SPIDER-MAN THOUGHTS: 1/9/11 PERFORMANCE

[JMPlayer6]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 10:59am

So I went to see "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" yesterday (Sunday, January 9, 2011). Here are my thoughts.

WARNING: There are spoilers ahead. If you don't want to know anything about this show, then don't read further.

First of all, the show was completely sold out. I know this because I observed more than one person asking for tickets to that performance, and they were told that there were none left.

One of the producers got on the stage first. He welcomed everyone. His primary message seemed to be an emphasis that this was a preview performance. As part of that, he stated that due to the complexity of the show and the renovations that had to be made to the theater itself, it was impossible to have this show do out-of-town try-outs, as is normally the case, so it came direct to Broadway. He then made it a point to say that all the aerial stunts had been OK'd by the NY State office on safety (well, duh! otherwise they wouldn't be allowed) and read a statement that, he said, the safety office required be read. Frankly, it didn't sound like something from a government office, but---whatever! Then the show began.

The music: Passable. I thought that there were a couple good songs, and the rest were OK. Not nearly as dreadful as some folks have said online. I wasn't clear on why two guitar players did their thing visibly to the left of the stage. Was this to make the production not just theatre but more a total performance experience? I found it distracting, frankly.

The aerial stunts: generally impressive. I was in seat B104 (the 5th row), so I had a great view of things happening on-stage and immediately in front of the stage. The tapestry sequence seemed straight out of Cirque du Soleil, and I thought that was very well done. When characters flew into the audience, I had to turn around to follow the action. If I see the show another time, I will opt for a different view. When SM makes his first appearance in costume, and flies toward the audience, landing at the edge of the stage in his spidey pose, boy did the people in Row AA jump! I expected more flying around the audience's head than there actually was, though. And it had been said that the actors would be flying around at 30mph. Frankly, it didn't look anywhere near 30mph to me. Was the 30mph just hyperbole or did safety issues result in things being slowed down? Or did they really get up to 30mph, even if only briefly? I don't know. But, as I said, the aerial stuff was kind of cool.

The aerial stunts, Part II: Did these add to the story? Yes and no. Mostly no. But they do contribute to the mood and atmosphere of the Spider-Man mythology and, in that sense, indirectly affect how the story is perceived. With all the troubles this show has had, I was skeptical about the stunt stuff, too, and the need for it all. I watched the piece on "60 Minutes". Julie Taymor made a statement that IF you are going to do a musical on Spider-Man, then you HAVE to do the aerial stuff---that audiences are too sosphicated now and would demand that. When she said that, I recall saying to myself, "she's right". Now, you could make the argument that maybe you shouldn't be doing a musical about Spider-Man in the first place, but that gets us down a different path ...

Stops: Yes, there was one. When the show got to the point where Chris Tierney had fallen, everything seemed to have gone OK. (OK, SM descended on the stage at one point a bit off-balance, but other than that ...) Then came the next scene. A giant net (web) was rising from the pit. It seemed to get tangled and there were two stagehands (dressed in black but still slightly visible) who appeared to be tried to untangle it. Then came the announcement that the show was being stopped. The stop was brief, I'd say roughly two minutes. When the show resumed, we saw Arachne rising up and Mary Jane was shown entrapped in a web trap. What happened to the net? It appeared as though they skipped a scene and went right to the next. Later, upon exiting at the end of the show, I conversed with another audience member who described what was supposed to have happened, and mentioned that the net had stopped previous performances. So gone was the big showdown of Spider-Man and Arachne's minions going at it on this net. The shift from MJ falling to this scene definitely felt disconnected.

The sets: I understand the comic-book look of the sets and props. Many had the feel of a pop-up book, and as sets and parts of sets turned, it had the feel of comic book pages being turned. But that did take a bit of getting used to. The Greek Chorus was in the real word, telling the story of characters in comic books, so in that context it made sense. The scale of some of the sets was impressive. I especially like the Chrysler building, as down from looking down, with the back wall of the stage turning into the street, with cars going left and right on it.

