The latest attempt to fix the beleaguered musical may involve getting a new director.
By now, it’s a common consensus that Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is pretty much the most expensive, wildly out-of-control show on Broadway. Between the insane budget, the tepid reviews (aside from Glenn Beck’s fanboy devotion), the numerous injuries, and the fact that the play looks hideous, people have been quick to predict the show’s demise. Now, it seems like either a shutdown or massive revamp of the production is increasingly likely, since rumblings indicate that Julie Taymor may be getting removed from the show.
The New York Time is reporting that producers of the show believe that it will be a hit, though it still needs some major work; this is after the lead actress had to be replaced because she left over safety concerns, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa rewrote the musical’s book, then Bono and The Edge tweaked the play’s songs. The new plan is possibly going to involve replacing Taymor as a director. At the very least, Taymor needs help to make the changes necessary for the show’s survival “or face a different outcome, potentially her exit from the show.”
Honestly, getting a new director to help out may not be enough. From what I understand, the show is very distinctly a Taymor production in terms of story, artistic design, and general production values. At the moment, tickets are definitely selling like hotcakes, but it sounds like Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark may just need to be scrapped and started over from scratch if the producers want to ensure its long-term survival.
