RIALTO CHATTER: Spidey's 'Web Side Story' Sneak Peek

It became official when, SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark, was announced to open on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street (preview performances will begin Saturday, January 16, 2010). 

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. Well "True Believers", since that official statement, the "webslinging" work has heated up, and the creative process is in full "swing" (forgive us the pun, but c'mon...).

Taymor, Bono, The Edge as well as the entire team who are bringing the famed comic hero to the Broadway stage, gave a sneak peek at The Times Center this week of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.

Now as we can't reveal what was seen ourselves, GREEN GOBLIN!, we can send you to a wonderful and extensively detailed article on what was viewed at the presentation. Rialto Chatter can only add that the very positive nature of the essay is spot on, there is a thrilling mythological element being built into the story of the character for the show and it is fantastic, ok, enough from us, our "spidey senses" are a'tingling. To read the Modern Fabulousity blog's take click here.

The iconic rock band U2 graced the cover of Rolling Stone last month and the mega group was also featured inside in a wide ranging interview by writer Brian Hiatt. He trailed the world's biggest band from its Horizon recording sessions in England to its Dublin headquarters right up to President Obama's inauguration festivities. Most interesting was frontman Bono's comments on the upcoming 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark'. Bono also previewed a few songs from the musical, including "Boy Falls From the Sky," with Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess singing as Peter Parker.

Bono declared the song, "Killer!"

Along with his partner, guitar icon The Edge , Bono discussed how the two have been working with Tony winning director Julie Taymor and scriptwriter Glenn Berger on the project. The U2 leader is clearly inspired by the creative work done on the SPIDER-MAN musical expressing that "It could be our Tommy".

SPIDER-MAN is produced by HELLO Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris.

SPIDER-MAN is produced in association with Omneity Entertainment/Richard Weinberg, the Mayerson/Gould/Hauser/Tysoe Group, Patricia Lambrecht and Jam Theatricals/S2BN Entertainment.

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.

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, Ragtime); and Teese Gohl, Musical Supervisor (Across the Universe, Frida). Additional members of the SPIDER-MAN creative team will be announced at a later date.

Group tickets now on sale. Single tickets will go on sale June, 2009. For more information about group tickets, visit the Spider-Man website at www.SpidermanOnBroadway.com or by calling 1-800-Broadway.

Julie Taymor (Co-Book Writer, Director). Julie Taymor's latest film, Across The Universe, received a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Musical/Comedy in 2008. Her first film Fool's Fire, an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe short story, aired on PBS in 1992. She directed her first feature, Titus, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange in 1999. Frida, about the Mexican painter, starring Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina, received five Academy Award® nominations including a nomination for Taymor for Best Original Song for "Burn it Blue," and two Oscars® in 2002. Taymor's next film is The Tempest staring Dame Helen Mirren, Djimon Honsou and Russell Brand. Taymor has received numerous awards for The Lion King, which opened on Broadway in 1997, including two Tony® Awards-one for best direction and one for her original costume designs. The Lion King has been seen on eleven stages worldwide. She also earned a Tony Award ® nomination for Best Direction and Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Juan Darien. Recent opera productions include an original opera, Grendel, composed by Elliot Goldenthal, which premiered at the Los Angeles Opera and subsequently at the Lincoln Center Festival (2006). Her direction of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 and is now in repertoire there. Taymor has received a MacArthur "genius" grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two OBIE Awards, the first Annual Dorothy B. Chandler Award in Theater, and the 1990 Brandeis Creative Arts Award among many others. A book spanning her career, Julie Taymor: Playing With Fire, is in its third edition from Abrams.

BONO (Music & Lyrics). The lead singer of U2, Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin. He met The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton at school, and in 1978 U2 was formed. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys.® Bono and The Edge have also received 4 Golden Globe® nominations including a win for "The Hands that Built America" from Gangs of New York, which was also nominated for an Academy Award, Best Original Song. In their first year of eligibility, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their latest album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States and close to 10 million worldwide and it won all 3 Grammy Awards for which it was nominated in 2005 and all 5 Grammy Awards for which it was nominated in 2006. A new album, No Line On The Horizon, is due for release in March, 2009. Bono is a long-time activist in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa. He is the cofounder of ONE, an advocacy and campaigning organization with 2 million members dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. As part of his work with ONE, Bono has lobbied U.S. Presidents and Congressional leaders, along with the heads of many other G8 nations. In 2006, Bono and Bobby Shriver launched Product (RED). Product (RED) has an ongoing relationship with global brands that sell (RED) products, a percentage of profits from which are donated directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Bono has received a number of awards, including the Legion D'Honneur in 2003, Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2005 (alongside Bill & MeLinda Gates), and an honorary British knighthood in 2007. Bono lives in Dublin with his wife and children.

THE EDGE (Music & Lyrics). Guitarist with U2, The Edge was born David Howell Evans in east London. A year later, he and his family moved to Malahide, Co. Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple School and met Larry Mullen, Bono, and Adam Clayton. In 1978 U2 was formed. Described as one of the most influential guitar players of his generation, Edge's crystalline minimalist guitar playing is the hallmark of U2's music, and one of the most original and distinctive guitar styles in rock and roll history. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have toured the globe countless times, have released 14 studio albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys®. One of the principle songwriters of U2, The Edge has also written extensively for other projects, often in collaboration with Bono, including music for movies (Captive, Gangs of New York and GoldenEye); for animation (The "Batman" TV series); and for the stage (A Clockwork Orange by the Royal Shakespeare Company). Marked out by their politics from the beginning, U2 were awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2006. In 2005, The Edge co-founded Music Rising, a charity initiative which provides musical instruments for the musicians, schools and churches of the Gulf Region. The Edge lives in Dublin with his wife and children.

