SPIDER-MAN's Julie Taymor Addresses Tierney Injury, Safety

For the first time since Christopher Tierney was inured, Julie Taymor, Director of SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK gave an interview to NY1's Frank DiLella.  In an attempt to clear her name from any fault in the injury, Taymor said, "It's physical theater. Someone said it was action theater. And it's a terrible thing to happen but I don't think you can point to someone who actually didn't do the thing and say that they're at fault. We all know what we're doing in here and all of the safety issues have been covered -- and that one there was a mistake on -- and hopefully it could never happen again." Taymor claims that Tierney will do "something on stage on opening night."  The opening date for the musical has been delayed once again to March 15.

When asked about the pressure to create another smash hit like THE LION KING, Taymor said "This is about a living, moving, visual, pop story happening. So we've said it's circus, we've said it's rock n' roll, we've said it's drama" Taymor said.  She says that the two shows cannot be compared.

Finally, in regards to the lengthy preview period, Taymor said, "We are doing something where...how do we know how long it will take? Our ambition and our bar is high," said Taymor. "The pressure for us is to do something really unique, that suits the material. We're doing 'Spider-Man' after all. You're not going to have a single line like 'Peter Pan' or 'Mary Poppins.' So the pressure, the bar is high to deliver something the audience has a reason to come to the theater for something to see."

To see the full interview, click here.

Featuring direction by Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor (The Tempest, Across The Universe, The Lion King), music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge, a book co-written by Taymor and Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel) and one of the most iconic title characters of all time, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is the most ambitious production ever undertaken on Broadway and finds astonishingly fresh ways to tell a story inspired by over 40 years of Marvel comic books. The show follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down 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 incredible powers soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains put both his physical strength and strength of character to the test. SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark will thrill audiences through a unique entertainment experience in ways never-before-dreamed-possible in live theater.

Tickets are priced from $67.50 - $135 for weekday performances and $67.50 - $140 for weekend performances and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (877) 250-2929. Tickets are also available at the Foxwoods Theatre box office Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m

Photo Credit: Monica Simoes