ACHTUNG SPIDEY! - FORGETTABLE FARE

REVIEW – SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK

Oh dear.

As one of the few people reviewing Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark not to have seen the original version of the $75m musical, I thought I might be in a position to go a bit lighter on it than most critics.

Most reviews, which have compared the Julie Taymor version with the reworked Phillip McKinley one, say things have improved, albeit not by enough.

So I thought, by being able to focus strictly on the new version, I could be fairer to the much-maligned show.

In other words, I went to Foxwoods Theatre on Thursday night with an open mind, and actually in a mood to be generous.

And by the end of a beautifully-worked opening scene, my heart was lifted.

“Behold and Wonder” sung with haunting vocals from TV Carpio as the mythological spider-god Arachne, and sumptuous staging where cast members swinging from hanging drapes weave a dramatic pattern that covers the stage, was a joy.

But unfortunately, the insult to intelligence that unfolded over the next hour or so, meant that by the interval, it was almost forgotten.

Where to start?

The weak script? The all-too-obvious plot development? The one-and-a-half dimensional characters?

An early number, “Bullying by Numbers”, where Peter Parker’s geek credentials are established - is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard on a Broadway stage.

The scene where Peter Parker gets bitten by the venomous spider – one you would think is so crucial to the plot that it would demand special attention – is completely lame and over in the blink of an eye.

Likewise, in what should be an exciting moment as Peter begins to discover his new powers – a nicely imagined staging is let down by a sub-par song “Bouncing off the Walls”.

And the less said about the scene where Peter takes part in a boxing match against an inflatable muscle-man the better.

The only saving grace for Act 1 is that it contains the standout song from the entire show.

“Rise Above” is a soaring ballad sung with gusto by Reeve Carney in the title role, and TV Carpio as Arachne, and is the only number from Spiderman that you could imagine making the cut on a proper U2 album.

After 45 minutes, when the first of the much-vaunted flying sequences takes place, it’s actually not as exciting as it could be, had any momentum or tension been built up through earlier scenes.

Act 2 is actually much better – but it’s hard to tell whether or not that’s the result of expectations dropping so low by that point.

There are still huge problems.

Some of the villains Spiderman is forced to take-on look remarkably cheap for a production that has spent $75m.

One brings to mind the Mexican Bumble Bee character from the Simpsons.

Another is a ringer for the toy dinosaur in Toy Story.

But at least Act 2 proceeds at pace, and the more regular flying sequences distract from the continuing weaknesses of the plot.

There are two beautiful moments – first Mary Jane’s love song “If the World Should End”, sung with tenderness by Jennifer Damiano, a talented actress who could do so much more given the right material.

And another fantastic Arachne (TV Carpio) song, “Turn off the Dark”, which includes a flying sequence, that is gentler and more effective than most of Spidey’s jaunts across the theatre.

When the final confrontation takes place between Spiderman and the Green Goblin, it is staged thrillingly, with a fantastic replica of the Chrysler Building on stage, and high-paced acrobatics above the audience’s head.

So at least the whole enterprise ends on a high note.

But it’s not enough to erase the memory of all that went before.

For the most part, the cast emerge relatively unscathed from the mess, and it’s to their credit.

Reeve Carney, as Peter Parker/Spiderman, is handsome and winning, with a very good voice, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane sings beautifully, and Peter Page hams it up as the Green Goblin to crowd-pleasing effect.

But they are all struggling with music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge that are not only forgettable, but seriously below standard in places.

Whatever revisions have been made to the script and plot have either been too little or too much – because it’s just a colour-by-numbers telling of the familiar Spiderman story.

And intriguingly, the best performance of all comes from TV Carpio as Arachne, whose every scene is far more interesting than what came before or after.

The character was a central part of Julie Taymor’s vision, but has been significantly reduced in the new more 

mainstream version, which is a real pity, because I would have liked to see more of her.

The set design is deliberately cartoonish, reminding audiences at every opportunity that the source material is a comic book.

Sometimes it works well, at others it doesn’t.

The costumes are similarly purposefully garish.

The flying sequences are certainly enjoyable, but the harnesses and wires are so visible, they contain little magic.

