Broadway's most expensive musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has long been panned by critics since it began previews back in November 2010. It was set to open in December, but was pushed back six times after to a new opening date of June 14, 2011. After going on a three week hiatus to implement new changes to the show including new songs, rewriting the book and fixing choreography, the series dumped its original directed Julie Taymor and returned on Thursday May 12 to resume its preview performances.
I have been dying to see this show since it debuted in November 2010, and had the privilege to see the show on Friday May 13, its second preview show after it returned from its hiatus. Despite all the hate from the press and frequent theatre goers, I must say that I really really liked this show. I mean, sure, it has its problems still but it's nothing too drastic that the producers can't fix by the time the show official opens. And credit does have to be given to the eye-popping costume and set designs and to the much-talked-about flying sequences.
First let me talk about the new plot of the show — after its revisions, the story is now more similar to the first Spider-Man movie. The show opens with Peter Parker giving a school report on the mythological character Arachne. Peter Parker is your average geeky social outcast, bullied by his fellow classmates and falling head-over-heels for the girl-next-door, Mary Jane Watson. After a school field trip visit to the Oscorp Labs, Peter is bitten by a spider and turns into the iconic superhero of comic-book fame. Norman Osborne, after going too far with his experiments, turns into the Green Goblin and also creates six mutated villains known as the "Sinister Six". They terrorize Manhattan as Spider-Man must save the innocent victims roaming the streets of New York City while at the same time leading a normal life that includes a budding relationship with Mary Jane.
I really liked the character of Arachne, played by T.V. Carpio, who served as a guardian for Peter Parker. She has a few good songs as well including one of the musical's theme songs "Rise Above". Reeve Carney played Peter Parker/Spider-Man and perfected both the geeky and heroic aspects of the part. His raspy rock-band voice was absolutely beautiful and different than your typical Broadway Male Lead vocals, but in a good way. Next to Normal's Jennifer Damiano stars as Mary Jane Watson, who sings a few memorable tunes as well. My favorite talent in the acting department however was Patrick Page, whose portrayal of the villain Green Goblin was sheer perfection. His sinister laugh and humorous one-liners brought a lot of life to the character. Further, in a phone-booth scene where Green Goblin tries to call 'The Daily Bugle', I could not stop laughing at the humorous take the producers and Page added to that scene.
U2's Bono and the Edge wrote the score to the musical, which they describe as a "rock opera." Besides some lines that can be perfected and others cut the only problem I found in this show was the score. There were many songs that were both memorable, catchy, and absolutely amazing. But then there were those other songs that were complete disasters. Both Bono and the Edge are talented musicians, but I think that they should have brought in a third musician, a Broadway veteran composer to help bring a more Broadway-like tone to some of their numbers. Songs like "D.I.Y. World" and "Bullying By Numbers" which were suppose to be the show-stopping ensemble numbers fell short. Not only was it not musical-worthy, it was almost cringe-worthy at points. In addition, the Green Goblin song "I'll Take Manhattan" was a good concept, having the Goblin play on a piano and sing, but the song itself needs major work in my opinion. With some tweaking that song actually can be really good. However, despite those lackluster numbers, I actually liked a handful of the songs from the show. Arachne's "Rise Above" was very beautiful and well-sung by T.V. Carpio; her duet with Peter Parker "Turn Off the Dark" was also very good. Mary Jane Watson's "If The World Should End" and the Mary Jane and Peter Parker duet "I Just Can't Walk Away" were so good, I was dying for the soundtrack after I heard them sing it. And last but not least, Reeve Carney absolutely killed it when he sang Peter Parker's 11 o'clock number and theme song "The Boy Falls From the Sky." I am obsessed with that song and his voice...SO. AMAZING.
I must admit that I was so intrigued by this show because of all the flying sequences. I wanted to go to see Spider-Man fly around a theatre, battling villains in the air, etc. And I all my dreams came true at the Foxwood Theatre on Friday Night. Spider-Man flew all over the 3-level theatre, from the Orchestra to the Flying Circle and even to the Balcony where I sat. He flew so fast, and his in-air battle with the Green Goblin was so epic. Spider-Man took off and landed a few times from the launch pad on the balcony which was right in front of where I sat, and as I watched the actors land and take-off from the pad, my heart stopped beating every time. The show ended with Spider-Man swinging all over the theatre and then flying to the very top of the balcony. Spider-Man landed right in front of me, and that could not have been a better ending for me as an audience member sitting right in front of Spider-Man.
The show was visually stunning, a must-see spectacle and a thrilling ride that I enjoyed very much. After the show, I got to meet all of the cast. Reeve Carney even knew who I was! I follow him on Twitter and tweeted him before the show, and when I met him afterwards I told him that I followed him on the site and told him that my name was Kyle. He then responded with a smile and said, "Oh, you are Kyle Fong! You are from California right?" It made my day. Spider-Man knew who I was! And it made me love Reeve Carney and his performance even more. I honestly cannot rave enough about how much I loved seeing this show, and I most definitely would go see it again after they finish perfecting it for Opening Night in June. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is one of Broadway's highest-grossing shows, and the $65 million dollars spent on this production was surely worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment