U2 Bringing Spider-man to Broadway

Music Juice writes "A Broadway musical based on the web-slinging superhero is in the works, Marvel Studios said Friday. It will be directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor with new music and lyrics by U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge. The musical will be the first time a Marvel Comics character has been the subject of a show on Broadway, the company said. No opening date was announced, but Marvel said a reading would take place this summer. "

Success of epic musicals

Hopefully they'll run this past some test audiences before really launching. The Lord of the Rings musical disaster shows that musicals epic in scale can't depend on their multi-million dollar special effects to be successful when the plot itself drags and the dialogue is clunky.

I Hate to Make This Point But....

When I see things like this, I have to wonder if it's on there because it's a great story with a great Broadway adaptation or is it on there because it has been repopularized by the recent movies & they're hoping to make another quick buck?

All too often, I think it's the latter or merely proof that you can throw enough money at something to make it happen on Broadway.

Here's a preview

Here's a preview of the show [2gn.net]

Can go anywhere.

Ahh, is there no place Spiderman (And Bono) can't go?

$10 says they make his infection an AIDS metaphor

Come on, the Peter Parker story is an interesting one by comic book and action film standards. But is it really the kind of thing which will translate well to the stage? Spiderman flying around on a harness like Peter Pan is going to HAVE to be campy. How on earth would you play that seriously? A lot of the "cheats" of the film (special FX, CGI, explosions) are not going to be available and the Peter Parker story can only carry you so far.

Though, admittedly, this is a place where a play with actors dressed as cats ran for decades.

Why opera doesn't work

At least where I live, people don't stand around on street corners singing at each other. Broadway musicals and opera need a more mythical story than Spiderman to work with. West Side Story notwithstanding.

regardless of the cheese....

I could be convinced to go see this, if U2 hadn't been involved. My gods, everything these guys have done since the Joshua Tree has been utterly inane and lame pop-crap. I don't want poor, innocent Peter Parker getting all mixed up with these self-important dolts.

Might be worth it...

...just to hear Bono's rendition of the Spider-Man theme song. "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can...." Acrobatics aside, the Spider-Man story does have very operatic themes: ambition, death of a parental figure, revenge, and of course, responsibility. So who knows? For the record, Superman was produced as a Broadway musical in 1966, though it only had a very short run. More on Wikipedia. [wikipedia.org]

First Time? Not true...

The original run of "Rent" ended with The Punisher killing all the other characters with a flamethrower.

Nerds descend on Times Square

Pickpocketers, con men and muggers, mark your calendars. There'll be some easy-juicy targets. You'll just have to catch them before their parents pick them up.

Well they already have Legally Blonde on stage

Cant be ANY worse than that POS that people actually think will be the next Wicked (Its not and never will be)

Does Stan Lee have no shame?

He's the creator and has every right to monetize his creation as much as possible but a broadway play? Why not a musical? does he have no integrity left?

This is why I went back to DC (Darkhorse) comics in the early 90s when I was still an avid comic book reader... the Marvel stories had gone all disney and merchandising on me. This is like Lucas rewriting the star wars history to include Jar Jar and adding Mitochlorians to explain the force... bullshit for the masses with no imagination. It's like when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got turned into pizza eating surfer dudes by Archie comics instead of the violent vengeful outcasts that they were when Eastman and Laird created them (wishing those guys could have made some money off their original characters instead of having to sell out to take care of their families).

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!

Looks like Slashdot got ahold of the Family Guy writing staff [wikipedia.org]. Manatees pushing balloons... U2 doing Spider-Man on Broadway... ha, what WILL they think of next?

Stranger than you think

It's not just Spiderman the movie, the musical. This production has sprouted balloon feet and a propeller out of its head as it makes its way to crazy town.

From Playbill [playbill.com]:

The character breakdowns provide some insight to plot points as the character Arachne ("female, 20-35 years old, any ethnicity") is described as "a beautiful, boastful young woman turned into a spider for her hubris and lack of respect for the gods. She subsequently appears to Peter Parker and the audience as in turn a powerful spider-woman who comes from another time to inspire Peter; an otherworldly lover; a bride; a terrifying (and sexy) dark goddess of vengeance; a dance partner in a charged and violent spiders dance of death; and, finally, a lonely, fragile young woman." Casting is seeking a "strong Celtic, Balkan style, e.g., Sinead O'Connor," noting, "outside the box ideas are welcomed. Could be someone from the music industry."

Also, a "Geek Chorus" consisting of "three teenage boys and one girl" are described to "meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories."

I Love You Dr Zaius!

I'm still waiting for "Planet of the Apes, The Musical" [wikipedia.org].

It's too late for April Fools jokes isn't it?

"U2 bringing Spider-man to Broadway"

To quote Lisa Simpson:

"I know those words, but that sentence makes no sense to me."

Only 22 days late...

This has to be the best April's Fool this year.

I mean, come on, nobody is stupid enough to make a spiderman musical, right?
Right?

Captain America

didn't Marvel learn after the debacle that was Captain America the Musical? They even had ads in the comics back then saying you could possibly star in it alongside Cap. Of course, it never made it to the stage.

Personally, I'm waiting for the Batman musical Jim Steinman wrote.

What happened to the Captain America broadway show

I'm still waiting for the Captain America Broadway show. I remember the ads from either the late 80s or early 90s. There was even a contest where the prize was a part in the show, although I seem to remember that they wanted a girl in the role.

In other news...

Spider man's broadway debue now on YouTube

Web slinger becomes web singer.

