Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, By Hope Wilkos, The South Florida Blogger. There is a relatively new Broadway play in town and it is causing quite a stir. The play is none other than “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark”. With music and lyrics written by 22-time Grammy winner U2’s Bono and The Edge and the play directed by Julie Taymor of “The Lion King”, there has to be success in the cards for this one.
Children and adults alike love Spiderman, a Marvel comic book hero. The storyline follows a few comic book fans who decide to write the ultimate Spider-Man story. It is an action-packed drama which will have theatergoers mesmerized. Aerial stunts are performed right over the audience and as they sit in their seats, they are brought right into the action.
The play is composed of 41 cast members and 18 orchestra members.
However, the play is not without its hardships. Featured in a segment on the television show ’60 Minutes’, it holds the record for the most preview performances leading up to the official opening. It has been plagued with bad luck. Numerous injuries including the injury of one of the lead actors and a concussion sustained by one of the lead actresses, defection of a lead actress and postponement have been the largest issues.
Spider-Man was set to officially open in February but now that date has been moved
to March 15th so that the play can be fine-tuned and a more spectacular finale can be put into place.
The play has been seven years in the making and one of the most expensive to produce at a cost of $65 million. It also holds a weekly running bill of close to $1 million so they have no choice but to fill the house for every performance. Premier seats go as high as $275. Luckily, the show has been selling out the 1930 seat theatre on a daily basis and thus has taken the title of most sold-out show away from the phenomenal play “Wicked”.
In unison with the Broadway play, professional photographer Annie Leibovitz has captured some very colorful and fashionable photos depicting the story of the comic book hero. Those photos can be seen in Vogue Magazine.
“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” can be seen at Foxwoods Theatre at 213 West 42nd Street in New York City. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM and Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Rush tickets are available each morning for $30 but the tickets normally range from $67.50 all the way up to close to $300 for a performance.
If you live in New York City or plan on visiting, put this play on your calendar for an experience not to be missed. Buy your tickets early before they are sold out.
Check out the website at http://www.spidermanonbroadway.com.
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