'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Info

[wishfuldaze]

Posted: 6/16/10 at 11:57pm

New interview with Reeve and Zane Carney about Spider-Man.

August 10th is when rehersals start in NY, the show will run six nights a week, with eight performances a week. They have no idea how long they will be involved with the production, but it will be as long as they can.

Julie Taymor went to a concert of theirs recently and is now going to try and work into the show some of the Carney kind of music.

I have also heard that Reeve Carney (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) has started training with the Cirque du Soleil in Vegas.

Also Reeve said in the interview they will be performing shows around the NY area as Carney during production...to me I think that might be hard on his voice?! Anyone else have that opinion? To do 8 shows a week with Spider-Man and then also add on rock concerts.

Is three months the normal prep time for a musical because I think I read somewhere the production is shooting for a Nov/Dec opening?

Link to interview if you want to read the whole thing:
Reeve Carney Interview

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:01am

*YAWN*

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:02am

I doubt they will still be doing rock concerts after it opens because Carney is also part of the shows band.

[Rudy2]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:04am

As much as I hate to say it, this show probably will be a hit. The "Karate Kid" re-make starring THE SON of a talentless wonder is a #1 box office hit right now. The general public no longer has any taste or sophistication. They need everything to be McDonaldized. This make a "Spider Man" musical a great idea.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:04am

exactly how I feel, JC

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 12:41am

I walked by the Hilton today and saw the doors to the stage open and men working on things. Couldn't tell exactly what they were doing, but it looked like progress? This is probably old news, but I haven't walked by during work hours anytime lately

[ggersten]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 9:51am

I still can't believe they haven't changed the title yet. You know that a negative review is going to be headlined: "Spider-Man: Turn off the Lights." and if the vocals aren't good, there's going to be a line about "turn off the mikes" and of course "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark is just one big turn-off."

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 9:53am

I was walking the dog by the theater the other day and the workers stopped him to play with him so I took that chance to peek inside and ask some questions. It seems they don't have any idea what's going on with the show either. I'm wondering just how long they can hold this theater until it's finally yanked away from them.

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:14am

Every time I think about it, I just wonder, "How do you turn off Dark?"

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:19am

From what I hear everything is kind of starting and sputtering. Maybe they are still awaiting the backers to cough up. I am sure there are a lot of wary people with checks to write.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:24am

*DOUBLE YAWN*

Since this thing sounds like it will be nothing but spectacle (Taymor proved with Lion King that the book is superfluous), I wouldn't be surprised if everything sung by Spiderman in the mask will be pre-recorded. You can't sing in a tight face mask. So I'm sure his voice will hardly be challenged.

But why we're even talking about this...

[wishfuldaze]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 10:37am

I am on the fence. I for sure do not want to say *yawn* about something that no one has seen before, that is just pretentious.

I also thought Nine was going to be boring, and I loved it, so never again will I judge something I have not seen.

The title I feel needs to be changed, I agree with all the bad puns that can be made with it.
I don't think a girl that was JUST nominated to for a Tony would sign on to be Mary Jane if the music/script was a flop. I think it might be one that does well and fizzles off.

[wolub]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:08am

No matter what the title is or how long the production takes to open ... there is no doubt in my mind that this show is going to be truly amazing and worth waiting for!!! I auditioned for Mary Jane and hopefully I can afford to return to NYC to see it come to life -- I just wish I was going to be on that stage, but then who doesn't?!

[newintown]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:13am

I don't.

[ActingIsLovee]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 11:38am

Has it been confirmed that Jenn Damiano is going to be playing Mary Jane?

[broadfan327]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 2:47pm

I thought I read awhile ago that Spiderman will not be singing, only Peter Parker will.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 3:09pm

The mic pack will be very noticable in that Spidey Suit.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 3:22pm

I wouldn't be surprised if everything sung by Spiderman in the mask will be pre-recorded. You can't sing in a tight face mask. So I'm sure his voice will hardly be challenged.

Who said it will be the traditional mask? A similar issue came up when Phantom was in the works and the now-iconic mask was engineered specifically for singing. And...it's Julie Taymor. Masks and puppetry are sort of her thing. Lion King was widely considered to be a huge failure as everyone imagined it to be a theme-park show with literal costumes recreating the animated characters. Once the designs were leaked and previews started out of town, the laughing stopped. There is actually a possibility that Spider Man could surprise us all.

Taymor proved with Lion King that the book is superfluous

Well, Ain't Misbehavin' proved it before Taymor. And waaaaay before then, pretty much most musicals proved it as well. And that is perfectly okay.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 3:37pm

Saw some of the designs... don't expect Lion King! Think more Mardi Gras.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 3:44pm

Ain't Misbehavin' is a revue.

I don't think any book musicals have books that are intended to be superfluous. But, there are some, like Lion King with sufficient spectacle to amuse the herd, in spite of a flawed libretto.

But for me - give me a strong book in a book musical any day.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 4:01pm

Of course Ain't Misbehavin' is a revue. That was my point. The book is not always intended to be the focal point of every show, nor does it have to be.

I don't think any book musicals have books that are intended to be superfluous.

The majority of the pre-Oklahoma musicals were precisely structured that way. The book was merely a means to string together some snappy tunes and big dance numbers.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/17/10 at 4:29pm

You can't equate revues with book musicals, they're two different things.

That old saw about Oklahoma being the first "integrated" musical is reductive and not entirely true. Read the book for The Desert Song, even - it has a good story, funny scenes for the comic characters, love scenes, etc. I'd Rather Be Right (Rodgers/Hart/Kaufmann/Hart), Lady in The Dark (Weill/Gershwin/Hart), and more, have terrific books, with strong stories and characters.

True, many shows did (and still do), slot in songs that don't seem to have anything to do with what's going on: "Necessity" and "The Begat" in Finian strike me that way. They may comment in a vague way upon the action, but they certainly don't address it directly or advance it. More recently, there's Maureen's strange "performance art" number in Rent that could be cut with no harm to the story. But that doesn't mean that the book, in a book musical, is negligible.

But you may have more supporters on this issue than me, Mister Matt; it seems that the musical may be drifting further towards ignoring a book strong on ideas, wit, character, or sense.