Michael Jayson
I feel like we all saw this coming a mile away…it’s just sad that it got to this point…
With the constant injuries, rewrites and retooling, the producers of Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” are now planning to temporarily shut down the musical yet again for a major overhaul, this time without star director Julie Taymor.
According to the NY Daily News, Taymor has completely walked away from the show she originally co-wrote and brought to life.
Producers of the $65 million play (the most expensive in Broadway history) plan to shut down preview performances for two to three weeks to retool and hold new rehearsals. According to one member of the production staff:
“I will say about these producers, they will do whatever it takes. They want a great show…When others would have given up, they will not.”
That’s an understatement…
The plans also call for the show’s official opening night, scheduled for this Tuesday, to be postponed for three months. Opening night for the musical, which puts on its 100th preview on Wednesday night, has already been delayed five times.
A lengthy shutdown would cost the show $1.3 million a week and cause it to miss out on any Tony Award nominations.
It was unclear if Taymor, a Tony Award-winning Broadway legend, quit or was fired, and her departure also left Broadway insiders speculating whether lead actor Reeve Carney, who was handpicked by Taymor, will stay with the show. Carney says, though, that he isn’t going anywhere:
“Oh yeah…All the changes, so far, have been good for the show…We’re just trying to make it the best it can be.”