Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark [Impressions]
Guest Post by Eric Bresler
As a lifelong comic book collector and a connoisseur of oddball musical theater, I felt an obligation to attend Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark despite the impossibility of recapturing the pre-previews excitement of it all.
The show’s production problems, bad reviews, and bloodthirsty attendees are common knowledge at this point. Recently a comic book writer was brought on board to touch up the book amidst rumors concerning the hiring of a new director. Thus my expectations were low, but I was still holding out hope for something along the lines of the grand spectacle of the Lord of the Rings musical or the over-the-top silliness of Polanski’s Dance of the Vampires.
Spider-Man instead turned out to be a harmless bore punctuated by some truly incredible set pieces and wire work that should please both children and comic fans. Theater majors need not apply.
The show opens with Mary Jane dangling from a building as Spidey scales it in slow-motion; a giant, laughing Green Goblin head watches from Stage Left. It’s actually pretty awesome and is useful in establishing the show’s creative shifts in perspective, picture an NYC more akin to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis than Woody Allen’s Manhattan.
The show’s overarching plot is introduced in the form of magical spider lady Arachne who spurs questions of fate versus coincidence in a story that would make J. Michael Straczynski proud. As the play continues, the audience is treated to a Cirque du Soleil-like aerial acrobatic show that is tough to be unimpressed by, a reggae-themed super villain beauty pageant.
The characters are portrayed loyally with the exception of Norman Osborn who first appears as a Dr. Moreau-like mad scientist. The hyped up score by Bono and The Edge is completely forgettable with very little emotional resonance; the theme tune is about as exciting as Joe Perry’s theme to the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon.
Comic readers like myself were originally wary of that wild concept of a singing and dancing Spider-Man brought to life by one of the great modern visual artists accompanied by the songs of arena rock stars. The concept is now a reality and it’s just as messy as predicted.
Great article… any plans to see “The Spidey Project: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” supposedly being produced for $0? I’d love to hear a comparison. http://thespideyproject.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my cousin were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I’m very glad to see such great info being shared freely out there..