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Michael Giltz
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Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark , Spider-Man Musical , Spider-Man , u2 , Entertainment
News
3
19
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3React
Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: "Spiderman: Turn Off The
Dark" -- The Review
SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK * 1/2 out of
****
FOXWOODS THEATRE
Our story so far... Never mind. You know about the
budget, the delays, the drama, the rewrites. I didn't see
the earlier incarnations of Spiderman: Turn Off The
Dark , so I came to this show with very modest
expectations and must sadly report that they weren'tmet. If you're an absolute fanatic for Spiderman or havea little kid desperate to see it, the show is painless andhas some striking elements in its production design tokeep you engaged. That's better than some Broadwaymusicals but hardly a ringing endorsement.
The central flaw is not the story or the set or the direction (by Julie Taymor with Philip William McKinley
listed as "creative consultant" and Taymor as providing "original direction"). The central flaw is the score
and songs by Bono and The Edge. The best number in the show is "Vertigo," the hit U2 song that's heardbriefly in a nightclub sequence. Otherwise, vaguely anthemic numbers like "Rise Above" and "Boy FallsFrom The Sky" strive for importance but deliver neither the melodic hooks of U2 nor the character-driven emotion of the best Broadway songs.
Two brief moments other than "Vertigo" also provide a jolt. When we see Spiderman climbing a
skyscraper and about to vault himself into the sky (and the theater), the Edge lets loose with a short
FOLLOW US
September 15, 2011
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melodic passage bursting with the chiming guitar sound that is his signature, a genuine roar fills the
theater. A similar moment occurs in Act Two. Both are gone almost before they start, but for a momentwhen the audience hears the sound they associate with U2 paired with Spidey in action, they're thrilled.Here's "Rise Above" performed live on American Idol.
If the name of the show was the first warning sign ( Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark remains inexplicable
and dumb), hiring Bono and The Edge was the second one. Many pop stars traffic in character-driven
story songs that lead you to believe they might have the talent for Broadway, which is why Billy Joel and
Elton John and Paul Simon (not to mention Duncan Sheik and Nellie McKay) have proven such hotproperties.
But U2 has never told stories or created vivid characters in their tunes like those others. They deal in
ideas and feelings; they create classic tunes that dive into personal and idiosyncratic moments that aretransformed into something universal. None of that makes them well-suited to writing songs forcharacters that move the plot forward. You can build a musical around any act as long-lasting and greatas U2 (or Bruce Springsteen or Queen etc.), but that's not the same as asking them to write originalmaterial for a Broadway show. Bono and The Edge are ill-suited to the role and their generic materiallike "Bullying By Numbers," "If The World Should End" and "D.I.Y. World" prove it.
So what exactly happens in the show? Assuming you're vaguely familiar with the Spiderman comics and
the great Tobey Maguire movies made from them, there are no spoilers as such to reveal. Gawky teengets bit by radioactive spider and tries to juggle school, work as a low-paid freelance photographer and agreat girlfriend with the annoying responsibility of saving the world and fighting the Green Goblin.
The show begins with Peter Parker (Reeve Carney) giving a report in school on the Greek myth of
Arachne. A Greek chorus of women (not the Geek Chorus from the show's earlier version) appears inmid-air, swinging out towards the audience on long yellow banners of cloth. As they sing and move back
and forth, horizontal bands of cloth are lowered and the women are literally weaving the cloth into a
pattern in mid-air as they tell the story of Arachne, the greatest artist at looming who challenges even thegods with her talent. It's a simple, beautiful, and very theatrical effect. Very little in the show matches itfor simplicity and style, but it's your first indication that if Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is notable for
anything, it's the sometimes chaotic but always bold and interesting set design and costumes.
Parker's classroom is also clever: it's a pop-up affair with half the classroom just a visual goof of
cardboard students and desks with a slanted hallway heading towards the back of the stage. Throughoutthe show, we get some good nods to comic books in the design, especially the skyscrapers of New YorkCity (presented in perhaps a dozen different ways, all of them eye-catching) right down to the "To Be
Continued" visual that appears at the end of the first act.
When Peter walks home after being bullied by a UN cross-section of kids, the streets also get a nifty
representation in hand-drawn backdrops that fold and re-fold to indicate different streets andperspectives as Peter walks on. It's a cool effect, though it becomes overused throughout the show until itfinally seems a little lame, unfortunately. The lab for Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin is also casually
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suggestive of a big space in a fun, comic book way. A tiny little subway car rolls across a track and we get
all we need to know in one scene; it's much better than the giant skyscraper and bridges that pop out and
unfold themselves rather laboriously for major stunt scenes.
