STAGE TUBE: Julie Taymor On Directing 'SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark'

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. Director Julie Taymor discusses the musical's journey right here on STAGE TUBE!

SPIDER-MAN features music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edgeof 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).

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.

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.