Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark delays opening once again

The Broadway premiere of Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark, currently in previews, has once again delayed its opening night. The show, which was scheduled to open at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre on 11 Jan 2011, will now open on 7 Feb 2011. All performances prior to the new opening night will go on as planned.

In a statement, Lead producer Michael Cohl said, "The creative team is implementing truly exciting changes throughout the preview process. Due to some unforeseeable setbacks, most notably the injury of a principal cast member, it has become clear that we need to give the team more time to fully execute their vision. Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark is an extremely ambitious undertaking, as everyone knows, and I have no intention of cutting a single corner in getting to the finish line."

The show has been blighted by injuries. During rehearsals two actors suffered serious injuries; one breaking both wrists, while another broke both feet. Cohl does not say which prnciple casy member he is reffering to in his statement, but it probably relates to actress Natalie Mendoza who plays who stars as 'Arachne.' Mendoza was injured during the musical's first preview on 28 Nov 2010 when she was struck on the head by a piece of rope that was holding production equipment. Though the actor performed that evening, she was later diagnosed with concussion and was ordered to rest. Mendoza only recently returned to the producion.

The press release confirms a report published on 16 Dec 2010 by the New York Times. That report stated that the delay is to allow time for the musicals creators to "stage a new final number, make further rewrites to the dialogue and consider adding and cutting scenes and perhaps inserting new music from the composers."

This is the third time Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark's opening date has been delayed. The musical, which is estimated to cost $65 million has suffered from delays since the show was first announced in Feb 2009. It was originally scheduled to open at the Hilton Theatre (now the Foxwoods) on 18 Feb 2010.

Drawing from more than 40 years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark 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, Turn Off The Dark features music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy Award-winners Bono and The Edge of U2 with direction by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor ('The Tempest,' 'Across The Universe,' 'The Lion King') and a book by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger ('Underneath The Lintel').

A press release for the show reads "Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark represents the consummate collaboration of cultures by joining the theatrical and cinematic vision of Julie Taymor with the thrilling musicality of Bono and The Edge, and the iconic Spider-Man brand. This project has allowed these artists to create a work specifically designed for a theater environment, one that can't be produced as a stadium show, and is the natural evolution of three remarkable careers. Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark promises to be the most ambitious production ever undertaken on Broadway.

Currently in rehearsal, the complete cast of Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark stars Reeve Carney as 'Peter Parker/Spider-Man,' Tony Award-nominee Jennifer Damiano as 'Mary Jane Watson' and Patrick Page as 'Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin.'

The cast also features Natalie Mendoza, Michael Mulheren, Ken Marks, Isabel Keating, Jeb Brown, T.V. Carpio, Mat Devine, Gideon Glick, Jonathan Schwartz, Matthew James Thomas, Laura Beth Wells, Matt Caplan, Dwayne Clark, Luther Creek, Gerald Avery, Collin Baja, Marcus Bellamy, Emmanuel Brown, Erin Elliott, Craig Henningsen, Dana Marie Ingraham, Ayo Janeen Jackson, Heather Lang, Ari Loeb, Natalie Lomonte, Kevin Loomis, Kristin Martin, Jodi McFadden, Kristen Oei, America Olivo, Jennifer Perry, Kyle Post, Brandon Rubendall, Sean Samuels, Dollar Tan and Christopher Tierney.

The creative team includes Daniel Ezralow (Choreography), George Tsypin (Scenic Design), Academy Award-winner Eiko Ishioka (Costume Design), Tony Award-winner Donald Holder (Lighting Design), Jonathan Deans (Sound Design), Kyle Cooper (Projection Design) and Julie Taymor (Mask Design).

Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark is being produced on Broadway by Michael Cohl, Jeremiah J. Harris, Land Line Productions, Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Billy and Fernando Rovzar Diez Barroso, Jeffrey B. Hecktman, Omneity Entertainment/Richard G. Weinberg, Nederlander Organization/James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, S2BN Entertainment, Jam Theatricals, the Mayerson/Gould/Hauser/Tysoe Group, and Patricia Lambrecht, by association with Marvel Entertainment.