But by and large the scenic and production designs are engaging. The costumes, however, are generally a
flop. Our first glimpse of criminals reveals your garden variety bank robber presented in an inflatable,cartoon-like costume a la Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy. Ok, cool. But soon we get a swarm of evil villains
in cumbersome costumes like Carnage, Electro, Swiss Miss, and the like. Their costumes are so bulky theycan barely move around on stage. This problem is a real drag when it comes to the Green Goblin (Patrick
Page).
He's a familiar Broadway villain: kind of campy and a supposed scene-stealer. But here the Goblin's best
line is a lame reference to the show's giant budget. Otherwise, he's so encumbered by his costume, he can
barely walk to the front of the stage and lift his arms while minions dance around him during the bigmusical numbers.
A further constant problem is the miking. Because of the elaborate stunts, Spiderman and the Green
Goblin are both played by numerous other actors at various points in the show while being voiced byCarney and Page off-stage. This creates an impersonal feel for much of the show, with voices boomingout of nowhere clearly unrelated to the guy swinging around the theater.
Look at the scene where Peter Parker first discovers his super powers. It's one of the emotional high
points in the first movie, with Tobey Maguire perfectly capturing the ecstatic glee of the moment. Nowwe get to see that emotion transported into song via "Bouncing Off The Walls." The technical aspects areclever, with Peter suspended by wires in his bedroom, which is represented by four or five "walls" held inplace by humans mostly hidden behind them. Peter literally bounces off the walls, pinging back andforth. Star Reeve Carney sings the verses and then jumps here and there and everywhere. Naturally, it'simpossible to do those gymnastics (sometimes upside down) and sing properly, so the chorus is handledby an offstage group of singers. But the chorus of a song is when the singer explodes with excitement. It'sthe hook you've been waiting for melodically. But because of the demands of the stunt, just when wewant to hear Peter bursting with emotion, he has to stop singing.
I can't think of how they should have handled such demands, but this is no small issue and has a lot to do
with why this show feels so emotionally distant and inert. When we want our star to burst into song, hehas to remain quiet. Or when the big action scenes are taking place, we know we're often watching stand-ins and hearing voices come from backstage.
Even the webbing is a let-down. Confetti is the natural and obvious choice, but when it pops out of
Spidey's wrist and just sort of gently floats down on a villain, well, you get the general idea but it's notexactly exciting. The stunts are certainly technically challenging and fun to see in a Broadway house. Butthey're not beautiful or emotionally important, just sort of...fun. Even that pales after the fourth or fifthtime around the theater for our hero or the evil Green Goblin. You've seen more entrancing work at any
Cirque Du Soleil performance, though unquestionably it was a huge challenge to deliver them over an
audience night after night.
Certain elements stick out. In a goofier, more comic show, the passing moment when a building is on fire
and someone shouts "My baby" in a long, drawn-out wail while a giant cardboard baby floats down onlyto be caught in a giant Spidey palm that pops out from off-stage in an overs-sized, cartoon style mighthave been truly hilarious rather than just odd and dorky.
It's tempting to call the handsome Carney bland, but why blame him for the dull songs he tries to liven
up? He's certainly better than Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane, who certainly looks the part but strainsduring her singing. Neither is helped by the sound, which makes many of the lyrics unintelligible,especially during big numbers where multiple people are singing at once.
In short, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is a mess, albeit a coherent mess, as opposed to earlier reviews
of the show in previews. The set design is playful at times. The visuals can be striking, such as when
Spidey is singing a big number and the visual flourishes of skyscrapers come fast and furious in the videodisplays, creating a sense of excitement otherwise missing from the tune. But just as often, the costumes
and sets get in the way, weighing down the actors. The story hits all the main points of the comic and
movie versions, right down to a curtain call where Spidey arrives upside down and gets to kiss MaryJane, just like we remember from the film.
It's a pity there's nothing in this show that isn't just a pale reflection of other, better versions that came
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Oh No They Didn't! - Cute on-again couple backstage
at 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'
Review Music from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark |
Guttersnipe - A magazine for discerning tastes
Music from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark | The IE
Mommy
Anna Faris Talks
Women Actresses,
Co-Stars And...
Paul Rudd In
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Loathing, Nudity
And...
'Butter' Screening:
Weinstein Takes On
Bachmann,
Garner...
