'Spider-Man' Musical Re-Opens With New Songs and Script Overhaul

'Spider-Man' Musical Re-Opens With New Songs and Script Overhaul

Published: May 11, 2011 @ 5:53 pm
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By Brent Lang

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is swinging back into theaters after a three-week hiatus. The troubled musical resumed previews on Wednesday night. 

It returns with a radically overhauled version of a stage show that had been labelled by critics one of the worst in Broadway history.

In addition to a critical shellacking, "Spider-Man" was burned by bad press surrounding a series of injuries to its cast and crew.

Also read: NY Times, Others Break 'Spider-Man' Embargo With Scathing Reviews

It will officially open on June 14.

The revamped version adds new music from Bono and The Edge and rejiggers the book. As part of that overhaul, original director Julie Taymor was shown the exit door while director Philip William McKinley, playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and choreographer Chase Brock were brought on to untangle the show's problems. 

Those tweaks cost the show's producers an estimated $5 million, the New York Times reports.

With an estimated $70 million budget, "Spider-Man" is the most expensive musical ever produced. 

Tags: Broadway, company, injuries, Media, previews, Spider-Man, Spider-Man:Turn Off the Dark, theater
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