’60 Minutes’ went behind the curtain to give the world a glimpse at “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on the evening it opened on Broadway. So far the reviews from the preview performance have been mixed.
The musical which was frequently delayed and cost $65 million to stage features music from U2’s Bono and The Edge. Entertainment Weekly said the music “sounded terrific…or bombastic”.
The snippet from ’60 Minutes’ (see right) features footage of Bono powering through some songs that he co-wrote. It also has some shots of the amazing visuals and wire acrobats zooming around the theatre.
On Sunday night the opening preview, at Foxwoods Theater in New York, lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes and included some pauses due to technical difficulties.
New York Post critic slammed the show calling it an “epic flop”.
He said “At various points, overhead stage wires dropped on the audience, scenery appeared on stage missing pieces - and the show’s star was even left swaying helplessly over them midair during what was supposed to be the climatic end to the first act.”
New York Daily News’ review also mentioned the stops and said that a number of the audience left the performance.
However the fans on the ground, speaking to the newspaper seemed impressed. One gentleman said “It was really good…I was pleasantly surprised.”
According to WENN the show’s scheduled full dress-rehearsal was to cancelled on Saturday night so Sunday night’s preview was the first time the show had been performed in full on the stage.
It has taken nine years for “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark”, the most expensive Broadway musical in history, to become a reality. Here’s hoping that it pays off.