bono and the Edge, who wrote the music and lyrics for Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, woke up on Wednesday to find once again that newspaper theatre critics were left decidedly unimpressed.

President Clinton and his daughter Chelsea sat alongside Bono at the Foxwoods Theatre off Times Square for the show’s official premiere. Behind them sat the Edge with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were joined in the audience by a who’s-who of Bono’s celebrity friends, including rocker Lou Reed, rapper Jay Z, actors Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson and Steve Martin, supermodels Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen, tennis legend John McEnroe, TV stars Barbara Walters and Jimmy Fallon, and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“What an amazing and historic night on Broadway. New York has never seen anything like Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark,”said Bill Clinton. “And I am very proud of them for not giving up, it was fabulous.” However, most of the critics, who were reviewing the reworked version of the show for the first time since director Julie Taymor was replaced in March, did not agree.

While the reviews have not been as savage as those of the original version published in February, they were still damning in whatever faint praise they gave. Most felt that while the revisions had improved the show, it was now basically a very expensive piece of children’s entertainment.

America’s most influential theatre critic Ben Brantley of the New York Times said the show had gone from “jaw-dropping badness to mere mediocrity.” “This singing comic book is no longer the ungodly, indecipherable mess it was in February. It’s just a bore,” he wrote, adding that he would only recommend it if he knew a “less-than-precocious child of 10 or so, and had several hundred dollars to throw away.”

Peter Mark, writing in the Washington Post, said the show was “a definite upgrade” but “still situated a wide canyon’s distance from good.” Entertainment Weekly’s Thom Geier gave it a C+ rating, saying “It may be an admirable work of revision, but it’s an unsatisfying meal, like one of Mom’s end-of-the-week casseroles made of leftovers she couldn’t bear to toss away.”

The kindest review came from Elysa Gardner writing in USA Today, who said producers had clearly heeded critics and fans, and the new version was “more of an overt crowd pleaser”. It certainly pleased the invited guests at Tuesday night’s opening, where the audience leapt to their feet to give the cast and crew a standing ovation at curtain call. Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J Harris came out on stage, followed by Bono and the Edge. The new director, Phillip William McKinley then introduced the woman he replaced Julie Taymor.

There was loud applause from the audience and cheers from the cast and crew as Taymor walked on the stage to embrace Bono and the Edge, and the other producers who ousted her just two months ago. Bono took the microphone and paid tribute to her creativity, adding “By the way, you’re looking hot, Julie.” Taymor was gracious despite an ongoing dispute with producers over the payment of royalties, and thanked the cast and crew that she had spent years working with on the show.

Bono, who recently admitted that he would never have become involved in the musical if he knew how much time it would take to get it up and running, said he was proud of the work. “It’s quite a moment for us to finally be able to stand behind this, stand proudly behind it. It is a wonderful, wild ride of a night out,” he said. “We knew that that show had the makings of something great,” added the Edge, “so we felt that if we just pushed very hard and persuaded our producers to go again, we could get there. We feel we have.”

WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE SAID ABOUT SPIDEY 2.O:

The New York Times – Ben Brantley

“(The show) has become a straightforward children’s entertainment with a mildly suspenseful story, two-dimensional characters, unapologetically bad jokes and the kind of melodious rock tunes that those under 12 might be familiar with from listening to their parents’ salad-day favorites of the 1980s and ’90s. The puppet figures and mask-dominated costumes worn by the supporting villains still seem to have wandered in from a theme park.”

The Hollywood Reporter – David Rooney

"When a show is as misconceived as Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, it’s more realistic to expect cosmetic improvements than miracles. That’s exactly what the new creative team has accomplished in this significantly overhauled but still terminally clunky reworking of the troubled mega-musical, now officially open after a record 183 previews."

USA Today – Elisa Gardner

"Essential elements of (Taymor’s) production remain, along with the flying feats and other high-tech visuals. But the new "Spider-Man" is cuter and more cautious than its predecessor ...  Clearly, producers heeded the critics and fans who hoped to see the title character represented more as he'd been in comic books and movies,"

New York Post – Elizabeth Vincentelli

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”…tries very hard to be fun and accessible. After many upheavals and accidents, firings and rewrites, the show is closer than ever to the bull’s eye, but that’s not saying much: The target has been both broadened and lowered. The point of reference is Joel Schumacher’s family-ready “Batman,” not Christopher Nolan’s dark, arty one.”