And Spiderman flies, for the most part, wearing his mask, which makes it difficult for the audience to connect with him for those scenes.

For all the talk of the new version being more fun than the original, I can only recall one scene (involving the Green Goblin making a phone call) where I actually laughed out loud.

Bizarrely, music from U2’s back catalogue appears briefly on a number of occasions, serving no obvious purpose, other than to remind you of Bono and the Edge’s involvement.

If I was them, it’s not something I’d be shouting about.

** (2 out of 5 stars)

- Vincent Murphy

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.”

1916 EASTER RISING TRICOLOUR ON LOAN TO NEW YORK

A unique piece of Irish history – the tricolor flag that was flown above the GPO in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising – was handed over on loan to the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) in New York last night (Wed). The flag will go on display at the Fifth Avenue headquarters of the AIHS, and will be a focal point for American celebrations in the run-up to the centenary of the Rising.

The treasured artifact, which is insured for $1m, is the only full-sized tricolor of the 1916 Rising in existence. The linen flag is accompanied by a note confirming its provenance. It reads “Captured by British Troops at GPO DUBLIN, April 1916 and given to Dr. George St. George by an old War veteran, Sergt. Davis” The doctor’s family later presented it to the family of John Sweetman, a renowned nationalist and one of the founders of Sinn Fein, who have had it in their possession ever since.

“The family are delighted to have this important icon of Irish history displayed in the AIHS in New York,” said Ian Whyte, of Whyte’s Auction House, who represented the family as the flag was formally handed over to President-General of the AIHS Kevin M Cahill in New York last night. “The other flag that flew over the GPO during the Rising is in the National Museum of Ireland, and it is fitting that this tricolour is now in the USA, home to over forty million people of Irish descent."

Chris Cahill, executive director of the AIHS said the society was approached by Whyte’s with a view to taking the flag on loan, after it failed to sell at auction in New York in March 2010, despite bids of up to $400,000. “We’re very proud to have it here,” he said, “In a different world, if we had the resources, we would love to own it. It would fit very well with other items we have on collection here, including an original copy of the Proclamation. If any of your readers want to purchase it and donate it to the Society, we’d be delighted to accept it!” he added.

The tricolor was one of two flags that flew above the GPO as Padraig Pearse read out the proclamation declaring the Republic of Ireland. The other was a solid green flag emblazoned with a harp and “Irish Republic” written across it in gold. That one is now on display at the National Museum of Ireland. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the tricolor flying above the GPO for several days after the surrender of the leaders of the Rising – possibly because British Forces were unaware of its significance at the time. It makes the flag particularly important historically.

The American Irish Historical Society, a centre for Irish culture, literature and learning founded in 1897, plans to put the tricolor on display immediately  on a temporary basis. It will then form part of several exhibitions planned between now and 2016.

Gaga and Your Body: Trinity's Science Gallery Opens Biorhythms show in New York

One of Ireland’s newest and most successful galleries has opened an exhibition in New York for the first time. The Science Gallery at Trinity College has attracted 750,000 visitors in the three years since it opened – far exceeding its target of 50,000 visitors a year. The gallery has a reputation or putting on exhibitions which make science more accessible to the general public.

“It was really a bit of an experiment by Trinity College,” explains Michael John Gorman, the gallery’s director. “Let’s find a new way for the university to engage with the city and to bring together science and the arts - to connect the Ivory Tower with all of the creative community around the university.”

One of those exhibitions was called Biorhythms: Music and the Body, and was seen by more than 60,000 people in Dublin last summer. It explores why our bodies react differently to hearing Lady Gaga and Beethoven. Now, it has opened at the Eyebeam Art and Technology Centre in Chelsea, Manhattan as part of the World Science Festival. It’s the first time that the Science Gallery has taken an exhibition overseas, and also the first time that the World Science Festival has ever invited an exhibition to participate in its program. “It’s a great honor to be the first one,” said Michael John Gorman, “For us, it’s exciting to be on the international stage.”

The exhibition is being supported by Imagine Ireland, the year-long promotion of Irish arts in the US by Culture Ireland.  “That’s a pretty great thing to be part of,” said Gorman, “It’s really thrilling to have the experimental mix between science and art suddenly being regarded as part of emerging Irish cultural activity.”