Death throes of American culture

Don't get me wrong, I've been enjoying most of the Marvel movies as much as the average SF/comic geek. Spiderman 2 was probably one of the few sequels I've ever seen that was better than the original. But can no one in the entertainment industry come up with an original frickin' idea?!?! Name three hit musicals from the past 10 years that weren't revivals or movie adaptations. The musical is one of the few unique American cultural contributions. We can honestly say that the musical (like Jazz and the internet) is an American invention. Now we have a theatre industry controlled by the over-commericialized mass media, whose investors are looking for a "sure thing". A multi-million-dollar box office hit that'll sell sountrack albums and t-shirts and keep the groundlings enthralled for years. I don't mean to sound elitist. For example, I think Disney musicals are an excellent way to promote appreciation for theatre amongst children. But, come on! What happened to original stories? What happened to character-driven drama? Did all those starving playwrights and composers actually die off? How do we go from West Side Story, The King and I, and Cabaret to Big, Legally Blonde, and Spiderman?

Will the effects be as sucky as...

...Mary Martin in Peter Pan?.

I bet viewers thrilled by the exhilarating feeling of watching Spiderman swing hundreds of meters from skyscraper to skyscraper, from a near-first-person point of view in full 35mm definition on a huge cinema screen are going to love watching him hoisted by visible wires from the fly tower, while singing Broadway-pop paeans to adolescent angst.

No: Julie Taymor is bringing Spidey to Stage

Being that U2 knows jack sh!t about theatrical productions and are only writing the score and lyrics, I don't see why they should be credited for anything more than that.

Julie Taymore is a theatrical genius with many Stage and Film productions under her belt. And she will be the one responsible for bringing the work as a whole to fruition. Her artiistic vision will be driving everyting from costume and set design to cast selection and direction. And yes, she will even have a large say and input into the work that U2 produces for her production.

I don't know if any of you have seen Titus, but I suggest you check that out, since she has a knack for giving her productions a strong artistic signature and I'm certain this wont be any different. Which means that quite a few die hard fans will probably hate it because it will not be literal from canon.

gross

just gross. that sounds like a painful and sad debacle for all.

Quiet show

(cue music)

Spiderman: Mfffff!!!!!!!

Director: CUT!!! WTH? Why is his mouth all covered up?

- Necron69

Lyrics

Is he strong? Listen, bud. He's got radioactive blood. Watch out! Here comes the spiderman.

Kill me.

That's the most horrible thing I've ever read. I believe I'll never know joy again.

Whats the problem here?

I'm confused, did it become a requirement to poo-poo everything just to comment on /.? Why does this idea suck?

Musicals don't take away cool points from Spidey. And whats wrong with abstract interpretations or existing works? Salvador Dali's L'Enphanta Margarita was brilliant, even though it had already been done. U2 are great musicians, I'd certainly rather listen to them then sleep through Cats! again. Seriously - I do not see what everyone's issue is.

A U2?

Why doesn't he just travel on a normal passenger jet like everyone else? Bloody show-off!

Same Sentence

Never really expected to see those words (U2, Spiderman, Broadway) in the same sentence. Now I have.

I think it'll go a little something like this...

Green Goblin threw her from great heights
I couldn't save her, not with all my spider might
Now my darling Gwen is dead
And when there's green before me, all I see is red

Stacey, bloody Stacey
Stacey, bloody Stacey

Finally

I, for one, welcome Spiderman's coming out. From hiding. It's about time he stopped trying to deny... that he existed. And it's obvious from the undertones... that the harmony will be fantastic. Of course, Mary Jane will be sorely disappointed... since she prefers opera to musicals. But I am not afraid to say that I would take Spiderman anytime and anywhere... he needed to go.

heading from engrish.com?

me not self my help. I have got to kidding at you because it reminds me ofengrish.com [engrish.com]

Re:From "Mystery on Chimney Rock"

Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit smoking angel dust.

Re:Broadway has seriously jumped the shark.

It gets worse: Bukowsica!: the Bukowski musical [newwest.net].

The first number sets the scene perfectly with lyrics about coughing up blood and screwing whores, all done as a hilarious send-up of musicals, complete with jazz hands and jazz squares. ("You can be Bukowskical too!" they sing with all their hearts.)

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. I couldn't read the article all the way through to find out if it was any good (funny, campy, jaw-droppingly absurd). I suppose I would see it if it came to town. But the whole concept makes my head hurt.

Broadway has jumped the shark.

Re:Broadway has seriously jumped the shark.

Its' pretty much been the rule in theatre since Aristotle that whenever a generation's plays weren't all that good, the theatre makes up for it by upping the "Spectacle." For Greeks this meant truly elaborate machines to provide the Deus ex machina. The Romans would flood entire Coliseums to stage naval battles scenes. Medieval tropes would enroll entire towns into recreating imaginative (and often bawdy) scenes in hell. Good theatre, comedy or tragedy really doesn't need more than actors with strong voices, a bit of light, and a good, well written story. When good theatre is lacking, you tend to get Spiderman: the musical.But like that awful, plotless action movie, people will still pay to see it, if just for the effects. And make no doubt, the wire work for a show like Spiderman will be awesome.

Re:From "Mystery on Chimney Rock"

eh but so long as you kept your finger on the previous page, it didn't count!

Re:You Have Got To Kidding

I would go to see a musical version of Chronicles. You can't possibly have any expectations whatsoever with a subject like that translated to musical theater, consequently, it won't fail to meet them. It could "shoot the moon" of hackneyed monstrosity to actually be pretty cool.