RIALTO CHATTER: 'SPIDER-MAN' Now Set to Swing This Summer?

Michael Riedel in this morning's New York Post reports that SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark looks to be swinging a more positive web after recent weeks and months of negative drama.

Riedel hears that "the $45 million musical, which suspended production this fall when the money ran out, will begin previews in June at the Hilton Theatre and open in July."

A 'New York Times' report last night revealed that a meeting has been scheduled for today, Friday, with director Julie Taymor and members of the creative team and producers to discuss and determine the fate of the show. Executives quoted (anonymously) in the New York Times story told the paper that it's expected that the show may not be prepared to open by April 29, 2010, the cutoff date for the Tony Awards nominators. 

Adrian Bryan-Brown, official spokesman for musical, recenty serviced The Times with the following statement from the producers: "A lot of progress has been made on the show. It is going to happen."

A few weeks ago, The Times confirmed that SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark was now planning to begin previews and open in the Spring of 2010 due to the weeks of production delays and financial difficulties that have plagued the multi-million dollar mega project for months. 

Spider-Man had originally hoped to begin previews on Februrary 25 and open in March, however the financial resources were not in place to begin rehearsals this fall in time to make the ambitious winter dates. Despite a halt in production this summer, theatre construction work for the show did recently resume at the Hilton Theater.  

The financial hole was left when another Chicago investor, David Garfinkle, stumbled into financial trouble a few weeks ago.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor with 22-time Grammy® Award-winning Bono and The Edge creating new music and lyrics, Spider-Man will be written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger.

Announced stars Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming are still said to be signed on to the production. In an earlier interview with BWW the Tony Winning Cumming confirmed things were moving along with the musical, remarking, "Well, I've gone in for a few costume fittings, and they've done such an amazing job! The costumes were done by Eiko Ishioka. Let me tell you, it's just incredible, especially when I become the full Green Goblin! It's so detailed, so authentic. They are just insane and look really amazing! From some of the drawings and things I've seen... wow. I think it's going to be a huge spectacle!"

Insiders also whispered to Roger Friedman's Showbiz411 that the leading character of Peter Parker has been cast, but the actor has not announced. Sources to Rialto Chatter have mentioned the young actors Reeve Carney and Sebastian Stan as potential candidates for the role of Parker. Both thespians have worked on various workshops of the musical. In the musical, only Peter Parker will sing musical numbers. The actual character of Spider-Man, reveals Showbiz411, will be represented by five different blue and red costumed wall-crawling and stage soaring performers. To read the full article on Showbiz411 click here.

Julie Taymor is best known as director of one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history, Disney's The Lion King and the film Across The Universe. Bono and The Edge are half of one of the most popular rock bands of all time, U2, who will be making their Broadway debut with Spider-Man.

Drawing from over forty 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.