Singer Gavin Friday and composer Linda Buckley were among the curators of Biorhythm. Trinity Provost Dr John Hegarty travelled to New York for the launch last Friday, which saw a New York beat boxer and his band take part in a live experiment on stage, having their emotional and physical responses measured as they performed to see how music and the body interact. The exhibition runs until August, and the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center has planned a book launch, workshops and other events to run alongside it.

“It’s unusual for us to host an exhibition, but we were really excited about the possibility of this show” said Amanda McDonald Crowley, the center’s executive director. “We’re not a gallery for hire.  It wouldn’t make sense for us. We’re in Chelsea.  There are 389 galleries in a five block radius of us. We’re much more interested in the possibility for collaboration.”

The exhibition offers a chance to experiment with different kinds of installations. It includes the world’s largest research experiment on music and emotion, which is being conducted in collaboration with Queens University Belfast. “They’re actually using the visitors to the gallery as experimental subjects, and by attaching them to sensors for skin response and heart rate, they are testing how people respond to different types of music,” said Michael John Gorman. “And it’s a real scientific experiment, where they’re going to create this huge database. So one could imagine that being used for example in devising new sorts of musical experiences, which are tailored to your mental state, which is a next generation type of music.”

There are also a range of more playful installations – like a sonic bed which you can lie in and feel the music pulsing through your whole body, an acoustic armchair, a giant ear. There’s also the chance to create your own music and sounds. “I think what’s really interesting here is the combination – there’s a number of works that are really rather scientific in approach and there are some that are much more arty in their approach,” said Amanda McDonald Crowley of Eyebeam. “The idea of mixing up those works conceptually and thinking of sound in the context of both art and science, and where those ideas meet, that’s what’s really interesting for me.”

The Science Gallery hopes the event will lead to new links with international artists and scientists, with Dublin designated City of Science in 2012.

BIORHYTHM: MUSIC AND THE BODY at Eyebeam Art +Technology Center at 540 W 21st St runs til Aug6th. Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-6PM - admission free! CHELSEA

How the US media covered Obama's Irish stopover

THE president and his pint: this was the image of Barack Obama's brief Irish stopover that captured the imagination of most American media outlets.

The image was used to illustrate articles on most US news websites, and broadcast on all the news networks, who reported on Obama reconnecting with his Celtic roots.

"When at a pub in Ireland, it would surely be deemed sacrilegious to deny yourself a pint of Guinness, especially if you're the president of the United States reconnecting with your distant Irish relatives," wrote Kelly Chernekoff, on the Fox News White House blog.

"So when visiting his great, great, great grandfather's hometown of Moneygall, the president was determined to not only drink a pint, but do it justice."

The visit has attracted considerable media attention, with the primary focus on Moneygall.

Mark Landler of the 'New York Times' wrote that: "President Obama may not be related to everybody in this postage-stamp Irish hamlet of 300 that claims him as its native son. But on Monday, Mr Obama appeared determined to hug, kiss or shake hands with every last one of them."

Jubilant

The paper described the visit as "jubilant" and the crowds who greeted him as "quite possibly the most loquacious rope line he has ever worked".

On TV, all the main networks previewed the visit with stories about Moneygall, including a report on NBC's top-rated morning show 'Today'.

Both MSNBC and CNN carried Mr Obama's speech at College Green in Dublin live in full.

CNN went to the scene early enough to hear Enda Kenny's impassioned plea to Irish Americans to follow their president home to Ireland.

Some outlets took a more sober take on events.

The 'LA Times', conscious of the ongoing controversy over Mr Obama's speech on Israel last week, carried his words of tribute to the Northern peace process as a model for other conflicts.

Bloomberg concentrated on Mr Obama's pledge of support for Ireland's efforts at economic recovery after the bailout.

The main news story of the day in the US was a massive tornado which killed at least 119 people in the city of Joplin, Missouri.

Most outlets carried reports from officials that Mr Obama was receiving regular updates on the damage as he made his way around Ireland.

