Wait, wait, wait. Famous rockers may have a thing for drinking and beautiful women? You don't say! That shocking (but still potentially embarrassing) revelation is the latest bit of news to come out of the ongoing Spider-Man: This Is The Song That Never Ends Turn Off The Dark legal mess. And if the teases in a a 46-page filing submitted Friday on behalf of Spidey's original director Julie Taymor are any indication, the show's producers (and U2's Bono and The Edge) probably don't want this case to go to trial next January. more ›

Now that the show is making bank, the gloves are off in the fight between Julie Taymor and the producers of Spider-Man: The Song That Never Ends Turn Off The Dark. Remember how last year the fired director sued for more money? Well, today producers fired back and meow! According to them Taymor's suit is simply "an attempt to put Taymor in the same position she would have been had she fulfilled her obligations under her agreement and actually written a book for the Spider-Man Musical that could be opened on Broadway." more ›

Julie Taymor, the envelope-pushing director who co-created the much-maligned Broadway spectacle Spider-Man: Please Make It Stop Turn Off the Dark, is suing the show's producers. After critics savaged the production before opening night, and several cast members sustained injuries, Taymor was pushed aside by the producers, who made significant changes before officially opening in April to mixed reviews and packed houses. Taymor's lawyer claims his client spent more than seven years creating the musical but was paid just $150,000—and that was five years ago. Now she's come to collect. more ›

Did you watch the seemingly unending ballad from Spider-Man: Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead Turn Off The Dark on last night's Tony Awards and think to yourself "Wait, that show is still happening?" No, of course you didn't. You were watching Dallas dominate the Heat like everybody else. But if you did happen to wonder, the answer is yes. That show is still happening. In fact it officially (no joke) "opens" tomorrow night. We've seen it—twice, actually—and we'll have a review up tomorrow as soon as the Green Goblin croaks. But in the meantime, the clever folks at Sesame Street have gone and created a pitch-perfect spoof, as they are wont to do. more ›

With a price tag of $70 million and counting, by far the most expensive musical ever, Spider-Man: Dead And Loving It Turn Off The Dark is on hiatus for an overhaul until May 12. But you wouldn't know it from the press the show has been pushing out the past few days. First came the announcement that injured actor/stuntman Christopher Tierney would be returning when the show reopens and now two of the shows producers have turned to the AP to flagellate themselves in public. more ›

If you've been dying to see what Julie Taymor's version of Spider-Man: Requiem For A Dream Turn Off The Dark is actually like, this is your last chance. The show goes dark for a rewrite after Sunday's performance and won't be back until May 12 (the latest "opening" date is June 14). And there are tickets still available—who knows, maybe somebody will get stuck again! more ›

Apparently nobody told the folks at the Foxwoods Theater that Whiplash is one of Iron Man's villains, not Spider-Man's. Either way, whiplash is what appears to have taken down actress T.V. Carpio, who last week reportedly hurt her neck in an onstage battle during Spider-Man: Love Never Dies Turn Off The Dark. To recuperate, Carpio will be out of the show for the next two weeks—coming back to the boards just in time for a few more life-threatening performances before the show takes its scheduled hiatus. more ›

As if the problems with a departing director and a new creative team weren't enough for Spider-Man: Legends of the Fall Turn Off the Dark, last night's performance included one of the show's patented technical hiccups when the Green Goblin got stuck in midair, causing the show to stop for five minutes at the end of the first act. Our spy on the scene gave us the full report: more ›

Acclaimed director Julie Taymor will be leaving the beleaguered Broadway monstrosity Spider-Man: I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Turn Off the Dark , sources tell multiple news outlets. U2's Bono, who co-wrote the score, has reportedly been negotiating the terms of her exit/surrender, so the news doesn't come as a huge surprise, but it's stunning nonetheless; Taymor co-wrote the show and has been working to bring the spectacle to Broadway for almost a decade. It's unclear if Taymor jumped or was pushed, but a source tells the Daily News, "Taymor is out. She's left the building." So who gets to take care of her deformed orphan mutant stillbirth? How about Aaron Sorkin? more ›

Finding themselves snared in Julie Taymor's monomaniacal web, the producers of Spider-Man: There Will Be Blood Turn Off the Dark are considering cutting the acclaimed director loose. And the Times reports that U2's Bono (who co-wrote the tinny score with The Edge) has had "a direct role in the talks." According to the latest gossip, producers are determined that changes must be made, ahem, with or without her. But be careful Bono—rumor has it that like the Black Widow, "she mates and then she kills": more ›

Just as we were starting to forget about all of those accidents that marred the early performances of Spider-Man: There Will Be Blood Turn Off the Dark along comes the U.S. Labor Department to bring it all back. The Department's office of Occupational Safety & Health Administration took a look at Julie Taymor's crucible and found it wanting. The Office today smacked the show's production company, 8 Legged Productions, with "three serious violations of workplace safety standards" worth $12,600 in fines. more ›

Despite receiving some of the most terrible (and entertaining) reviews in Broadway history, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is currently playing to 93.6% capacity and making enough to at least cover its operating costs. So why mess with a good thing? Cast and crew members tell Arts Beat that they now expect the show to postpone its opening night—currently scheduled for March 15th—for a sixth time and "perhaps for a significant period of time." Sources say the delay has to do with the recent hire of veteran musical supervisor Paul Bogaev. You may remember Bogaev from such Broadway sensations as Starlight Express (a.k.a. the Rollerskating Musical). With any luck, the collaboration between Bogaev and Taymor will top Zoo Animals on Wheels! more ›

