Variety: "It's well-established that Broadway tuner 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' will have obliterated the record for total preview performances by the time the musical is scheduled to open, March 15, after a series of delays. Creatives have repeatedly assured theatergoers that work is being done to hone the show in advance of opening while making sure that record doesn't grow.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
'Spider-Man' keeps multiple balls in the air
Variety: "It's well-established that Broadway tuner 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' will have obliterated the record for total preview performances by the time the musical is scheduled to open, March 15, after a series of delays. Creatives have repeatedly assured theatergoers that work is being done to hone the show in advance of opening while making sure that record doesn't grow.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
It's so fascinating to see a new article pop up every few days regarding Spider-Man - all of them (or at least most...) noting the deep troubles that the production is facing. It feels like they're constantly just beating a dead horse. I'm interested in how this production would have turned out, had Cirque been involved. The director herself stated that they're producing a show that's similar to Cirque in terms of the complexities, and gave an excuse that they didn't have much time to plan and prepare for the production as long as Cirque usually does for their shows. It really goes to show how important planning plays in part of the process of producing the show, and now they don't even have time to fix up the show since they're in performances. If they really come up with significant revisions that better the show (and not just simply a "new ending" when people have commented that the entire second act is a mess), perhaps they can close down the show, find new producers, and have a different reincarnation of the show, a la The Scarlet Pimpernel.
I can't help wondering with all the technical stunts in this show if it will ever have a chance as a touring show. But shows like Cirque do end up traveling and are successful with their technical stunts. I have to agree with Hiro, the producers of Spiderman should have thought though this show with better planning and brought in people from Cirque who know how to deal with stunts like the ones being used in Spiderman. This show really does prove that good planning can sink or swim a show.
It is interesting to see that although there is so much work to be done, there has been another show added to a full week of performances. I do hope their goal is accomplished though, since the way the show is being described makes it seem extremely entertaining! It must be quite the experience for those onstage and backstage of this show, and I am very interested to read the reviews for when it is finally no longer in previews. I agree with Hiro and Abby, the planning of a show is so critical, and although it is true that if Cirque was involved they would most likely have had more time, but since the deadline was known from the beginning, it seems that the planning could have been done better.
In many ways it feels like the show is trying to accomplish film-style stunts WITH 3-D glasses, which is quite a challenge in live theatre. Although it can and has been done it was usually is less doses or was a cirque show. I almost wonder why they didn't just make this a cirque show with the original music so that it perhaps would be better understood during it's process, more knowledge and experience in mounting a show than what has been exemplified in the recent media. Not that I am saying that cirque doesn't have accidents, but simply they understand the undertaking of this type of show. Perhaps the biggest crimes was the the production was categorized too much as a Broadway show rather than a stunt or circus show, which would have the media approaching their set backs differently.
My favorite part of this article was the details put into informing the reader on how intricate schedules can be for a production and just how much work and finesse needs to be done not only to mount a show but especially to mount this show. When it's stated that "a 10-second change can eat an hour of tech" is probably the best and most concise way to inform the audience that spider-man is not working with an abundance of time as they are sometimes accused of.
Seven PSM's. My god. I feel like the show would save money by trading shows in for tech time even though it means the loss of that shows's box office income. They might be able to open a little earlier. The poor SM team on this show though. I'm just imagining what they'll say in interviews in the future when asked about working on this show. "I learned more from that experience than from anything else I have ever done in my life." People keep saying that they hope this show works out because if it does it'll change the face of theater. That may be true but will it change it for the better or worse?
So, I still like to sit in the camp that predicts this will be a trainwreck, which is largely against everything I'm about to say, but I wanted to put that out there.
So, much like other commenters have pointed out, as well as this article, this show is blurring the lines of Broadway theatre into more general live performance spectacle. Which has the potential to be revolutionary and compelling, much like Taymor's treatment of Lion King. But though they are performing stuntwork and technical complexity that has a precedent in Cirque, they are going into uncharted territories for Broadway. I'm sure some designers and technicians, etc, have the breadth of experience to bring to the table but, overall, they are trying to do something ambitious, extreme, and very new. Whenever you're trying to do something that's never been done before, you will inevitably have bumps (or hills or mountains) and many failures. And when your production has this much funding and as many big names attached as Spiderman does, your failures will be very public.
However, though they might be sacrificing story for spectacle, in pushing the idea of what a Broadway show can be, they're innovating performance and possibly theatre. I will still consider that this may be the best way to tell this story. And I don't think Spiderman means that more intimate, small scale shows will be undervalued so much as that there is a potential for an expansion of the form - of the idea of what can be done on Broadway.