This article appeared in the Irish Independent May 24 2011

Spiderman 2.0 hitting the right notes

A new air of positivity surrounds the Spiderman musical on Broadway, after preview performances resumed on Thursday night with no glitches and a more crowd-pleasing storyline. The $75m production, with a score written by Bono and the Edge, had taken a three week break to allow a new creative team to drastically rework the much-maligned musical.

New director Phil McKinley has put an increased emphasis on the love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, and on the battle with the villainous Green Goblin. The comic book’s most famous line – “With great power, comes great responsibility” has been included for the first time – its omission from the original version of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark had shocked fans.  “I’m very glad it’s in there. It’s got to be,” Reeve Carney, who plays Peter Parker/Spiderman, told me after Thursday night’s first preview of what’s being dubbed Spiderman 2.0. He said, after an “intense” few weeks of rehearsals, it was a relief to be back on stage in front of an audience. “I venture to say it was the most positive reaction we’ve had out of all 146 shows,” he said, basing his judgment on the volume of the response, and the laughter from the audience.

The new show adopts a much lighter touch, with many more jokes, some even at its own expense. At one stage the Green Goblin refers to himself as “a $65m circus tragedy” and quickly adds “make that $75m”. Spiderman is the most expensive musical ever staged on Broadway, and has been in previews for longer than any other show.

Patrick Page, the actor who plays the Green Goblin, says the creators of the show have listened to what fans and critics have said, and taken their suggestions on board. “It’s kind of the first Twitter Broadway show,” he said, “where people started saying: well this is what I think, and the creators and producers said okay, well let’s include their opinions.” Page said it had been the “thrill of a lifetime” to work in studio with Bono and the Edge over the past few weeks as they put together a new song “Freak Like Me”, which opens the second act of the show.

TV Carpio, who stars as Arachne, a character that has been transformed from a villain in the original production to a guardian angel for Spiderman in the new version, also paid tribute to the U2 guys. “They’ve been so supportive. It’s a dream come true. They’ve been great mentors and it’s been amazing to watch them work,” she said. Carpio says she’s happy that she continues to have “some of the most beautiful songs” in the show, despite her role being scaled back significantly. “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t affect me a little bit,” she conceded, “But it’s a bigger picture, this thing is bigger than my part. If my part has to be sacrificed for this story to be told and people wanting to hear it, I’m for it. I’m a team player.”

Actress Jennifer Damiano who plays Mary Jane, celebrated her 20^th birthday on Thursday, and is confident that they now have a “really solid show”. She was keen to give credit to ousted director Julie Taymor, whose “vision is still at the heart of the show”. Taymor retains a billing as “original director” on literature for the show, with new director McKinley billed as “creative consultant”.

One of the biggest cheers of the night was for stuntman Chris Tierney, who made his return to the Broadway show after suffering horrific injuries in a fall during a performance in December. Tierney, who suffered a fractured skull, fractured shoulder blades, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae when he fell 20 ft into a pit at the front of the stage, said he felt “stronger now than when I fell”. The new version includes four extra flying sequences, and Tierney says, despite still suffering some soreness and a lack of flexibility in places, he’s got no concerns about taking to the air.  “We are the most safe show on Broadway, I’ll tell you that much. We’ve gone through about 60 new Department of Labor precautions. I’ve got about four people looking after me every time they clip in anything. I think it’s a little too much now, but I guess it’s the best way to go.”

Audience members emerging from Thursday night’s preview seemed to have enjoyed the show, with most saying it had been a lot of fun. “I really liked it,” said Brian Hartlet from Stamford, Connecticut, who had seen the original version three times. “The overall story in this one is much clearer, it flows so much better than the last one. But there are some elements of the first one that I miss.” Critics have been invited back to review the show in early June, and their verdicts are expected to be published to coincide with the musical’s long-awaited official opening on June 14^th. 

Celebrations at Ground Zero as Bin Laden Killed by US Forces

As news broke that the world's most wanted terrorist had been killed by US forces in Pakistan, spontaneous celebrations erupted in Washington and New York.

At Ground Zero, site of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center's twin towers, thousands cheered.

I went down to the site to speak to some of those involved, and you can hear my a vox-pop of revellers, and my report on RTE Radio 1's John Murray Show at the following link.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thejohnmurrayshow/

(scroll down to the bottom of the page to the May 01st section)