Apparently, producers behind the long-awaited, U2-penned Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical still haven’t found what they’re looking for. The most expensive production in Broadway history won’t premiere until January 11, a few weeks after the expected December 21 curtain-raising.
“Shows like ours, that embrace the challenge of opening on Broadway without an out-of-town tryout, often need to adjust their schedules along the way,” said executive producer Michael Cohl. “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has an unprecedented level of technical artistry, and getting it right takes time. We apologize in advance to any inconvenienced ticketholders.”
Those who’d purchased tickets to performances before January 11 will be contacted directly and offered tickets for a different date, or a full refund. Preview performances were set to begin November 14, but will now start November 28.
According to The New York Times, the delay is due to the fact that a number of flying sequences and stunts have yet to be perfected, and producers was unable to present them all for safety inspectors earlier this week.
In addition, a source told the Times that “music, special effects and scenes of plot and dialogue were still largely in separate pieces,” and that director Julie Taymor (best known for The Lion King) has been “experimenting over and over with the flying stunts and other special effects rather than preoccupying herself with deadlines.”
There’s also some doubt about the continued financial viability of the production, which has raked in about $8 million in advance ticket sales, plus somewhere from $2-3 million in unpaid advance group sales — numbers that would bode well for a $10 million production, but not so much for a $60 million endeavor with weekly running costs of nearly $1 million, the Times reports.
Regardless of the delays, there’s been a palpable ramp-up for the musical’s debut, including a live performance of one of the songs U2 wrote for the show, “Boy Falls from the Sky,” by castmember Reeve Carney (who plays Peter Parker) and his band on Good Morning America in September. A month later, U2 played it themselves in Portugal.
Do you think the show will be a success, or a flop? Sound off in the comments.
