Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark is the most expensive Broadway musical every produced. It was plagued with performer injuries and the opening was delayed numerous times. The first round of previews received really bad reviews. Production was shut down, the script was revamped and the show is once again in previews at the Foxwood Theater with grand opening scheduled for June 14.
Although it’s often described as a rock musical, the production treads new grounds because it combines elements of rock and roll, circus, opera, and musical theater. The production is the most technically complex show ever on Broadway, with 27 aerial sequences of characters flying and engaging in aerial combat. In addition to the high-flying stunts, there’s a multitude of moving set pieces that put the audience in the middle of the action, and enough projections onto giant screens that it’s like a three-dimensional graphic novel.
I never saw the original Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark preview but if this current preview is any indication, the grand opening is going to blow everyone away. We were seated three rows from the front stage. This allowed for a super closeup view of the performance. So close, that we can see the performers split when they sing.
I was totally blown away Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. While the stage may have not been as technically advanced as the Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas (they created a custom theater just for the show), Spider-Man offers a lot of high flying stunts and very compelling story. I highly recommend catching it when you’re in New York.
Interesting Fact About Spiders
In the 1960s, Dr. Peter Witt gave spiders various kinds of drugs and alcohol to observe the effects on their webs. The results, shown in this Environment Canada Wildlife Service video, were pretty interesting.