OK, now I have to back up a few steps. I confess that I am a comic book fan. I have been for years. I never really stopped being one. As for Spider-Man specifically, I started to read those comics somewhere around 1968. I stopped buying all comics on a regular basis sometime in 1997---pretty much cold turkey. And that was primarily because I had just taken a new job, I was incredibly busy at it, and I had gotten to the point of being six months behind in reading all that I was buying, and of never being able to catch up. A few years after this, writer J. Michael Straczynski took over the "Amazing Spider-Man". As a fan of his work, I picked up reading ASM again. He wrote it for about four years and when he left the book, I stopped buying it again. The point of all this is that I know the Spider-Man character well, having read the books for over 40 years (with one break) so I am extremely familiar with the character, the supporting characters, the villians and the mythology.

With that in mind, it was widely reported that Julie Taymor had really immersed herself into the Spider-Man mythology, including reading zillions of SM comics. Act I is essentially Spider-Man's origin story. Some of the deviations from SM's correct origin are puzzling. Spider-Man opted not to stop a robber, who then went on to kill Uncle Ben. In the play, Uncle Ben is instead hit by a joyrider who had stolen Flash Thompson's car, which he chose not to bother with. I'm not sure why doing that was deemed a better idea. I also got the impression that Julie Taymor soaked up so much SM history that she wanted to include everything that she could. Doing so probably would have made this play 10 hours long! But instead we have bits and pieces dropped in here and there, including by the Greek Chorus, who toss out a lot of information to the audience. One I found particularly interested was the discussion on whether the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker chose him, or whether that event was random. In J. Michael Straczynski's run on "The Amazing Spider-Man", in a very lengthy story arc, he re-visited Spider-Man's origin, looking at it from a different angle, and the whole question of destiny versus Peter Parker being chosen was very much a part of that, with the answer falling on the side of the latter. (On this matter, see also Arachne, below.) I did chuckle when it was mentioned that the Osborn's scientists were kidnapped, and gave their names as Lee, Ditko, Straczynski and others, the names of various writers and artists associated with SM (with Stan Lee and Steve Ditko being the creators); I thought that was a cute touch.

Speaking of differences, in the comics, it was Gwen Stacey, Peter Parker's first true love, who was kidnapped by the Green Goblin, and tossed off the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Not Mary Jane. Spider-Man webbed her just before she hit the water, but the force of the stop caused her neck to snap, killing her. Talk about guilt! The first movie substituted Mary Jane for what happened to Gwen, without her dying, of course. This play follows suit. This is all as an "FYI".

Lots of super-villains are tossed in, some being dispatched briefly. There didn't really seem to be much point to a lot of that, and some of it came off comical to me. Could this have all be omitted and the main story line stuck to, namely concerning Spider-Man and Green Goblin? I was thinking about that, and also realizing that doing so would essentially make the play a musical version of the first movie. So I have mixed opinions about the answer to that question. And Swiss Miss? I have no recollection of that villain! It sounds nothing to me like something that would actually be in the SM comic books. I also don't recall Swarm, but that seemed like something that would be. And Kraven the Hunter: aw, what a great villain. The massive story arc from the comics in which SM was captured and buried alive was wonderful. But I digress.

Act I: essentially Spider-Man's origin.

Act II: A bit messy. I had read that people were confused by it. I followed it, but it was a bit of a struggle. Act II was pretty choppy. It does need some work. (An aside: As NYC gets attacked, one CGI scene showed a building with a "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" poster at its top. I found that a bit weird.)

Arachne: a villainess that was created for this musical. Not a bad idea, but the execution was a bit all over the place. First she helps Peter Parker, then turns on him when he quits being the city's savior, then works against him to get him to resume being SM, then it turns out that she has her own secret motives. How exactly SM was supposed to release her from the eternal afterlife or somesuch is still not clear to me! It was all a bit muddled. I'm sure the missed scene didn't help in that regard either.

