Spiderman Preview Thread! — Page 61

I was at the evening show last Wednesday and Christopher Tierney was still listed in the Playbill.

Jenn is out tonight, and according to http://twitter.com/#!/understudies, Kristen Martin is on as MJ. If anyone goes, report back!

When I saw it, what started out looking like a standing ovation was the audience getting up to leave as quickly as possible.

I too am really curious about the changes. Where are they?

I'm seeing the show on Thursday. I'm excited.

"I have descended from the astral plane with the help of human shoes." - Arachne


Cornelius2 - THANK YOU!!! After the show my friends and I were trying to remember what that quote was...we were dying!!!

Scott, I'd love to hear more- I'm glad someone on this board actually loved it as much as I did! I'm actually trying to scrape up the dough somewhere to see it again!

Well, until last night, I was someone who truly wanted to like Spider-man, but having read so much of the pre-press and Internet chatter, I was beginning to wonder if I would. I also wrote some posts questioning where the changes were, as nobody wrote of a major rewrite, new songs, etc.

At the same time, I am a Julie Taymor fan. I have often thought her work bold and visionary, so I knew I would have to see this show and feared that it's bad press would catch up with ticket sales and would force it to close.

With this in mind, it's been a balancing act between wanting to see the show, wanting to wait and ticket prices vs. available excellent seating (I admit to being a good seat snob.)

I had also been having issues with Ticketmaster regarding excellent seats showing up as available on the promotion code, only to get stopped in the check out process. So, on Tuesday, I ventured to the box office and decided to see what I could get: I ended up with a ticket to Thursday 4 February, 9 row orchestra center!

It's almost silly how excited I was. Thursday, I arrived in the area around 5p with nothing to do but wait. I was beyond amused at myself and found myself worried that I was in for a huge let down. 7.15p came and they let those people waiting on the 43 Street side of the theater into the lobby. You could feel the excitement. I was also surprised at how fast the lobby filled up. It seemed that I wasn't the only person bitting at the bit to get to see Spider-man.

While waiting, I immediately befriend one of the ushers stationed at the auditorium entrance. We had an extensive conversation. He was a huge fan of the show, and once I made it clear that I he wouldn't get into trouble speaking his mind, he was very honest about his criticisms of the show and of Ms. Taymor, who it seems has been extremely gracious with the house staff and has even asked them to write essays of their opinion. He said that Ms. Taymor was absolutely wonderful and very down-to-earth. He went as far as calling her, "granola".

I asked if she would be in the theater that night and he said, that it was very likely that she would. He gave me some tips as to where I might be able to find her at intermission and/or after the show.

What struck me the most curious about our conversation was how little he knew regarding the opinions here and throughout the web. He was aware of the extensive press, but didn't seem too knowledgeable about the negativity surround the show. Hmmm?

The house opened and I entered into the theater... The first thing that struck me was how little rigging there was. I immediately looked up expecting to see a huge grid of wires and technology. There was barely any visible. Hmmm? As I was one of the first in the theater, I had lots of time to get myself settled and to speak with some of the other ushers. Again, all of them huge fans of the show. Hmmm?

The first act...

Of course, I knew that most of the negativity was regarding the second act and what many here have written as a completely incomprehensible book, so I was expecting the first act to be at least enjoyable. It was. More than enjoyable, absolutely exciting.

Now, I should write, I was not an avid comic book reader as a boy, or even now as a man. I never read Spider-man. I did see the movies and enjoyed them immensely, but I had no previous commitment to the Spider-man saga. I was a far more "open" audience member. And, this served me. I wasn't waiting for key elements of the Marvel story to play itself out. I was prepared for a complete reinterpretation of the work. And, with this mindset the first act made complete sense, including the introduction of the Arachne character and myth.

I was surprised that the geek chorus didn't sing their transitions, but was absolutely confused by the comments made here that found them annoying. I thought them an excellent idea and great addition, making sure that we understood that Ms. Taymor had some rather lofty thoughts on super heros and our culture. Spider-man really is a tale of the everyman and redemption. It is not a simple retelling of the tale.

Mostly I liked the music. I am not a huge U2 fan. Perhaps I would be if I knew more of their work, but I have never followed popular music closely, and so I'm not really that sure of their songbook. As I wrote above, there were some absolutely lovely pieces and where it wasn't soaring, it was more than serviceable.

I also found the sound design - at ninth row center orchestra - far more audible than suggested by many posts. I did have some issues understanding all of the lyrics, but that's par for the course at many of today's rock musicals. (I had similar issues at American Idiot, which I also loved.) The sound was crisp and mostly clear. (What were people talking about?)

The book made sense and was engaging. I kept waiting for the jokes that were going to fall flat. There were none. I kept waiting for the horrific writing, it all seemed genuine and motivated. What was I seeing? Had they changed the show so much overnight?

The staging... Oh my god. For those of you who didn't understand that this was a show about new and innovative ways to exploit theater, you missed the point. Spider-man is one of the most breathtakingly brilliantly staged shows I've ever seen.

In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that not since, Dreamgirls and Grand Hotel have I seen anything so fresh and exciting. (I'd include Jersey Boys, but I believe that Des McAnuff's work on Jersey Boys - although brilliant - rides on the work of Michael Bennett's, Dreamgirls.)