Wall Street Journal – Terry Teachout

“If beauty were really only skin deep, then "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" would be the perfect musical. Every cent of the $70 million budget is visible…It's the best-looking mediocre musical ever to open on Broadway.

“The score, by U2's Bono and The Edge, sounds like a double album of B-sides ("Don't think about tomorrow / We've only got today"). Not only are the songs forgettable, but they never succeed in generating any dramatic momentum—all they do is get louder.”

Washington Post – Peter Marks

“What swings from the rafters, springs from the wings and bursts from the stage floor of the Foxwoods Theatre is a definite upgrade from the flailing behemoth on view in February...this effects-driven musical is still situated a wide canyon’s distance from good.”

Entertainment Weekly – Thom Geier

“Bono and The Edge's score is a mostly lackluster collection of forgettable tunes that play like U2 B-side…  It may be an admirable work of revision, but it's an unsatisfying meal, like one of mom's end-of-the-week casseroles made of leftovers she couldn't bear to toss…

"A lot of talent and money have gone into Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. But with great promise (and an even greater budget) comes the great responsibility of delivering. Though it's undeniably cool to see costumed heroes zip overhead, this Spidey just can't get off the ground.”

Battle to save troubled Spiderman musical with drastic revamp

The lights have gone out on Broadway blockbuster Spiderman: Turn off the Dark, which has taken a three-week break to begin rehearsals on a new version of the show.

The Edge was at the Foxwoods Theater off Times Square on Sunday night to watch the final performance of the original version of the musical which he co-wrote with Bono. The U2 front man is due to join him in New York later this week to work on new songs for the reworked musical.

The $70m production is the most expensive ever staged on Broadway, and despite a record 140 previews it never officially opened. While the doors are closed to the public, cast members were back at rehearsals yesterday (Mon).

“We don’t get a break. The show has shut down but I’m still working,” said Reeve Carney, who plays Spiderman/Peter Parker. “For the past few weeks we have been rehearsing the new show, while performing the old show at night. It’s going to be great to be able to focus on one thing again.”

Producers are still putting the finishing touches to the revised version of the show, which they hope will be more crowd-pleasing and easier to understand than the vision created by director Julie Taymor, who has been replaced. New director Phillip William McKinley is putting more focus on the love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, and the battle with the villain Green Goblin. The character of villainous spider-woman Arachne, which had a central role in Taymor’s production, is to be scaled back significantly, and a Greek chorus of four singers who narrated the show is to be dropped altogether.

Cast members held up a handwritten sign saying “Back May 12” during the curtain call at Sunday’s final show, and a special ovation was given to the four young actors who are leaving the show. “It’s so bittersweet because we are saying goodbye to some friends who we’ve worked with that’s become like family,” said TV Carpio, who plays Arachne. The stunning actress displayed no bitterness about the fact that her role was being reduced significantly. “The key thing to know here is that we all want the best show that it can be,” she said, “So whatever that means, at least we have an opportunity to improve.”

Patrick Page, who plays the Green Goblin, said he believed the changes will make it a better show.

“It’s going to be a lot more fun  for me, for the Green Goblin, let me tell you,” he said, “I think fans of the comic book will be very pleased.”

Jennifer Damiano, who plays Mary Jane, said she believed the new version would put “a lighter spin on things”. “They have their reasons for wanting to change things and my job is just to make that work,” she said.

All of the cast members were quick to pay tribute to departing director Julie Taymor, none more so than Reeve Carney, who was plucked from obscurity and cast in the lead role. “She sort of created me,” he said, “I mean I wouldn’t be here without her. So I feel very confident and very good about the fact that it’s not erasing what she’s done, it’s just having a little extra help. It’s great to be able to work with two directors. It’s never happened before on the same project.”

Bono and the Edge are known to be working on at least two new songs for the show, and Carney said he believes one of them has the potential to be an international hit. “All I’ll say is that one of the new songs is one of my favorites and I’m really excited about it,” he said.

It remains to be seen if the reworked version can win over critics who mauled the original production as the biggest flop ever seen on Broadway and beyond repair. Despite this the show was seen by more than 285,000 people and raked in more than $25m at the box office. That’s a lot of money but not enough to break even, and without a credible show, producers won’t be able to proceed with plans to expand productions to London, Las Vegas and international tours in the future.