'We Bought A Zoo'
Trailer: Matt
Damon,...before. You'll leave the show wanting to watch the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire movies or read the comics,
not because this is so good but just to remind yourself of why you cared in the first place.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to this show with the understanding that he would
be writing a review.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
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broadwayworld SPIDER -MAN , TURN OFF THE DARK Catches 500,000th
Audience Member... http://t.co/3YcIoTUa
6 hours ago from BroadwayWorld
jaijurkesee PHOTO FLASH: Broadway's Spider -Man: Turn Off the Dark Welcomes
500000th ... - TheaterMania.com http://t.co/BosUeoZr
1 hour ago from web
sarah_ross
RetweetDear Twitter Friends pls check this
out: Have We Overlooked the Most
Effective Way to Prevent Terrorism& War? http://t.co/YyoQ1EIR
soundcloud
Retweet'Listening for the Sounds of
innovation.", a great guest post by
our own @Bougie over on
@HuffPostTech http://t.co/aIT65Ox
ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE
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Part of HuffPost NewsFRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORE
Michael Giltz
Freelance writer
GET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ
Read more
Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark , Spider-Man Musical , Spider-Man , u2 , Entertainment
News
3
19
1
3React
Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: "Spiderman: Turn Off The
Dark" -- The Review
SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK * 1/2 out of
****
FOXWOODS THEATRE
Our story so far... Never mind. You know about the
budget, the delays, the drama, the rewrites. I didn't see
the earlier incarnations of Spiderman: Turn Off The
Dark , so I came to this show with very modest
expectations and must sadly report that they weren'tmet. If you're an absolute fanatic for Spiderman or havea little kid desperate to see it, the show is painless andhas some striking elements in its production design tokeep you engaged. That's better than some Broadwaymusicals but hardly a ringing endorsement.
The central flaw is not the story or the set or the direction (by Julie Taymor with Philip William McKinley
listed as "creative consultant" and Taymor as providing "original direction"). The central flaw is the score
and songs by Bono and The Edge. The best number in the show is "Vertigo," the hit U2 song that's heardbriefly in a nightclub sequence. Otherwise, vaguely anthemic numbers like "Rise Above" and "Boy FallsFrom The Sky" strive for importance but deliver neither the melodic hooks of U2 nor the character-driven emotion of the best Broadway songs.
Two brief moments other than "Vertigo" also provide a jolt. When we see Spiderman climbing a
skyscraper and about to vault himself into the sky (and the theater), the Edge lets loose with a short
FOLLOW US
September 15, 2011
Signs Your
Husband Is GayKirstie Alley Walks
NYFW
The Alexander
Wang PartyKnightley Gets
Dangerous
EDITION: U.S.
Like 43
Posted: 06/20/11 05:28 PM ET
SHARE THIS STORY
Submit this story
Get Entertainment Alerts
Sign UpPHOTO GALLERIES
CONNECT
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORE
Like 40KTelevision Mad Men Jersey Shore Scarlett Johansson BlackBerry 101 More Log in
melodic passage bursting with the chiming guitar sound that is his signature, a genuine roar fills the
theater. A similar moment occurs in Act Two. Both are gone almost before they start, but for a momentwhen the audience hears the sound they associate with U2 paired with Spidey in action, they're thrilled.Here's "Rise Above" performed live on American Idol.
If the name of the show was the first warning sign ( Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark remains inexplicable
and dumb), hiring Bono and The Edge was the second one. Many pop stars traffic in character-driven
story songs that lead you to believe they might have the talent for Broadway, which is why Billy Joel and
Elton John and Paul Simon (not to mention Duncan Sheik and Nellie McKay) have proven such hotproperties.
But U2 has never told stories or created vivid characters in their tunes like those others. They deal in
ideas and feelings; they create classic tunes that dive into personal and idiosyncratic moments that aretransformed into something universal. None of that makes them well-suited to writing songs forcharacters that move the plot forward. You can build a musical around any act as long-lasting and greatas U2 (or Bruce Springsteen or Queen etc.), but that's not the same as asking them to write originalmaterial for a Broadway show. Bono and The Edge are ill-suited to the role and their generic materiallike "Bullying By Numbers," "If The World Should End" and "D.I.Y. World" prove it.
So what exactly happens in the show? Assuming you're vaguely familiar with the Spiderman comics and
the great Tobey Maguire movies made from them, there are no spoilers as such to reveal. Gawky teengets bit by radioactive spider and tries to juggle school, work as a low-paid freelance photographer and agreat girlfriend with the annoying responsibility of saving the world and fighting the Green Goblin.
