Taymor Says Broadway Success Can Be Found in 'Spectacle with No Book'

With the media and the public eyes still firmly looking toward SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark, director and co-writer Julie Taymor spoke to the LA Times, addressing the widespread negativity leveled toward the book and safety of the show.

Many have complained that the plot throughout the second act becomes convoluted and at times quite hard to follow. Taymor did not attempt to defend the show's storytelling; rather, she stated that "You can do spectacle on Broadway with no book and have a very successful show."

She may, in a way, be right: in early January, SPIDER-MAN took top place in grosses, topping constant successes Wicked and The Lion King - also directed by Taymor. Despite her apparent admission of a lack of cohesive book, Taymor doesn't believe that the criticisms are necessarily valid. "We have to do a show that we're satisfied with," she said. There's just a point where you do what you can get done. We can go on and on and on [making changes]."

Michael Cohl, the lead producer, also believes the production to be on the right track: "The overall theme that I totally reject is that it's a lousy show. It's not," he says. "Like many shows in preview, there are things we need to do better, things that didn't work the way we wanted them to. But a lot of things worked really well, and things worked better than I expected."

The safety of the show has been in question since the high-flying stunts were first presented to the public, with the buzz rising when aerialist Christopher Tierney fell approximately 25 feet during a performance, suffering broKen Bones and internal injuries in what was widely presented as evidence that the show was too unsafe for its performers. Actor Patrick Page, who plays scientist-turned-villian Norman Osborn, dismisses the notion that SPIDER-MAN is unsafe, saying "We did have a couple of very serious accidents, but without question the show is safe." Taymor agreed, adding her thought that "any number of shows suffer from similar accidents".

Despite the show's injuries (four reported total), multiple delayed opening dates (currently marked for March 15th), and high prices (some tickets are selling for $289 apiece), ticket sales have been strong for preview performances. 

Read the full LA Times article here.