It’s baaaaaaaack…
After a three week hiatus to retool…well, basically everything, ‘Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark’ premiered its first preview performance last night in New York City.
According to E! Online, the show’s overall concept, script, and music were all revamped. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, director Philip William McKinley and choreographer Chase Brock cleaned up a story that went into darker and mythological themes, and Bono and The Edge reworked the songs, hopefully all to give the audience a better storyline, and the cast and crew a safer environment.
Interestingly enough, one of the biggest changes seems to be one of the most hypocritical. With Julie Taymor out as director and McKinley in, the new crew decided to add more flying sequences to make the show more exciting. Several actors were injured performing the flying stunts last year, including Christopher Tierney, who took a 20-foot plunge during a show, suffering a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder blade, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae.
Though Thursday night’s preview was less than sold out (empty seats were reportedly very noticeable), there’s enough time for positive buzz to bring in the crowds in time for its June 14 opening night. Reeve Carney, who plays Peter Parker, said the changes have been reinvigorating:
“There’s an energy in the company because of having a clear direction, knowing where we’re headed and knowing that it’s going to be to a greater place.”
All the bad press, including both professional critics and regular fans slamming the show, didn’t hurt the show at the box office, where it regularly sold out and was among the highest earners on Broadway.The new show expects to have about a month of previews before its June 14 opening. Rick Miramontez , a show spokesman, said tickets to the new show are “selling briskly.”
Tickets are now on sale through Oct. 2 and group tickets are on sale through Jan. 8, 2012.