The show begins with Peter Parker (Reeve Carney) giving a report in school on the Greek myth of
Arachne. A Greek chorus of women (not the Geek Chorus from the show's earlier version) appears inmid-air, swinging out towards the audience on long yellow banners of cloth. As they sing and move back
and forth, horizontal bands of cloth are lowered and the women are literally weaving the cloth into a
pattern in mid-air as they tell the story of Arachne, the greatest artist at looming who challenges even thegods with her talent. It's a simple, beautiful, and very theatrical effect. Very little in the show matches itfor simplicity and style, but it's your first indication that if Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is notable for
anything, it's the sometimes chaotic but always bold and interesting set design and costumes.
Parker's classroom is also clever: it's a pop-up affair with half the classroom just a visual goof of
cardboard students and desks with a slanted hallway heading towards the back of the stage. Throughoutthe show, we get some good nods to comic books in the design, especially the skyscrapers of New YorkCity (presented in perhaps a dozen different ways, all of them eye-catching) right down to the "To Be
Continued" visual that appears at the end of the first act.
When Peter walks home after being bullied by a UN cross-section of kids, the streets also get a nifty
representation in hand-drawn backdrops that fold and re-fold to indicate different streets andperspectives as Peter walks on. It's a cool effect, though it becomes overused throughout the show until itfinally seems a little lame, unfortunately. The lab for Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin is also casually
MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2
'Web Cam 101 For Seniors'
Turns Oregon Oldsters Into
YouTube Celebrities
Scarlett Johansson Nude
Photos Prompt Investigation
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Patient Should Be Left To Die
Celestrellas: Angola named
Miss Universe 2011 - show
recap (PHOTOS & VIDEOS)
AOL TV: Jon Cryer, Ashton
Kutcher & Angus T. Jones
Talk 'Two and a Half Men'
Season 9 (VIDEO)
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12
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(video)
AOL Jobs: Spelling Errors
Send Red Flags To Employers
DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5
Kumi Naidoo
Don’t Make a Wave: Greenpeace at
40
Candy Spelling
iPads and Social Media in the
Classroom?
Like 111K
Like 80
Like 64K
Like 2K
Like 453
Like 2K
Like 111
Like 3K
Like 1K
Scarlett Johansson
Contacts FBI AboutHacked Nude Images
Scarlett Johansson
Becomes A TwitterTrending Topic
suggestive of a big space in a fun, comic book way. A tiny little subway car rolls across a track and we get
all we need to know in one scene; it's much better than the giant skyscraper and bridges that pop out and
unfold themselves rather laboriously for major stunt scenes.
But by and large the scenic and production designs are engaging. The costumes, however, are generally a
flop. Our first glimpse of criminals reveals your garden variety bank robber presented in an inflatable,cartoon-like costume a la Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy. Ok, cool. But soon we get a swarm of evil villains
in cumbersome costumes like Carnage, Electro, Swiss Miss, and the like. Their costumes are so bulky theycan barely move around on stage. This problem is a real drag when it comes to the Green Goblin (Patrick
Page).
He's a familiar Broadway villain: kind of campy and a supposed scene-stealer. But here the Goblin's best
line is a lame reference to the show's giant budget. Otherwise, he's so encumbered by his costume, he can
barely walk to the front of the stage and lift his arms while minions dance around him during the bigmusical numbers.
A further constant problem is the miking. Because of the elaborate stunts, Spiderman and the Green
Goblin are both played by numerous other actors at various points in the show while being voiced byCarney and Page off-stage. This creates an impersonal feel for much of the show, with voices boomingout of nowhere clearly unrelated to the guy swinging around the theater.
Look at the scene where Peter Parker first discovers his super powers. It's one of the emotional high
points in the first movie, with Tobey Maguire perfectly capturing the ecstatic glee of the moment. Nowwe get to see that emotion transported into song via "Bouncing Off The Walls." The technical aspects areclever, with Peter suspended by wires in his bedroom, which is represented by four or five "walls" held inplace by humans mostly hidden behind them. Peter literally bounces off the walls, pinging back andforth. Star Reeve Carney sings the verses and then jumps here and there and everywhere. Naturally, it'simpossible to do those gymnastics (sometimes upside down) and sing properly, so the chorus is handledby an offstage group of singers. But the chorus of a song is when the singer explodes with excitement. It'sthe hook you've been waiting for melodically. But because of the demands of the stunt, just when wewant to hear Peter bursting with emotion, he has to stop singing.
I can't think of how they should have handled such demands, but this is no small issue and has a lot to do
with why this show feels so emotionally distant and inert. When we want our star to burst into song, hehas to remain quiet. Or when the big action scenes are taking place, we know we're often watching stand-ins and hearing voices come from backstage.
