The last time we checked in with 
Broadway's most expensive — and most lucrative — disaster, there were more safety violations, and lots of bad reviews, and national parodies.
What does Your Friendly Neighborhood Singing Spider-Man have for us this week?
Director Julie Taymor is Out!
Sources tell (iFanboy's favorite news network) NY1 that after meeting with the show's producers, superstar director Julie Taymor is leaving the show. No replacement has been named as of yet, but If the producers are reading this, I am currently available. I've never directed a Broadway show before, but I have also never blown $65 million dollars.
Opening Day Pushed To Summer!
The "official" opening date for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has been pushed back many times, at last report it was set to bow on March 15, a scant six days away. Well, forget that. The new release date is said to be the non-specific "June." With a new director now having to come on board, I'd say that's a cointoss.
Federal Fines For The Cast Injuries!
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued three workplace safety violations to the production company related to the four injuries to the cast members that have already been widely reported. The three fines total $12,600, which is shockingly low when you consider that they are described as "serious violations."
Tracking the developments with this show has become one of my favorite past times. The only thing that's really left for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark is for it to get its own behind-the-scenes reality show. I'd watch that religiously.
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They should just make a play about making this play. It’d probably be a masterpiece.
I think a comic about the making of the play would be epic! Or possibly an issue of MAD, though I don’t know if they would now that they are more firmly under DC editorial.
None of this really matters in the big picture, does it? Isn’t it still selling out? I’m not a fan of Broadway, but I would see a horrible Spider-Man play before I saw a flawlessly performed Mary Poppins.
Who here has seen it?
Graphic.ly needs to fund a staff outing to see this play for review purposes. I would love to hear all of your reactions to this thing.
BATMAN Live anyone?
@SirCox Yes! I’d watch it.
@SirCox There are two plays about the play going on this weekend I believe. One is at The People’s Improv Theater. I forget where the other one is.
God, this is amazing (if you’ll pardon the reference). My favorite part is that the show continues to sell out its’ preview shows. Even though it’s made nothing close to the initial investment, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that all of this horrific publicity will leave the producers Scrooge McDucking through a money bin by summer’s end.
So that’s the news for now…until the next delay of production, just count on it
@Impossibilly I’ll look in to that! I had no idea. Thanks for the heads up!
@SirCox Excellent idea about play about the play! I would not be the least surprised to hear someone has already started and it will be in the Fringe Fest next year.
If I were to happen to be in the area and it was actually playing, I wouldn’t be able to resist. Just for the circus-ness of it.
I hope this doesn’t sour Broadway’s chances of making a The Walking Dead musical. I would drive to NYC to see zombie jazz hands. With music by The Eels.
@SirCox Exactly what I was thinking. I’d watch it.
A Behind the Scenes tv show or documentary would be really interesting and might be able to help the $65 Million buget.
What a tangled web we weave.
So was Taymor fired or did she leave by choice?
Definitely an interesting pool of developments. This is such a disaster.
this should have been a reality show. would have been awesome.
@HailScott Despite the fact that it’s technically been “selling out”, very few people have actually been happy with it, they’re no where NEAR making up what they’ve spent on it so far, and people are starting to slow down coming to it (so I’ve heard, that could be false) because they’re finding out that they’re paying $125+ dollars to see, essentially, a rehearsal, so there’s that.
@JeffR That would be the most entertaining show that they ever did, which would be quite an accomplshment! I would want it to be a video show so that we could see the faces that they made while attempting to explain the plot. Comedy gold right there.
According to the New York Times, the show is also closing down for 2-3 weeks – http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/theater/09spider.html?_r=1&emc=na
@Wolfdog – Just go catch a performance of “Evil Dead: The Musical” to see that very thing.
Odds are there will be a book first about the making of this play, which will immediately get optioned into a movie. This thing is unreal.
@Deezer – Haters gonna hate, huh?
Has Taymor really blown $65million though? the show seems to be doing extremely well in these “pre-opening” shows. isn’t is continually selling out despite lousy reviews? I’d consider that pretty sucessful
It will probably just continue in this format so that it can get away with any of the accidents that occur and keep write it off as “working out the kinks”
@mikegraham6 The “So bad you have to see it” interest in this thing will wade pretty quickly though, especially in Broadway. The thing is basically not sustainable at the moment. I had one friend who went to see it with his gal and they both said it committed two cardinal sins. It didn’t really make sense and it was also pretty boring. A few neat set pieces but he had no idea who this train wreck was being marketed too.
The show has been near to sold out at almost every performance despite the delays/changes/new/fines. When I saw it there was not a single seat open in the house. At a preview. Right now you’re getting people who want to see before the show disappears.
@RaceMcCloud I thought the exact same thing: Somebody will write a book about this, and that book will be made into a movie.
I just keepi thinking of that Mr. Show sketch with “The Big Book of Broadway Failures”
If only someone was documenting this whole ordeal on film. It would put ‘Lost in La Mancha’ to shame.
One step away from this show being gone for good. Good riddance.
Village Voice did a great comic about this.
http://www.villagevoice.com/slideshow/spidey-super-theater-stories-the-cartoon-32737417/
@j206: No, nothing will top seeing Terry Gilliam’s look on his face (several times actually) when he realizes that film won’t be getting made while trying to film it in front of him.