Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming To Star In 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark', Previews Now Begin 2/25/2010

Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming will star in SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark on Broadway, with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger and directed by Julie Taymor.

SPIDER-MAN will now begin preview performances Thursday, February 25, 2010 at the Hilton Theatre with a new official opening date to be announced shortly. (The opening date was previously February 18, 2010).

Tickets for the eagerly anticipated SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark are now on sale exclusively for American Express® cardmembers at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000, or at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Evan Rachel Wood stars as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker's girlfriend. Evan's film credits include Whatever Works, Across The Universe (directed by Julie Taymor), The Wrestler, Little Secrets, Thirteen (Golden Globe nom) and Running With Scissors. She recently received the Young Hollywood Superstar Award. Her many television appearances include "Once and Again" (Young Artist Award - Best Ensemble in a TV Series) and "American Gothic." She recently appeared on stage in Romeo and Juliet at Theatre in the Park in Raleigh, NC. SPIDER-MAN marks her New York stage debut.

Director Julie Taymor is excited to be working again with Evan Rachel Wood. "Across The Universe was my first opportunity to work with Evan Rachel Wood-- and it was a sublime experience. Evan is unique: she is a young actress with incredible depth for both serious and comic drama in films and theater, and on top of that, she has an extraordinary lyrical voice. We are thrilled to have her as our Mary Jane."

Alan Cumming stars as Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin), Spider-Man's most notorious nemesis. Alan won the Tony ®, Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards for his outstanding performance in Cabaret. Other Broadway credits include The Threepenny Opera and Design For Living. His films include the soon-to-be-released The Tempest (directed by Julie Taymor), Titus (also directed by Julie Taymor), X2: X-Men United, Sweet Land (Independent Spirit Award), The Spy Kids Trilogy, Eyes Wide Shut and The Anniversary Party, which he wrote and directed. His London stage appearances include Hamlet, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Olivier Award), Bent and The Bacchae. He was recently made an O.B.E. in the Queen's Birthday Honors List. 

Julie Taymor is thrilled to be working with Alan Cumming again. "I obviously love him as this is my third collaboration with Alan - and finally we get to do it on stage. He has such range and such charisma as a performer that I feel confident his Green Goblin will bring many surprises that will move and entertain us."

On behalf of the SPIDER-MAN producing team, David Garfinkle and Martin McCallum added "We are thrilled that Evan and Alan are onboard and we look forward to announcing further casting, including the webslinger himself, very soon." With regard to the change in production schedule they explained that, "The process of obtaining all the necessary state and city building permits, and landmark approvals to prepare the Hilton Theatre for a production the size and scope of SPIDER-MAN has taken longer than anyone expected, but we now have everything that is required to bring this visually powerful show to Broadway next Spring."

Ticket buyers who have already purchased tickets to SPIDER-MAN will be given priority access to seats of equal value at a later performance and they are being contacted to arrange exchanges or refunds.

Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, SPIDER-MAN spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of the Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen. The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down literally when he's bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek suddenly endowed with astonishing powers soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character. Spider-Man's battles will hurtle the audience through an origin story both recognizable and unexpected yielding new characters as well as familiar faces until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero's journey.

SPIDER-MAN features music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge of U2 with direction by Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor (The Tempest, Across The Universe, The Lion King). SPIDER-MAN is written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel). The principal creative and design team for SPIDER-MAN includes Daniel Ezralow, Choreographer (Across the Universe, The Green Bird); George Tsypin, Sets (The Magic Flute, The Little Mermaid); Eiko Ishioka, Costumes (Academy Award® for Bram Stoker's Dracula, Tony Award® nomination for M. Butterfly, the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics); Donald Holder, Lighting (Tony® Awards for The Lion King, South Pacific); Jonathan Deans, Sound (Fosse, The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, Young Frankenstein); and Teese Gohl, Musical Supervisor (Across the Universe, Frida).

Additional members of the SPIDER-MAN creative team will be announced at a later date.

SPIDER-MAN is produced by HELLO Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris, in association with Omneity Entertainment/Richard Weinberg, Jeffrey B. Hecktman, the Mayerson/Gould/Hauser/Tysoe Group, Patricia Lambrecht and Jam Theatricals/S2BN Entertainment.

Tickets for SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark are now on sale exclusively for American Express® cardmembers at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000, or at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Tickets for SPIDER-MAN will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, September 12 via Ticketmaster.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.