Overall: Let's just say that this will not win any Pulitzer Prizes. On the other hand, I have been to a LOT of musicals that have been worse than this one. In terms of overall entertainment, I would stick it squarely in the middle. The producers seem to be trying to create an event (all those aerial stunts) versus just a standard musical. Time will tell if this has long legs.

[Love4Theatre]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:37am

There was a showdown between Spiderman and Arachne's Minions on the Web? Do you mean the Furies? When I had seen the show on Saturday, I did not see this. This hasn't been mentioned on these boards. Can anyone verify this?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:59am

There was no fight on a web when I saw the show, either.

[rocker05]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 12:24pm

There was a problem with the net the night I went as well. It seems like its been giving them a problem. Arachne kept getting caught on it too. I don't recall Spider-Man fighting with the Furies at the end. Updated On: 1/10/11 at 12:24 PM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 12:55pm

With all the complex machinery with this show, I wonder why the net is giving them such issues. The same problem happened when I saw it as well. It seems like such a simple thing- a net rising out of the orchestra. Why is it so difficult?

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 1:04pm

Maybe it's the speed? Isn't the netting supposed to pop out quickly? Maybe it would get less tangled if it came out slower. And that might be more dramatic.

[JMPlayer6]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 1:08pm

"There was a showdown between Spiderman and Arachne's Minions on the Web? Do you mean the Furies?"

Yes, I did. OK, maybe that's wrong. When the show was stopped, it was because of a rising net that seemed to be tangled. When the show resumed, there was no net. Based on what happened next, it seemed to me like the story jumped a tad and that a scene had been skipped. Upon talking to another theatergoing while exiting, he said that a scene was definitely skipped, and then described what was supposed to have happened, altough in general terms. He said he got that information from the internet. I assumed he was giving me correct information, but admittedly did not verify it. So, if that is not so, apologies for the false information. One should never assume, as they say!

[rougeduck]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 1:27pm

Before the show opened, I had this feeling that they were going to kill off MJ because the synopsis mentioned something that was like a startling new twist that will put a shocking light on the story or something like that. Personally I like my Spiderman first love interest like I like my Esmeralda: dead.

[yournamehere]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 4:31pm

I went on Sunday, 1/2, with no stops and I really don't remember a fight at the end. I remember a lot of talking, Peter flailing about on the web and Arachne chasing him singing "Love Me or Kill Me." That's about it. I think that's one of the biggest complaints about Act 2. It just falls flat.

Also, I expected the Spider-Man doubles to fly out to their curtain call.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 5:10pm

Can you or someone who has seen the web come up successfully explain what it really does? Is that all it's for- Peter flailing about? If so, then when it doesn't go up, they aren't skipping a scene- I think they are just performing without it. Arachne still flies around and such. Just on her own.

Ditto the flying out at curtain call! There really needs to be a 'last flight' sort of thing to wow the audience. It's a hugely missed opportunity.

[yournamehere]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 5:32pm

I wasn't that close but from what I remember and if I am recalling the right moment the web comes up between where Arachne and Spider-Man are and where Mary Jane is hanging. Arachne says the line about "a fight" and Spider-Man starts crawling over the web. It doesn't look like a web really and in my mind, it looks more like a net.

The fight really doesn't go anywhere. Nothing cool happens, no cool move. It's really just Arachne moving while she sings and Peter dodging her attacks. He goes across the web but it's more like he's just doing a choreographed dance on the web and Arachne is chasing him. I don't even think he really makes a move to attack. I believe he doesn't "have his powers" at this point and the reason for that, I still don't follow.

I hope I described it enough. I remember the other scenes much better. By the time this scene came up I was still in my mode of being frustrated.
Updated On: 1/10/11 at 05:32 PM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 8:10pm

haha- no I get it! She was flying around at him and such when it didn't go up- they were just midstage and without any support. He was just kind of crawl dodging her. I can see how it would be done with the net! Thanks!