Glen Berger (Co-Book Writer). Glen Berger's plays include Underneath The Lintel (over 450 performances Off-Broadway, 90 productions worldwide); O Lovely Glowworm (Portland Best Script Award) and Great Men of Science, Nos. 21 & 22 (L.A. Weekly Best Play Award). Glen has also collaborated with Frank London (of the Klezmatics) on two new musicals: On Words and Onwards, and Loewe-Award winner A Night In The Old Marketplace. In television, Glen has won two Emmys® (nine nominations), and has written over 100 episodes for children's television series including "Arthur, Big and Small," "Curious George," and "Fetch," for which he is in his fifth year as head writer. He is a New Dramatists alumnus.

Daniel Ezralow (Choreography) has created choreography for theatre, film, opera, and television. Spider-Man marks Ezralow's fourth collaboration with Julie Taymor (Across The Universe/Film, The Green Bird/Broadway, and The Flying Dutchmen/Opera). His choreography can be seen in his highly acclaimed dance/theatre show Why, his touring show Aeros and The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. He also choreographed Mandala, his critically acclaimed multi-media one-man show. For television he has created the award-winning dance special "Windows" (Bravo) and received an Emmy Award® for his work on the PBS special "Episodes." He has also received two ACA awards for Innovation and Outstanding Choreography. In concert dance Mr. Ezralow has created original work for numerous companies including The Paris Opera Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Batsheva Dance Company of Israel. Mr. Ezralow has also created choreography as well as staged shows for many artists in the music world (U2, Andrea Bocelli, Sting, David Bowie and Josh Groban).

George Tsypin (Set Design) is a sculptor, architect and designer of opera, film and video. He won an International Competition of "New and Spontaneous Ideas for the Theater for Future Generations" some twenty years ago. Since then his opera designs have been seen all over the world, including the Salzburg Festival, Opera de Bastille in Paris, Covent Garden in London, La Scala in Milan and Metropolitan Opera in New York. The first private gallery show of his sculpture took place in 1991 at Twining Gallery in New York. George exhibited his work at Venice Biennale in 2002. He has worked with director Julie Taymor on many projects including Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), Grendel and Oedipus Rex. He designed The Little Mermaid on Broadway. His book George Tsypin Opera Factory: Building in the Black Void was published by Princeton Architectural Press in October of 2005 (Golden Pen Award).

EIKO ISHIOKA (Costume Design) is a multidisciplinary designer whose internationally acclaimed work has made her one of the premiere visual artists in contemporary world culture. Her awards include an Academy Award® for costume design for Francis Ford Coppola's film Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Award for Artistic Contribution at the Cannes Film Festival for her production design of the film Mishima, Outer Critic Circle nominations and Tony® nominations for the sets and costumes of the Broadway play M. Butterfly, and a Grammy Award® for the artwork of Miles Davis' album Tutu. She directed a music video for the singer Björk and designed costumes for Cirque du Soleil's Varekai (Drama Desk nomination). Most recently, Ishioka was the director of costume design for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Donald Holder (Lighting Design). Broadway: South Pacific (2008 Tony Award®, Drama Desk nomination), Les Liasons Dangereuses, A Streetcar Named Desire, Gem of The Ocean, Movin' Out, Juan Darien (all Tony®-nominated), The Lion King (Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards, Paris Moliere Award, London Olivier® nomination), Cyrano de Bergerac, Radio Golf, The Little Dog Laughed, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Shop of Horrors, Prelude to a Kiss, The Boy From Oz, many others. Off-Broadway: Yellowface, Romeo and Juliet (Delacorte), The Pain and The Itch, Almost an Evening, A Man of No Importance, Birdie Blue, Observe The Sons of Ulster ...(Lortel Award), Jitney, Saturday Night, Three Days of Rain, many others. Opera: The Magic Flute (NY Metropolitan Opera), Grendel (Los Angeles Opera, Lincoln Center Festival, New York), both directed by Julie Taymor.

Jonathan Deans (Sound Design) was born in England and has been living in America for the past 18 years. His work spans the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden through to The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil with over 100 productions in-between. His Broadway designs include Fosse, Young Frankenstein and Ragtime. Jonathan is known for his unique and immersive sound designs. It is his experience of standing in the midst of a ‘60 plus' piece orchestra during live concerts and the many rehearsals that continually resonate inside him. This has a great influence on his design approach for the audience and the focus of the staged performance.

TEESE GOHL (Musical Supervisor). Born and raised in Winterthur, Switzerland, Matthias Gohl studied at Berklee College in Boston, MA. Theater music/sound design credits include A.R.T.,Cambridge, MA, Trinity Repertory Theater, Providence, RI., and Theater For A New Audience, NYC. Film score production with composer Elliot Goldenthal includes: Interview With A Vampire, Michael Collins, Heat, two Batman features, Titus, Across the Universe, Butcher Boy, Public Enemies and Oscar® winning scores for John Corigliano's The Red Violin and Julie Taymor's Frida. In addition to documentary film composition, jazz performance and opera/theater pit performance, Teese is proud of his collaborations with Carly Simon, Nana Vasconcelos and Dave Stewart.

With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. For more information visit www.marvel.com