Previews of the new version begin on May 12, with the official opening now scheduled for Tuesday June 14^th.

AUDIO: Revamp for troubled Spiderman

Here's a piece I did with RTE's Morning Ireland on the curtain coming down on the original version of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway.

It includes clips of lead cast members talking about how the feel about changes to their roles.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0419/morningireland.html

U2 stars defend Spider-man director as she is replaced by Circus master

Bono and the Edge have leapt to the defense of Julie Taymor, the talented Broadway director who has stepped aside from her role in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.

“Julie is a truly gifted and imaginative director,” the U2 pair said in a statement, after Taymor  was replaced on the show, which was due to open next week, but has now been delayed for a remarkable sixth time.

Taymor was the creative genius behind the smash-hit The Lion King but reports say she clashed with producers who were looking for wholesale changes to the Spiderman musical after it was thrashed by critics.

Bono and the Edge are to remain involved in the $65m production, which critics are branding Broadway’s biggest ever flop. The duo have written several new songs which they hope to insert into the production, which is now being driven by a totally new creative team.

“This is an epic ride,” they said, “and the standing ovations we have seen from the preview audiences have confirmed our absolute faith in the project. We are listening and learning and, as a result, we have a couple of new songs we are very very excited about putting into the mix.

“All of us on the creative team are committed to taking Spiderman to the next level. We are confident it will reach its full potential and when it does, it will open.”

Spiderman has now been in previews longer than any other show in history, and will continue to undergo changes until the summer.

Producers have appointed Phillip McKinley as the new director, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to help rewrite the book.

McKinley’s only previous Broadway experience was a 2003 musical called The Boy from Oz which starred Hugh Jackman.

Some have questioned his credentials, but perhaps aptly, he is a former circus director with Barnum and Bailey, and Ringling Bros.

Aguirre-Sacasa is an acclaimed playwright, and a well known writer of Spiderman comic books.

The expanded creative team also includes musical consultant Paul Bogaev  and sound designer Peter Hylenski. 

Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J Harris paid tribute to Taymor, saying her vision had been at the heart of the production and would continue to do so.

“We cannot exaggerate how technically difficult it is to make such changes to a show of this complexity,” they said.

The new summer opening date means Spiderman is no longer eligible for consideration for the industry’s Tony Awards this year. Spiderman remains among Broadway’s highest grossing productions, despite the nightmarish production problems and scathing reviews.

US CRITICS BRAND U2'S SPIDERMAN MUSICAL 'A STINKER' AND 'ONE OF THE WORST EVER'

The major US theater critics have finally had their say on U2’s Spiderman musical on Broadway – and they’ve branded it an absolute stinker.

Several leading publications including the New York Times, Variety, and the LA Times have broken with Broadway convention by publishing reviews while the show is still in previews. The official opening of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark does not take place until March 15^th. But on the basis that the $65m production has been in previews since November, and has been taking more than $1m in box office receipts every week, the critics said they believed they were entitled to have their say. Monday was the opening night scheduled before the musical’s latest postponement, and critics from several outfits timed their reviews to coincide with that date.

“Spiderman is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway, it may also rank among the worst,” writes Ben Brantley in the New York Times. “I’m not kidding. The sheer ineptitude of this show, inspired by the Spiderman comic books, loses its shock value early. After 15 or 20 minutes, the central question you keep asking yourself is likely to change from “How can $65 million look so cheap?” to “How long before I’m out of here?” 

The paper even criticizes the much-vaunted flying aerial stunts, and calls the show beyond repair. The music, written by Bono and the Edge, does not escape the drubbing either, and is compared to “a persistent headache”. “(The songs) are rarely allowed to take full, attention-capturing form. Mostly they blur into a sustained electronic twang of varying volume, increasing and decreasing in intensity, like a persistent headache,” writes Brantley.

The Los Angeles Times calls it “incoherent and no fun”.  Critic Charles McNulty said the battle over healthcare reform in the US had a better chance of being resolved than the problems in the show.

Peter Marks in the Washington Post said the musical belonged in “the dankest sub-basement of the American Musical Theater”. He says that it’s apparent after “170 spirit-snuffing minutes”, that director Julie Taymor had forgotten about three things: “1 A Coherent plot, 2 Tolerable music 3. Workable sets”.