[zepka102]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 9:09pm

I was there yesterday as well. I find the show to be VERY frustrating. I'm very conflicted.

The good:

The show is definitely spectacular to watch. The sets are large and complex. But the design is so affective in keeping the comic book feel.

Some of the special effects were gorgeous. The weaving during the scene giving us Arachne's story is a moment that stuck with me. I was very impressed and give them props. One mistake would throw it off. I loved it. And going along with that, Arachne's spider legs look great at that scene. They look so graceful. Arachne's Act One scenes were a highlight.

The mixing of projections and LED screens is really affective. I love how they could go from giant TV screens to the Chrystler Building turned to the streets of Manhattan below. The forced perspective adds quite a bit. I could see where the crazy budget goes. The only set piece that bothered me was the giant window in the editor's office. It was too distracting, being lowered very wobbily. Leave it up... it looked fine.


The Not-as-good:

The story. Act One is definitely the stronger act, no secret. But the book is very weak all around. I felt I missed several things. Strengthen the points we need to know, that are important to the plot. Don't push things off on the Greek Chorus roles to explain later. They regurgitate so much information, it is hard to keep your focus. For example, the first 10 minutes of the show... CUT a huge chunk. Who cares? Get to the meat for us a little quicker.

The music. I didn't find much to be memorable, and in reality, kind of weak. Only a few songs stuck out as being really good, even if I can't remember them without my playbill in front of me. The same chords we hear in the clips are about the only tune you walk away humming because it's played multiple times in the show. (I will say though, I don't mind it. A previous show in that same theater comes to mind that had a tune played over and over and over throughout the show... you want your head to explode. Here, not so much.)

I really enjoyed the character of Arachne more than I thought I would, based on what people have said here. I was a little mad she was made a villan, but I understand why. However, as the original poster said in a great way, it wasn't executed as well. The spiderweb scene (or no-spiderweb scene as some of us have seen now) felt very anti-climactic. If she's the arch-enemy, why is the fight so easy? Cop-out, I think. (***POSSIBLE HINTED SPOILER HERE***) I LOVED the idea for the ending, I felt the story aspect of it was a great idea, but just needs to be reworked so you feel more for Arachne. But the way the production physically ended I enjoyed.


What NEEDS to be dropped/majorly reworked:

Patrick Page's first song is awkward. I understand the point, but the song is very weak.

The stolen women's shoes... huh? I don't get it at all. Did I miss something? Why did this become a plot point in the second act? Arachne didn't need another song in that act... she has enough, so there's no need for it. Spiders dancing in heels just made no sense. I was too busy laughing during that scene.

The "pageant" at the beginning of the second act. Went on too long and felt like a ridiculous way to introduce us to villans. I understand it was a joke from the Greek Chorus, but really was pointless.

And speaking of the Greek chorus, cut some of their dialogue. It's an attempt at humor, but really felt like it dragged out at times, ESPECIALLY the first scene, as I said earlier.


Overall, the show has potential. If she can use the next month to strengthen the book, I think it could be a very good show.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 9:22pm

You'd think that the fight with the Sinister Six would be a lot more exciting than it was. I mean, he just punches them and they die, even the one which is a mess of spinning blades?! Needs more flying in the second act for sure.

[yournamehere]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 10:51pm

It's that he doesn't even punch them. He fake punches the LED screens. To be honest, if there was even more fighting in the second act and less telling us about Arachne, I'd be fine. Why can't they do more and then at the end, have her explain it's illusions if they want to do the illusion thing? Instead she explains everything the whole time.. it's like watching her explain what she's doing as she does it. "Now I am going to fly and make another illusion" and then she does it.

I feel like it would be more effective, if they HAVE to do this story line, if they left that all for the end and had the characters speak to one another.