Yesterday the NY Post's Michael Riedel reported that Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark director Julie Taymor would be forced to share the shuddering wheel of the $65 million musical. Sources told Riedel that Julie Taymor is "exhausted" with the production, and producers are looking to bring on a co-director. But the report was quickly quashed by a spokesperson for the musical, who told Playbill, "The production has not brought anyone on and the original creative team remains firmly in place, with Julie Taymor at the helm." Note that the statement did not say anything about future plans, so stay tuned. In the meantime, there's another fun negative review from a major critic! more ›

After injuries, lawsuits and abysmal reviews, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark continues to see packed houses while still in previews. But apparently, director Julie Taymor is "exhausted" with the production, and producers are looking to bring on a co-director. They've reportedly reached out to Phil McKinley, director of "The Boy From Oz," but a deal has yet to be made. more ›

The blood-drenched publicity machine for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark continues! Last night not only did T.V. Carpio have her first official performance playing the role of Arachne (though she'd been filling in off-and-on since the orignal villainess, Natalie Mendoza, was injured in December), but she also had a very special guest in the audience. Bono, the guy who wrote the music and lyrics to the show with The Edge, was there to see the carnage in all its gory glory for the very first time. more ›

Any rubberneckers who paid big bucks to see some death or dismemberment at last night's Spider-Man musical were destined for disappointment. The performance—the first since the show's main aerialist fell 30 feet and broke his ribs—went off with out incident or injury. And while it's good that no actors were hurt last night, what about the damage done to the lives and wallets of ticket buyers? If the state Labor Department can't save theatergoers from this enervating abomination, shouldn't the Department of Consumer Affairs intervene? Sadly, many of them don't even know they need help. Here's video of audience reactions after last night's performance: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Although the producers of the epic $65 million Spider-Man musical insisted that tonight's performance would proceed as planned, the Foxwoods Theater box office tells us it's been canceled. (Earlier today a reporter asked director Julie Taymor if the Labor Department had given the show a green light after Monday night's accident, she replied, "I think so.") The Foxwoods Theater had no comment about whether tomorrow night's show would still go on, but safety inspectors from OSHA and the Labor Department have been at the theater for the past two days. According to Arts Beat, there was a "heated" meeting today between Taymor and the actors, during which several cast members questioned the production's safety. more ›

Four performers involved in the $65 million Spider-Man musical have been injured so far, and it seems the possibility of witnessing real-life pain or even death has been good for the box office. The show is sold out through the New Year, and the Post reports that "all of the accidents and negative media attention have greatly spurred once-anemic ticket sales. In recent weeks, people have lined up to buy seats." Theatergoer Stephen Johnson tells the tabloid, "Another accident? I hope no one else gets hurt, but it is part of the allure of going." Clearly, producers should follow director Julie Taymor's lead and spice up a boring night of the theater with the promise of some real stage blood. After all, actors are a dime a dozen. Faces of Death: The Musical, anyone? more ›

The $65 million dollar Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has pushed back its opening night from January 11th to some date in February TBD. Of course, the production has already "opened" in the sense that audiences are being charged full price to watch a show that, we're told, ends with an actor raising his arms up in the air and yelling, "SPIDER-MAN!" But these performances are referred to in the business as "previews"; the opening date is when critics can publish their reviews (as soon as the curtain falls). And the producers do not want critics to see their spider baby yet. It's fragile! Arts Beat reports: more ›

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the beleaguered Julie Taymor/Bono/Edge musical about everyone's favorite webslinger, actually looks like it is going to make it to opening night—still set for January 11. So assuming nothing else goes wrong and the $65 million musical opens—how long does it have to run before it makes back its initial investment? The Times crunches the numbers and the rough answer is, oh, about four years. To be fair, that's not including the possibly incredibly lucrative merch (as they call it on their website). But worth noting? The second-most expensive musical of all time, Shrek, cost half as much and only managed to make it a year... more ›

After losing financial backers, its publicists, and Alan Cumming, the already legendary Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark has set a date for opening night! According to a press release from their new flacks, previews will begin November 14th, with opening night set for December 21st. Directed by Julie Taymor to the tune of $40 million, and featuring music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, the big-budget spectacle follows the struggles of Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man, who is "maligned by the media, buffeted by financial woes, and stretched thin by the expectations of the world-at-large." Wait, is that the plot or are they describing the production? more ›

After speculation the expensive Julie Taymor-directed Spider-Man musical might be on the ropes, it turns out there's a new lead producer. The NY Times reports that Michael Cohl, a rock promoter, "was taking command of the financially troubled project at the behest of U2’s Bono and the Edge, who together wrote the music and lyrics for the show" and said the show would go on next year. While he's never been a lead producer, he did co-produce Spamalot and "is widely regarded in the entertainment community as a man with deep pockets, a Rolodex packed with investors and a knack for presenting entertainment spectacles." more ›

Forget The Dark Knight – the hype is already giving way to disappointment. It’s time to start getting really, really excited about Spider-Man the Musical, which will feature a score by U2’s Bono and the Edge and direction from Julie Taymor of Lion King fame. In May, Marvel Executive Peter Cuneo announced that the show could open as soon as next year, with Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood – Taymor’s stars in Across the Universe – playing Peter Parker and Mary Jane. more ›