Frank Rich Slams SPIDER-MAN; Riedel Reports on Cast

Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced earlier this week details about SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark's newly expanded creative team. However, the show's problems are not solved yet. Talking to Don Imus this morning, legendary New York Times writer (and soon to be New York Magazine writer) Frank Rich said ""There is no way to fix a show this far into previews, according to Broadway history... it's a fool's errand at this point, if you know, follow history." That said however, he also revealed that he has not seen the show, which has been in previews for months, because "life is too short."

Over at the New York Post, Michael Riedel has gathered more information on the issues involving the cast that we first reported yesterday. He notes that the show's dancers and chorus members are currently on 6 month contracts that expire at the end of May, and that the exhaustion which many are feeling might yield to a 'mass exodus'

Yesterday BroadwayWorld.com reported that cast was meeting with Actors' Equity to explore their options and union protection. Many of the cast are up in arms since they've been rehearsing the show now since August of 2010 (or earlier) with much exhaustion and no end in site. We're told that levels of anger and frustration vary amongst the cast, but their first concern right now is to understand what their options are, as its looking like there's at least 3 more months of rehearsals in store. 

In the meantime, Jeremy Gerard at Bloomberg News is the first with more details on what will be cut from the show, and what changes will occur during the show's as of yet unannounced shutdown. He reports that the Julie Taymor creation of Arachne will be heavily cut down, with her scenes being minimized and cut entirely, along with the song 'Deeply Furious' in which she and her minions go shopping for shoes, also said to be a Taymor favorite.

We're hearing that at least 4 new songs are expected for the production, including a big new Act 2 opening song. In the meantime, the show is back in rehearsals starting this afternoon including work on Deeply Furious/Think Again, the Death of Uncle Ben, Splash Page and more... Also on the chopping block? The Green Goblin's Act I death scene, which will make his Act II appearance more logical. We're told that he'll be getting a big new Act II opening number as well.

A press release also noted that "The additional time commitment required by this new plan will make it impossible for director and co-book writer Julie Taymor to continue on in her day-to-day duties with the production. Philip William McKinley and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa have joined the creative team to help implement new staging and book rewrites, respectively. McKinley has vast experience directing technically complex productions on Broadway and beyond. Aguirre-Sacasa is both an acclaimed playwright and a noted writer of Spider-Man comic books."

The expanded creative team also includes musical consultant Paul Bogaev (Tarzan, Bombay Dreams, Aida, Sunset Boulevard) and sound designer Peter Hylenski (Elf, Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages, Shrek), both of whom have already been working on improving the musical arrangements and sound quality (respectively) over the past few weeks, thereby vastly enhancing the audience experience.

Producers Cohl and Harris said, in a joint statement, "Julie Taymor is not leaving the creative team. Her vision has been at the heart of this production since its inception and will continue to be so. Julie's previous commitments mean that past March 15th, she cannot work the 24/7 necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for our opening. We cannot exaggerate how technically difficult it is to make such changes to a show of this complexity, so it's with great pride that we announce that Phil McKinley is joining the creative team. Phil is hugely experienced with productions of this scale and is exactly what SPIDER-MAN Turn off the Dark needs right now."

Bono and The Edge added, "Julie is a truly gifted and imaginative director. This is an epic ride, and the standing ovations we have seen from the preview audiences have confirmed our absolute faith in the project. We are listening and learning and, as a result, we have a couple of new songs we are very very excited about putting into the mix. All of us on the creative team are committed to taking SPIDER-MAN to the next level. We are confident it will reach its full potential and when it does, it will open."

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is now in previews at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).