Spider-Man has swung into town.
After a year-long delay, on-set injuries and a ballooning budget of $65 million, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" staged its first public preview Sunday night.
The rock musical, created by U2's Bono and the Edge and directed by "The Lion King" queen Julie Taymor, who also co-wrote the book, is being called Broadway's biggest gamble ever.
The audience in the packed, 1,800-seat Foxwoods Theater, who paid as much as $275 a ticket, called it a surefire smash hit despite some kinks.
There were four unplanned stops in Act I alone that left actors suspended over the audience, one for six minutes. A fifth stop an hour into Act II caused some theatergoers to walk out.
The show lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes, including a 40-minute intermission.
"It was very exciting, especially for the kids. But I was just as excited," said Long Island teacher Gilda Schultz, 42, at the show with her three daughters.
Before the curtain rose, producer Michael Cohl issued the audience a warning: "Please do not try to catch a ride with any of the performers."
The rollicking highflying performance featured a midair battle scene between Spidey and the villainous Green Goblin that left spectators craning their necks.
"He's a bad guy, but his skin is my favorite color," awestruck 6-year-old Jack Soldano of Long Island said of the Green Goblin.
Andrew Shaffer, 32, and his wife, Gwendolyn Lee, 30, of Iowa, came dressed in Spider-Man costumes, but expected a dud.
"It was really good," Shaffer said. "I was pleasantly surprised."
The celebration on the Great White Way was a long time coming. The show based on the Marvel Comics hero has been tangled in a web of problems almost from the start. Production had already been delayed several times due to money issues and tricky stage stunts, when the show's producers announced previews would begin last January. That date came and went and the opening night of Dec. 21 had to be put off until next January.
The bumps along the way led to wholesale cast changes. Rocker Reeve Carney still stars as Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker. Evan Rachel Wood, who was to play Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane, was replaced by "Next to Normal" star Jennifer Damiano. Alan Cumming's departure made room for Patrick Page to take over the role of the Green Goblin.
Bono said on "60 Minutes" Sunday night that creating the show with bandmate the Edge has been a fantastic voyage. "It has been one of the funnest, more joyful rides of our artistic life, for sure," said Bono, who made sure to recycle familiar U2 anthems like "New Year's Day" and "Vertigo" in the score.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/11/29/2010-11-29_after_many_delays_spiderman_turn_off_the_dark_nets_first_broadway_preview_to_exc.html#ixzz16fY1eCDp
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