Even the webbing is a let-down. Confetti is the natural and obvious choice, but when it pops out of
Spidey's wrist and just sort of gently floats down on a villain, well, you get the general idea but it's notexactly exciting. The stunts are certainly technically challenging and fun to see in a Broadway house. Butthey're not beautiful or emotionally important, just sort of...fun. Even that pales after the fourth or fifthtime around the theater for our hero or the evil Green Goblin. You've seen more entrancing work at any
Cirque Du Soleil performance, though unquestionably it was a huge challenge to deliver them over an
audience night after night.
Certain elements stick out. In a goofier, more comic show, the passing moment when a building is on fire
and someone shouts "My baby" in a long, drawn-out wail while a giant cardboard baby floats down onlyto be caught in a giant Spidey palm that pops out from off-stage in an overs-sized, cartoon style mighthave been truly hilarious rather than just odd and dorky.
It's tempting to call the handsome Carney bland, but why blame him for the dull songs he tries to liven
up? He's certainly better than Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane, who certainly looks the part but strainsduring her singing. Neither is helped by the sound, which makes many of the lyrics unintelligible,especially during big numbers where multiple people are singing at once.
In short, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is a mess, albeit a coherent mess, as opposed to earlier reviews
of the show in previews. The set design is playful at times. The visuals can be striking, such as when
Spidey is singing a big number and the visual flourishes of skyscrapers come fast and furious in the videodisplays, creating a sense of excitement otherwise missing from the tune. But just as often, the costumes
and sets get in the way, weighing down the actors. The story hits all the main points of the comic and
movie versions, right down to a curtain call where Spidey arrives upside down and gets to kiss MaryJane, just like we remember from the film.
It's a pity there's nothing in this show that isn't just a pale reflection of other, better versions that came
TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 12
Halle Berry's Flawless
Bikini Bod
Olsen Sister Flashes HerBra
Scarlett's naked pics, TylerPerry is highest paid
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2
HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3
HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2
More Entertainment News at THR.com
More Celebrity News at People.comKirstie Alley AllegedlyDemanded Dramatic
Helicopter Entrance At
9/11 Memorial
America's Got Talent Picksa Winner
READ MORE
Michaele Salahi Was NotKidnapped as Husband
Claimed
READ MORE
Susan Powell Searchers
Find Human Remains
READ MORE
Cher Lashes Out On
'Terrified' Chaz Bono
Haters
Anna Faris On Her Boob
Job & Bulls*it Women
Actress Friends
PHOTOS: Johnny Depp
Gets Creepy
Like 2K
Baby Bump Of The Year!
Like 1K
TOP LINKS ON THIS TOPIC
1 of 5
Oh No They Didn't! - Cute on-again couple backstage
at 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'
Review Music from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark |
Guttersnipe - A magazine for discerning tastes
Music from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark | The IE
Mommy
Anna Faris Talks
Women Actresses,
Co-Stars And...
Paul Rudd In
Playboy: Self-
Loathing, Nudity
And...
'Butter' Screening:
Weinstein Takes On
Bachmann,
Garner...
'We Bought A Zoo'
Trailer: Matt
Damon,...before. You'll leave the show wanting to watch the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire movies or read the comics,
not because this is so good but just to remind yourself of why you cared in the first place.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to this show with the understanding that he would
be writing a review.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
Buy a link here Sponsored Links
65-Year-Old Mom Looks 25
One-Day Only: Mom Reveals $5 Wrinkle Trick Angering Doctors!
ConsumerLifestyles.org
Hyatt Summerfield Suites®
All Suites Hotel with a Full Kitchen. Free Breakfast & Wi-Fi. Book Now
Hyatt.com/SummerfieldSuites
What is Scientology
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broadwayworld SPIDER -MAN , TURN OFF THE DARK Catches 500,000th
Audience Member... http://t.co/3YcIoTUa
6 hours ago from BroadwayWorld
jaijurkesee PHOTO FLASH: Broadway's Spider -Man: Turn Off the Dark Welcomes
500000th ... - TheaterMania.com http://t.co/BosUeoZr
1 hour ago from web
sarah_ross
RetweetDear Twitter Friends pls check this
out: Have We Overlooked the Most
Effective Way to Prevent Terrorism& War? http://t.co/YyoQ1EIR
soundcloud
Retweet'Listening for the Sounds of
innovation.", a great guest post by
our own @Bougie over on
@HuffPostTech http://t.co/aIT65Ox
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