I also hate that MJ is sort of an after thought when it's convenient for them.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:13pm

I think what this show needs is a love story. That's what's going to pull people in. Sure the effects are cool, but you have to make the characters human and their needs and wants human.

Also, I've been trying to find a ticket for the show, but does anyone else find the Ticketmaster site so hard to maneuver?

[yournamehere]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:20pm

I hate when shows are on Ticketmaster. I like Telecharge so much better. SO much better.

Yes, I was saying that before too. Every story needs a love story. It's supposed to be between MJ and Spider-Man but he kind of gets what he wants (and we don't see it) and then just doesn't ever see her.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:51pm

It sounds like she's too big headed to realize the problems with the book. The whole female villian isn't needed. This is a 2 hour musical. It doesn't need so many villians. It needs a compelling story. And I think Spiderman does have a great story. Aiding in his uncle's death, falling in love with someone but they can't know what you do, etc.

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:55pm

I haven't seen the show but I have seen the West End equivalent that is Lord of the Rings, same coments I think... great spectacle, good songs, good performers but not a good enough book to support it. Let's hope this will do better than LOTR!

[JMPlayer6]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 5:08am

Thanks, yournamehere, for explaining what was supposed to have happened with the net at the end. That helped fill in that blank.

"I believe he doesn't 'have his powers' at this point and the reason for that, I still don't follow."
I found that puzzling, too. I think there was a line about getting his powers back and I recall thinking, "Huh? When and how did he lose them in the first place?"

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 5:21am

I agree with many of the thoughts here. I love that people keep saying they hope Taymor is working on changes -- but opening is now less than a month away, and (to the best of my knowledge) NOTHING major has changed.


But of course, as so many realize: quality and success don't need to be bedpartners. Sadly.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 6:51am

Sadly, major changes won't be taking place in this show and it will probably open in its unfinished state. It'll continue selling out and being the "hot ticket" in New York. It may even settle in for a long run. In today's market, mediocrity sells--look at the success of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

[leefowler]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 8:57am

I debate the notion that "Wicked and Phantom are mediocre, and they were big hits, therefore Spider-Man, which is mediocre, will be a big hit as well".

Wicked and Phantom are big hits because audiences respond to their STORIES, whatever you might think of their overall quality. And this is what Spider-Man lacks. I don't think it's possible for any show to succeed with such a dull book and score.

Has there ever been a Broadway show that succeeded solely because of spectacle?

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 9:39am

The Lion King

[bwaybaby511]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 9:42am

I like many others on this thread saw the show on Saturday: there were no stops, but you're all correct the netting thing was weird. Apparently its never really been up before and just recently started working, I feel as if it was awkward for the actors to use and the final fight between Carpio and Carney was lack luster. I feel like the final scene should utilize the aerials more, like the characters should be on the web instead of on the ground-it was just kind of weird.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show-it doesn't feel done at all but the music was enjoyable (it was basically a U2 concert) and the actors, especially page, were all good. The set design was more than impressive and the stunts were a thrill to watch. I was sitting in the flying circle, row c and from that view you can really see everything, with the exception of the landings in the balcony. Once the initial "oh wow they are flying through mid-air" shock wears off one can see the stunts are definitely slower than originally promised, for safety I'm sure. Nonetheless enjoyable.
Story however, is another thing entirely. There is just so much crammed into this show that it is tough to keep track if you are not an avid comic book reader, which I am not. Aracchne's story line of having spidey "release" her was funky. I love the mythology aspect of this show and feel like they could have done a lot more with the character towards the end. Also...the shoe number-literally one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Visually cool but no point. none.
All-in-all,I really enjoyed myself watching this show, it's certainly no masterpiece, but it's an exciting piece of theatre, my take on theatre is that it is supposed to be an escape of sorts, and Spiderman: Turn off the Dark allows the audience to immerse themselves into that world and for about three hours witness a long-time hero's journey.