Julie Taymor is a visionary. I want to respect dissenting opinions here regarding Ms. Taymor, but it's very hard for me to find respect for those who protest to know the theater and don't see how absolutely innovative and magical her staging is.

There is absolutely no attempt at naturalism. AND, there shouldn't be. Ms. Taymor doesn't even pretend to want to fool us that there is one Spider-man, or that any of the stage violence is "real". This Spider-man is all about illusion and exploiting stage craft. I was enthralled.

Ms. Taymor's staging was brilliantly matched by George Tyspin's - oh, my god - sets. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(One comment here... one of the few criticisms i have regarding the scenery is a moment when the stage picture remains in the laboratory while they simply add the Queens' bridge and we cut to Peter and Mary Jane. Having had the sets constantly refresh themselves, I was a little taken back by what seemed "lazy". Now please understand that at any other musical this would have been common since the scene was soon to be split and to exist in both the lab and Queens, but Spider-man isn't most musicals and the set is so over-the-top magnificent, that this one moment where we see Peter and Mary Jane on what is mostly the hold over lab set seemed out of place.)

I promise you, George Tsypin, has won the Tony.

The other designs are equally engaging. The costumes and masks brilliant and the lighting is stunning.

Act I was amazing.


... more to come later, I have to take a break from writing.

For those of you who didn't understand that this was a show about new and innovative ways to exploit theater, you missed the point.

No, people got the point, and that's exactly what they don't like about it. You said it yourself: this show is about the effects and the spectacle. It is not about the beloved character of Spider-Man. In order for a show to be a book musical (which this show has been billing itself as), there needs to be an underlying book and score driving the plot. The one they have now sucks and makes it painfully obvious that the story, what should be the most important part to any book show, is their least concern.

If the show wanted to be about spectacle and nothing else, fine. If it wanted to be a book musical, they should have spent more time and attention on the book. Right now, there is a SHARP contrast between people's expectations -- which is mostly the show's fault -- and the reality. Maybe it isn't fair, and you can argue it all you want, but the fact is, expectation is important to how a show is viewed or how successful it is.

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Updated On: 2/4/11 at 11:36 AM

Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark (SMTOTD) is a book musical. And, although it is a huge spectacle, I don't think I used that word to describe it. (Please don't put words in my mouth.)

SMTOTD has lofty themes which are often told through the staging, but there is nothing in my words that suggest that Ms. Taymor has excluded a story and words from her creative arsenal.

I do agree that Spider-man comes with a legacy and perhaps Ms. Taymor and the marketing team haven't done enough to reset people's expectations. This is not the Marvel Spider-man of the comics, or the films. I agree that those audience members who arrive with a pre-determined idea of the Spider-man saga might be disappointed, or confused. Ms. Taymor and Mr. Berger throw out much of the details of the old story that doesn't serve their main purpose: the power of myths and their "everyman" story of redemption.

In fact, although there is a love story between Peter and Mary Jane, much of that is left off stage and is carried by our understanding of the legend. Ms. Taymor is very careful in what she uses from the collective understanding of Spider-man and what she simply just doesn't need to communicate her unique vision.

SMTOTD isn't a Hollywood romance and doesn't win our hearts through the traditional Peter / Mary Jane relationship, so much the focus of the films. It doesn't try to manipulate us by pulling on our heart strings. That has already been done and brilliantly by both the comic and the film.

Ms. Taymor is far more interested in making us think about the very stuff that legends are made of and perhaps through that personal exploration, feel.

SMTOTD is a book musical, very much so. Just not the book musical that the fans of the comic and films are expecting. This is a new breed.

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Now as for people not liking it... Not last night. The audience that I sat with all loved it. At the intermission people were mesmerized. The comments were all positive. After the curtain call, the most negative comment I heard was that it was a little too long, something that is known by the creatives and will be fixed before opening. Currently, SMTOTD runs 2hrs. 45mins. I have heard that they are planning on cutting another 15 minutes from the running time.

As for what have they been doing: a lot. I have personally posted questions regarding what are they working on, as so many of the posts haven't made clear the work that is being done. When I spoke with Ms. Taymor she on three occasions said how hard they were working to perfect the musical. I didn't doubt her.

SMTOTD does still need work, but I no longer question that this extended preview period has been necessary and used wisely. We could argue about the ticket prices and ethics, but that isn't my interest.

I loved Spider-man and can't wait to see it again in a month or two when it is frozen. And, for those who have been following along and haven't seen it yet, go. Definitely reset your expectations. This isn't the comic or the film. But, go and make up your own mind.

Updated On: 2/4/11 at 12:08 PM

If Taymor wanted to write a new show about redemption and Greek mythology, then she should have not chosen such a recognizable, well-known character. If people are disappointed because it is not the story they expect, it's not their fault for expecting the wrong story.

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Updated On: 2/4/11 at 12:19 PM

And the second act isn't even spectacle. It's like a bad shroom trip imagined by Julie Taymor.

OMG Erik! I think you've hit on the solution!

They should stop trying to make it into a good book show or good spectacle and concentrate on making it a better shroom trip!

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I've counted seven people so far on this board who have enjoyed this abortion of a show.

I had to laugh when one said the audience was "mesmerized" at intermission. When I saw it, intermission was the most bizarre experiences I had ever had at a show - audience members were eerily quiet and looking around at each other as if to say, "what the hell was that?"

It looks to me like Julie Taymor is the Vanilla Ice of Broadway.

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