Steve Suskin in Variety said “weaknesses lie with the book, music and lyrics, a kiss of death for most musicals; Taymor and her team seem to think this is a minor flaw, and initial box office returns suggest they might be right.”

The show has been a runaway success since previews began in November. Thousands of theatre-goers have packed the Foxwoods Theater off Times Square every night, some paying up to $275 for an orchestra seat. It’s twice overtaken Wicked as the number one box office draw on Broadway. The show has become the hottest ticket in town, thanks to the hype surrounding its regular postponements, major technical issues and serious injuries to the actors concerned.

It remains to be seen if the overwhelmingly negative critical mauling which the musical has received this week will influence ticket sales. Investors need the musical to be a sell-out for five full years if they are to recoup the money that it cost to stage. Producers are still making changes to the show, and they are furious that critics have reviewed Spider-man before it is “frozen”, saying it is not in the spirit of Broadway and all it represents. Critics say they will return to review the show when the changes are finalized – but that the theatergoing public is entitled to an independent of review of a show that is raking in millions of dollars each week.

CURSE OF SPIDERMAN STRIKES AGAIN

A still image taken from an audience member's cellphone footage of the fall

They used to call Macbeth the “cursed” play - but now it seem like the Shakespearian classic has a rival in U2’s new Spiderman musical on Broadway.

The $65m production, which has been bedevilled by delays and injuries, suffered another major setback with a serious accident at Monday night’s preview performance in New York. Audience members watched in horror as a stuntman playing Spiderman fell up to 30 feet into the orchestra pit at the front of the stage, after a safety harness failed with seven minutes left to go in the show. The actor, Christopher Tierney, who is the lead double for Spiderman actor Reeve Carney,  was stretchered out of the theatre and taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment on minor injuries.

Questions are once again being asked about whether the show is safe to work on. New York’s Department of Labour was due to visit the set today, and actors union Equity said it was monitoring the situation.

The accident happened during a scene where Spiderman comes to the rescue of girlfriend Mary Jane, who is dangling from a bridge. The safety harness  which was meant to hold Spiderman in place as the lights went out, instead flicked off his back leaving the actor to fall the equivalent of two storeys, according to audience members. There was a cry of “Call 911” from fellow actors, and producers told the audience they were halting the show and asked them  to leave.

[New York Times has a video taken by an audience member of the fall, view it here]

Tierney is the fourth actor to be injured on the show. At the first preview in November, actress Natalie Mendoza who plays new villain Arachne, suffered concussion. She only returned to performances last week after two weeks of rest. Last night she tweeted, “Please pray for Chris, my superhero who quietly inspires me every day with his spirit. A light in my heart went dim tonight”. Two other actors were injured during rehearsals, one breaking a toe, the other breaking both his wrists during the complicated stunts in the show.

Just last week, producers confirmed they were pushing back opening night for the show yet again. It is now due to open on February 7th instead of January 11th. The creators are still tweaking the production - reports suggest they were considering a completely new finale for the show after a lukewarm response during previews. Lead Producer Michael Cohl said it had “become clear that we need to give the team more time to execute their vision” and that he had “no intention of cutting a single corner in getting to the finish line”.

Bono and the Edge, who have been touring Australia and New Zealand with U2, are expected to return to the Foxwoods Theatre off Times Square to renew work on it after Christmas. The show is the most expensive production ever to be staged on Broadway. There were no scheduled shows for Tuesday night, but two performances were due to take place on Wednesday.

U2's Spiderman off to shaky start on Broadway

Technical glitches and a mixed audience reaction greeted U2’s Spiderman, as their new $65m musical got off to a shaky start on in New York Sunday night.  The first preview of Spiderman: Turn off the Dark was halted as least five times while problems with the wiring for the show’s spectacular aerial stunts were ironed out.  On one occasion, Spiderman was left dangling from the wires above the heads of the audience for several minutes while stage-hands tried to bring him down safely.

Some theatre-goers said the show was “amazing” and “wonderful”, but others told me as they left the theatre, that producers had a lot of work to do if the production was to be a success. Worryingly, many said the problems lay not just in the technical issues, but in the areas of plot cohesion and with the music.

