Spider-Man Musical Details Revealed, People!

But director Julie Taymor says ugh, stop calling it a musical. The Broadway adaptation of the Marvel comic, with a score by U2's Bono and The Edge, is going to be a "circus rock-'n'-roll drama." Taymor, Bono, and other members of the creative team held a presentation for ticket brokers yesterday, and the Post's Michael Riedel weaseled in. Actors sang six songs from the show, which has the irritatingly nonsensical title Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and Taymor insisted that Spider-Man "is not going to sing and dance in tights." Riedel opines that one of the musical numbers—er, circus-rock anthems—is "as good as any rock ballad in Rent," and it seems he means that as a compliment. And who do we have to thank for all this? Andrew Lloyd Webber, of course. Bono revealed that he was motivated to do the score after hearing the Starlight Express creator express gratitude to rock musicians "for leaving me alone for 25 years. I've had the theater all to myself." Bono added, "We've decided to give Andrew a little competition." But Webber's not sweating it; he's got his Phantom of the Opera sequel coming soon, God have mercy on our souls.