Spiderman 2.0- Page 6

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 8:55am

Mr. Matt, by your definition if I could get an audience to pay to watch me take a dump down stage right in a Broadway house, that's a Broadway show. Not so simple I'm afraid.

It is precisely that simple. If you took a dump down stage right at the Snapple, it would be an Off-Broadway show. Subjective connotations of images inspired by the word "Broadway" doesn't change the basic fact that any show produced in a Broadway house, regardless of material, is a Broadway show by definition.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 9:00am

The show ran two hours and 45 excruciatingly long minutes last night.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 9:08am

Caught the new production last night - I guess its more coherent than Taymor's vision, but my God is it boring. Seriously, it makes PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE look like the BOOK OF MORMON in comparison. I spent most of the time thinking about what I should wear on the bus to DC to see FOLLIES today.

For all the mess that 1.0 was, I greatly preferred it - at least you had no idea wherethehell the show was headed in its crazy second act; and the stuff with Arachne and the shoes was camp heaven.

I suppose the reboot may be more commercial, but I still think it will get terrible reviews.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 9:15am

This cant possible get good reviews !!!

[tking001]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 10:58am

Rush now includes first 2 rows of the center orchestra

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 11:47am

MB, I'm so glad you agree with me on just how mind numbingly boring it is!

[Moneyspider]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 12:35pm

Is how much Spiderman material there is to choose from. I understand Spiderman 1602 isn't going to be it, as fun a read as it was, but how bold would it be if Act one ended with the death of Gwen Stacy?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 12:57pm

There are truly, actually thousands of Spider-Man stories that would be more theatrical and exciting than what they ended up throwing together.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 6:01pm

If you have an overlong, boring show, and have run out of time to make extensive revisions, then the solution is to make the boredom less protracted by cutting it. There's a lot of dead weight here that needs to be excised.

One of the major problems of the new version is it takes much too long to get into gear. Too much unnecessary exposition, too much background explanations Get Spiderman into his suit as quickly as possible and get the show going

To start off the show with the Arachne scene is a big mistake, and immediately digs the show into a hole. People have come to see the story of Spiderman, not Arachne, and this is what the first scene is devoted to? You have to capture an audience's interest from the get go, and here the show is immediately throwing it away. I understand they wanted to retain the effect of the weaving scene, but I just don't think it's worth the negatives. If they cut Arachne entirely like they did the Geeks, think of the dead time that could be shaved off.


But since they seem intent on keeping this scene, and thus, the character, there are other early scenes that could be done away with. "Bullying by Numbers" is a bad scene and song, and adds nothung but dead time. You see Parker taunted by the other kids in the classroom. that's sufficient to get the point across.


Then the scene in the lab is also inert and without interest The Green Goblin is interesting, the scientist is not. And the song is horrendous and needs to go.

The solution would be is to change the classroom scene to a science class, with a lesson on spiders, where Peter can explain the myth of Arachne, we could see the tableau, and then can say he's looking forward to the class visit to the scientist's lab since he's a specialist in spiders. Someone can enter the class with a sudden announcement that the class trip has been canceled because on the news they announced an accident at the lab. There was an explosion, the scientist's wife was killed, but they can't find the scientist, and one of the spiders also is missing. Have the spider come down and bite Peter, and
show the Green Goblin peering into the classroom window, and then get that show going!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 6:16pm

^

I like the new version of Arachne so I don't think they should cut her entirely, but I agree that a show about Spider-Man shouldn't open with a prologue about Arachne. Still, her bit in "Rise Above" is a high point and I don't think it should be cut. If she wasn't explained prior to that then her appearance in the song wouldn't make sense.

Updated On: 5/14/11 at 06:16 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 7:40pm

After Eight-
A late point of attack for this show is not a bad idea- everyone knows the origin of Spider-Man, for god's sake. We don't need to know his origin story. Again. But your suggestion is just unwise playwriting. Urinetown put it well: "Too Much Exposition". All telling and no showing is just as boring as all showing and no telling. And such an exposition-heavy scene would be so obvious, heavy-handed, and boring.

A smarter production team would've had the story start with Spider-Man already created and done something from there. Spider-Man 2 was the most successful of the films because we didn't spend half the film establishing who the hell Spider-Man is or why he is. We got a little exposition about Doc Ock and then a very strong film with strong character arcs. There is no reason why the musical couldn't have done that, aside from Taymor wanting to put her mark on the whole Spider-Man mythos.

It's clear they are just taking what Taymor created it, doing some pruning and some remolding and then calling it art. But at it's heart, it sounds like this thing is mostly the same, now instead of being bizarre, crazy, bad, and kinda boring, it's now just boring.
If they want to make a Spider-Man musical that works, they're gonna need to scrap it and start anew, which is just completely unfeasible.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 8:44pm

The first number could be the Spiderman origin story. Then that part could be quickly and easily out of the way. Forget Arachne; she's pointless.

[kyl3fong2]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 8:51pm

I caught the show last night and I enjoyed it. Sure, it isn't the best Broadway show out there but the set design and flying sequences did indeed WOW me. I agree with the story dragging at times, and I absolutely despised the book. The dialogue was horrendous at some parts and I am VERY disappointed at U2's songs. I really liked Arachne's songs and all of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson duets.

"Boy Falls From the Sky" was also one of the highlights. I read somewhere on this thread that there were no memorable songs and the person who posted that comment said that all they got out of the show was the guitar riffs, which I entirely agree with.

That being said however, I really liked Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano and TV's performances. Patrick Page was also AMAZING as the Green Goblin. All in all, it is indeed a very tourist-y show and kind of theme park-like, but it was a fun show nonetheless.

[yournamehere]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 8:57pm

I can't wait for the evil 'a' word to leak so I can hear the changes... before I trek my lazy, allergy plagued ass all the way up on an NJ Transit train and it turns out it's know good.

I liked the score, unlike most people, so we will see. I probably will like that it has different people singing, etc. A lot of the changes seem to be for the best and the first act, now second act, ending was always really good. That set looked awesome.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 9:05pm

Kad,

I agree with you. There should be no exposition at all. But they seem intent on keeping Arachne just for that tableau. My suggested solution tried to take that into account. It might also be boring, but it would be a lot shorter than all the boring stuff excised, so that would be a net gain. And one of the problems with keeping that Arachne tableau, is in that tableau, the myth of Arachne is told, not shown. What a deadly way to begin!

Whatever they end up doing, they absolutely must cut that awful military song.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 10:01pm

It seems to be that this is all one big Red Queen's race: a lot of running to stay in the same spot.

[jovie27]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 10:23pm

I read in an interview, I think William Phillip McKennly(sp) was saying how they wanted to change it to get more of the tourist which in mind met more "spectacle" and since his background is the big splashy stuff...then the producers and creative team have done their job, if that is what they are going for!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 10:36pm

But there is no "spectacle". In fact, there's less of it now than there was before they changed the show. It looks even cheaper than before if that's at all possible.

[kyl3fong2]

Posted: 5/14/11 at 10:41pm

I wish Jennifer Damiano had a 11 o'clock number in this production. Her talent is somewhat wasted in this show. But at least they expanded her role more now...

[Nick Murphy]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 12:48am

I am stunned to report that the show is worse than it was before. Whatever the problems with Julie Taymor's production (and there were many), there were moments of stunning theatricality. EVERY SINGLE ONE has been tampered with and rendered less effective. It's astonishing. The book has been improved, and the relationship between Peter and MJ is better. The new direction is clumsy and flat and the new choreography is nothing short of embarrassing. What a mess. What a shame.

Posted: 5/15/11 at 8:13am

Anyone feel they were just watching "How the GRinch stole New York?"

I can't remove Patrick Page's performance out of my head with Grinch.
Which he did so well...with a better book and score.

And now...I just hear and see Grinch's voice and mannerisms with an updated costume sans Santa coat and hat.....but with spiky arms and hands....

same humor, same eye rolls...and smile and vocal tone.

[HopeChanged]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:42pm

Had zero desire to see it before.
Have zero desire to see it now.
And there, my friends, is my full Spidey analysis.

[Mystic Pasta]

Posted: 5/15/11 at 3:53pm

I agree with Jordan. There is not much spectacle. If they had kept all the talk about the millions spent on the production quiet I think people would have enjoyed the show slightly more. It's still as boring as Spiderman 1.0 only less confusing. Having now seen Wonderland and Spiderman in the same week, I think the production elements of Wonderland are better. The choreography in Wonderland is also more exciting and varied than Spiderman.