Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark: cash problems force 'temporary halt' to production

Hello Entertainment, one of the producers of the upcoming Broadway production of Spider-man, Turn Off The Dark, have announced that "due to an unexpected cash-flow problem" the musical "has been forced to suspend its activities."

Despite this difficulty the statement went on to read "The plans necessary for this correction are in hand now, and it is expected that activities, including work in the theater, will resume within the immediate future and with no material impact upon the planned production schedule."

If the producers optimism is true the production will still begin preview performances on 25 Feb 2010 at the Hilton Theatre as originally announced.

According to Michael Riedel of the New Yor Post the $45 million budget musical is in real trouble and predicts that the show will at best be delayed, if not worse.

Riedel reports that the show is suffering from an internal power struggle within the production team, which lies at the heart of the present financial difficulties. He claims that Sony and Marvel Comics have lost faith in the show's lead producer David Garfinkle and that he will shortly be replaced by Alan Wasser.

According to Riedel the problems with Garfinkle have emerged because the show's director Julie Taymor is spending a fortune on stagetime, crafting dynamic and powerful stage imagery that is pushing the budget to its limit and slowing down production time. If Riedel is correct, it means the producers are hoping that Wasser will be able to control Taymor's creative talent, and bring the production back on budget and on schedule.

Evan Rachel Wood as 'Mary Jane' and Alan Cumming 'Norman Osborn - aka Green Goblin' are to star in Spider-man, Turn Off The Dark, which features music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. The show is to be directed by Julie Taymor and choreographed by Daniel Ezralow.

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 design team for Spider-man includes George Tsypin (Sets), Eiko Ishioka (Costumes), Donald Holde (Lighting) and Jonathan Deans (Sound).

Spider-man is produced on Broadway by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris.

Tickets for Spider-man go on sale to the general public on 12 Sep 2009.