It's really interesting to me that the commenters here suggest that since this show is technically on Vegas-Cirque scale, that it should have actually been produced by Cirque. The technical aspects are only half the battle with Spider-Man - the major technical changes and subsequent time/burnout issues are originating from the major story issues and plot holes that are in constant development. The only way that this show is going to open and "revolutionize" Broadway theatre is if it first develops a solid story (with an actual ending, rather than a lackluster Big Bad kill spackled over with spectacle).
And to Elize's comment, burnout is the biggest thing I'm frightened of with this production. Failsafes and new safety features cannot prevent an exhausted technician or actor from missing a step and creating a dangerous situation. The addition of another performance to the week, in addition to continued rehearsals and a constantly changing book, utterly terrifies me in terms of physical safety, but also the mental and emotional wellbeing of the cast and crew.
Abby,
Spiderman can't actually tour. They modified the Foxwoods theater so that they could perform the aerial stunts using the automation system. The only way they could tour is if they build an automation system that can be transported and installed without damaging the venues.
This show really does have it's problems, but aside from all the technical dilemmas and delays, the show lacks a good story line, and good music. The hype can only keep it going for so long. Then again Phantom has done well for ages, and the show leaves something to be desired... Who knows, I go back and forth but at the end of the day I say those Producers are up a creek without their millions of dollars.
This production has garnered so much public attention through the news in the past months that it seems that it will sell a huge number of tickets at least for the first few months, to people who simply want to see what this gargantuan project will be. Hiro brings up the point that the news seems to be beating a dead hoarse with the torrents of articles, but these articles are publicity for the show. i think that this show Will be wildly popular for a year, then slowly fade into obscurity afterwards. it seems that the production has more spectacle than statement, but maybe that is where Broadway is destined to be.
Nic
It's good to see that Spiderman is starting to take necessary precautions, but it concerns me that they're still adding new sequences. The show is already so full of spectacle, is it really wise to add even more to it, so close to opening night, and with everything that has already gone wrong with the show? Another thing I'm wondering, how long will it take to make back the $65 million it cost them to put this show on?
Good grief. I can't believe that the producers on this show expect to make changes, rehearse them AND have the actors perform 8 times a week. Not only is this excessive, it is ridiculous and borderline evil.
All of the news about this production makes me roll my eyes. For the sake of the team I hope that the show is able to be everything they had envisioned--and hopefully that vision is worth this pricetag. WOW.
I'm glad that the pov of stage management was included here, because you don't often find that in these types of articles. This show will never slow down for them, as the article states, because they have to not only maintain the artistic integrity of the show but also train all of the replacements throughout the run. Good grief.
I'm glad that this article came out, I was starting to get worried that Spiderman was not recieving enough media attention. It seems to me that holding the record for most preview performances is not something to be entirely proud of. I have said from the begining that this play was not ready to start performances of any kind and the fact that they are still making changes and fixing issues after such a long time only supports my claim. Hopefully they will get all their things in order soon and can finally open.
Having seen Spiderman myself, I have realized that besides the set which is stunning, the only thing that the show has got running for itself is its reputation. Perhaps the only reason why its one of the top grossing shows is because people may have a wicked desire to see a screw up, as the one I witnessed in December. It seems that that is why they are having such a long preview period, to make money, while letting the audience have the chance to see possible screw ups. I have a feeling that once the show finally opens and all of the kinks are worked out, that the show will rapidly decline in popularity, but who knows for sure.
This is a show we're talking about, correct? This is not a political movement or the suppression of innocent people, is it? Last I checked, this is a show. There has been so much drama over this show that I don't care anymore. I don't care what they're adding or taking away in this preview stage. When the show opens I will judge it. This is not the end of the world, it is a $65 million production. Large, yes, but not anything so important that we need to criticize when they'll find time to make changes. If they aren't making changes or as many as they'd like, who cares? That's their decision. That's one of the best parts of theatre: we get to make the choices about our production without people criticizing how we are making changes. That's what they are: changes. If we want to criticize we should wait until it's done. You wouldn't criticize a meal that isn't fully cooked, and isn't claiiming it's ready to serve would you?
I started to read this article and was so confused as to why it was talking about Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark in the present tense, until I realized it was written in silly ol’ 2011. It is super interesting reading about the show before it was produced on how they were working on it, only to know now how much it flopped. “The additional safety precautions required in the wake of the now-famous onstage injury in December haven’t proven much of an extra burden to the running of the show, according to White, who says there were only a handful of moments in the show in which the necessary double-checks and redundancies weren’t already in place.” like that’s so funny because people were getting hurt left and right (from what I hear.) “‘I am confident,’ he says. ‘We’ve got a New York opening on March 15, and we’ll open.’” This is hysterical considering that they didn’t open until basically three months after this announced date that he was oh-so confident in.
Post a Comment