The show, which is the most expensive in Broadway history, opens officially on January 11^th at the Foxwoods Theatre, off Times Square. It’s not uncommon for major productions to experience problems during early previews, which are in effect, considered rehearsals, with an audience present. Producers now have six weeks to fix any issues that arise before New York’s tough theatre critics get to give their verdicts. But the early buzz has not been promising.

One critic writing in Monday’s New York Post called it “an epic flop”, saying “not even Spiderman could avert this disaster”. Director Julie Taymor tried to caution the public not to expect a perfect show in advance of Sunday’s debut. In one interview, she expressed the hope that audiences would “enjoy the art of making theatre, as well as the magic of it”. Reports suggested that the cast did not have the opportunity to do a full dress rehearsal in advance of Sunday’s performance.

Many audience members, some of whom had paid $140 for tickets to the preview, were frustrated by constant delays to the proceedings. The show had been due to start at 6.30pm, but was delayed until almost 7.00pm while the 1,900-strong audience took their seats. The performance was interrupted at least four times in Act 1, some momentary, others for between 10-15 minutes, as problems were sorted out. The intermission lasted 45 minutes, meaning it was after 9.00pm before the second Act began.

Rosemary and Tom Long, from eastern Pennsylvania, left the show before the second Act started, in order to catch a bus home. “We couldn’t wait to see it,” said Rosemary, “We come to shows at least once a month on Broadway. It was terrible. It was all delays. They have a lot of work to do get it going. We go to previews a lot and I’ve never seen anything like this.” The couple were given tickets for a show in the future, and plan to return. “It they can work out the kinks, it’s going to be a terrific show”.

Another couple who left the show early said their tickets had been “the worst investment ever”. “I’m really sorry. I wanted it to be a success. I wanted it to be great. But we couldn’t stay one more minute,” said Yeron and Elisa, from Israel. “We like Julie Taymor. I mean, we loved the Lion King. And U2 as well – but even the music is so boring. I hate to be negative... It was just a bitter disappointment”

But most of the audience did stay until the end, leaving the theatre at around 10.15pm, three and three-quarter hours after they had taken their seats. “I thought it was an interesting show,” said Tom Harbinson of Shelby, Conneticut , “I’m a U2 fan and I was looking forward to the music. Some of the songs did stand out, but writing rock music is a lot different than writing theatre music. I think they succeeded on a couple of songs but a couple of them left a little to be desired. Overall, it’s not a show like a pop Wicked-type thing that will take off. It’s the kind of show that will really have to grow on audiences. It’s going to challenge an audience to artistically swallow it.” He said that the delays did not bother him, as he had expected them and had actually been looking for that to be part of his experience.

Jay Starr from Boston agreed: “I thought it was actually really good. The actors were amazing, their voices were really good, on key. There were delays but it was the first show, so it’s really not that big of a deal.” His friend Gerry, a huge Spiderman fan, was not as impressed.  “It was alright. But I don’t think there was much of a real plot going on,” he said, “I think they were going for more of a wow factor – which there was with the effects and stuff - but other than that, I was a little bit disappointed.”

Margaret McLoughlin, a tourist from Glasgow, thought it was “absolutely fabulous”. “I mean obviously they had a few teething problems. But the special effects were out of this world. Spiderman just comes flying through the crowds. Great! I’m not a big Spiderman fan, more a U2 fan.  The music was a bit weird. Definitely you can hear U2’s influence in some songs more than others".

Patrick McGinnis from New York thinks the show needs a lot of work between now and January.  “I really wanted to like it because I like U2 a lot. I think they spent a lot of money but the basic plot elements were lacking cohesion. The aerial stunts were very impressive, actually. Although once you’ve seen it four or five times, it gets less impressive, like everything else. I think the first five times I saw it I was very impressed and then I thought to myself ‘this is great but if it’s going to hold up the entire production, is it really worth it?’

One key demographic seemed to be universal in their praise – children. 12-year old Amanda Felitti, from Long Island, came to the show dressed head-to-toe in a Spiderman costume. “I thought it was really cool,” she said, “I really loved it. The effects were cool - they were flying over each other and attacking each other as they were flying – it was really amazing.”

U2's Spiderman musical delayed (again!)

The show was originally due to open in February as you can see from this poster - it's now been delayed again until January 2011

http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20101105,2849112,2849112,flash,257

Here's a report on the delays to the new Spiderman musical on Broadway, written by Bono and the Edge, which  I did with RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland.