#351
Posted: 12/22/10 at 10:29pm
Oh, wow, I just caught up on much of this thread, and I'm just amazed by most of the comments.
I've gathered--since talk of Spiderman began--that there is a general resistance on this board to risk in any sense of the word. From the fact that Spiderman as musical is a risky concept, to the riskiness of putting $65 million behind ANY musical, to the very calculated risk of acrobatics and stunt work. It's all very silly to me. Risk is what makes art, what makes excitement in the theater--whether it's the risk of an actor baring his or her soul, or a stuntman performing a flying trick. Given that Spiderman's acrobatics seem to be akin to Cirque-type feats, the very nature of the beast is that with these stunts, there has to be an element of apparent danger. Yet, some people seem to be arguing that there are just too many stunts and that perhaps they should reformulate the show to remove what is the meat and potatoes of stunt work and acrobatics to BEGIN with. That, I believe, is ludicrous. As others have mentioned, from to Mary Poppins, to Glinda floating in her bubble in Wicked, to Elphaba defying gravity...flying is a risky stage trick that seems to have a huge payoff in terms of spectacle. Whether or not injuries have occurred in those other shows is almost irrelevant because a small mistake could cause serious injury in any one of those cases. (Or in less likely places i.e. Idina Menzel's dangerous plunge in the melting scene of Wicked)
Then there is the issue as to whether or not Taymor, the crew, the producers, etc are even taking safety into consideration. To me, the notion that they AREN'T taking safety into the utmost consideration is beyond ludicrous. Why wouldn't they? It is in the best interest of everyone's reputation and finances to make sure the calculated risks of the production are performed under the safest conditions possible. People seem to forget how financially and artistically crippling an incident like this is; so if you truly believe the only interest here is in money or ego, I think you perhaps need to put yourself in the shoes of these supposedly wicked, greedy, insensitive, egomaniacs and consider how proper safety might just be in their best interest. How much money are they losing shutting down today's performances? What kind of financial and creative hassle will it be to replace this actor?
Of course, in the chaos and excitement of putting up Broadway's most expensive venture in history, it's easy to see how pretty important steps can be missed. But it's far far easier to sit here in the comfort of our homes without risking any money or anything in the creative process and blame and shame the people involved in this undertaking for their lack of care. It's hideously easy, when injuries have ALREADY occurred, to talk about "Oh that stunt is too dangerous!" It's hideously easy, when you're watching from the outside, to point out how wrong the people who are not sitting on their asses at the computer are. It's far too easy, when you have no idea how much work and care something of this scale takes, to say we would have done all this SO MUCH BETTER than the people who actually have the credentials to do it.
Obviously, I am not saying that mistakes--big mistakes--were not made here, and I'm not exactly granting a pardon to Taymor and the gang here. But some need to get a grip and realize that nobody did this on purpose, nobody wanted it to happen.
Lastly, I think the more bad that happens with this show and the more people who HATE it talk about it, the more they are feeding the beast. This is all publicity, and this all makes people--for better or for worse--intrigued and interested in the show. I really believe the show will not only make it to opening, but recoup...however long it takes them to get there.
I've gathered--since talk of Spiderman began--that there is a general resistance on this board to risk in any sense of the word. From the fact that Spiderman as musical is a risky concept, to the riskiness of putting $65 million behind ANY musical, to the very calculated risk of acrobatics and stunt work. It's all very silly to me. Risk is what makes art, what makes excitement in the theater--whether it's the risk of an actor baring his or her soul, or a stuntman performing a flying trick. Given that Spiderman's acrobatics seem to be akin to Cirque-type feats, the very nature of the beast is that with these stunts, there has to be an element of apparent danger. Yet, some people seem to be arguing that there are just too many stunts and that perhaps they should reformulate the show to remove what is the meat and potatoes of stunt work and acrobatics to BEGIN with. That, I believe, is ludicrous. As others have mentioned, from to Mary Poppins, to Glinda floating in her bubble in Wicked, to Elphaba defying gravity...flying is a risky stage trick that seems to have a huge payoff in terms of spectacle. Whether or not injuries have occurred in those other shows is almost irrelevant because a small mistake could cause serious injury in any one of those cases. (Or in less likely places i.e. Idina Menzel's dangerous plunge in the melting scene of Wicked)
Then there is the issue as to whether or not Taymor, the crew, the producers, etc are even taking safety into consideration. To me, the notion that they AREN'T taking safety into the utmost consideration is beyond ludicrous. Why wouldn't they? It is in the best interest of everyone's reputation and finances to make sure the calculated risks of the production are performed under the safest conditions possible. People seem to forget how financially and artistically crippling an incident like this is; so if you truly believe the only interest here is in money or ego, I think you perhaps need to put yourself in the shoes of these supposedly wicked, greedy, insensitive, egomaniacs and consider how proper safety might just be in their best interest. How much money are they losing shutting down today's performances? What kind of financial and creative hassle will it be to replace this actor?
Of course, in the chaos and excitement of putting up Broadway's most expensive venture in history, it's easy to see how pretty important steps can be missed. But it's far far easier to sit here in the comfort of our homes without risking any money or anything in the creative process and blame and shame the people involved in this undertaking for their lack of care. It's hideously easy, when injuries have ALREADY occurred, to talk about "Oh that stunt is too dangerous!" It's hideously easy, when you're watching from the outside, to point out how wrong the people who are not sitting on their asses at the computer are. It's far too easy, when you have no idea how much work and care something of this scale takes, to say we would have done all this SO MUCH BETTER than the people who actually have the credentials to do it.
Obviously, I am not saying that mistakes--big mistakes--were not made here, and I'm not exactly granting a pardon to Taymor and the gang here. But some need to get a grip and realize that nobody did this on purpose, nobody wanted it to happen.
Lastly, I think the more bad that happens with this show and the more people who HATE it talk about it, the more they are feeding the beast. This is all publicity, and this all makes people--for better or for worse--intrigued and interested in the show. I really believe the show will not only make it to opening, but recoup...however long it takes them to get there.
Updated On: 12/22/10 at 10:29 PM
