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 ›

Though we've yet to meet a person who enjoyed it, Spider-Man: Bring Out Your Dead Turn Off The Dark turns out to be a moneymaking (if not yet profitable) hit for its producers and Disney corporate overlords. So clearly it's time for them to start digging into their Marvel pockets for another property to make into a Broadway smash. To that end, our first thought was that a Fantastic Four musical could be a campy kick...but then we saw this amazingly edited X-Men: The Animated Musical video, and well, see for yourself: 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 ›

Hot on the heels of winning the award that is closest to the Nobel Peace Prize, U2's Bono and The Edge are scheduled to perform on American Idol's Wednesday finale with the cast of everyone's favorite Broadway musical, Spider- Man: Please Make The Pain Stop Turn Off the Dark. more ›

There's been no lack of mocking headlines and critical jest at Spider-Man: Die Hard With A Vengeance Turn Off The Dark, by far the most expensive tone-deaf musical ever. But no headline has truly made it until it is ripped out, reassembled, and immortalized into a Law & Order plotline. And it seems that Julie Taymor's great folly will be getting its moment in the sun very soon, when Law & Order: Criminal Intent takes on the musical in an upcoming episode. 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 ›

So that delay the producers of problem-plagued Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have been rumored to be contemplating? The musical, currently set for a March 15 opening, could actually be delayed until June, according to the NY Times. And the March 15 performance would be a "celebration of sorts for the work done so far." A celebration of "bear-baiting"? Sign us up! 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 ›

When about a dozen critics simultaneously published their generally negative reviews of the Broadway mega-musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark last week, we wondered if their opinions would make a difference to the production's target demographic: people who just want to see flying shit. And so far, it looks like audiences just don't care what fancy Ben Brantley and the rest of the theater snobs think. According to Playbill, attendance actually rose slightly after the reviews dropped, from almost 90% capacity to 92% capacity last week. And despite the critical drubbing, producers have found a way to turn the lemons into lemonade, with their old friend Mr. Pullquote! more ›

The Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark shitshow marketing nightmare just keeps racking up wins: the much-maligned musical has been hit with two safety violations from the New York State Department of Labor over the accidents that have befallen the cursed production. But you didn't need your spider sense to tingle to have seen that one coming. more ›