This time, Spider-Man flew. No falls. No broken wrists. No hospitalizations.
Last Friday, around 96 students from Forbes, Mathey, Rockefeller and Whitman colleges went on a residential college-sponsored trip to a preview of the $65 million rock musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” at New York’s Foxwoods Theatre.
Directed by Tony award-winner Julie Taymor, Broadway’s most expensive show has turned into a national headline-generator following repeated technical difficulties and injuries to cast members. In past previews, actors had ad-libbed references to the musical’s woes.
Although some critics had panned the musical as being one of the worst in history, students said that the controversies only added to their desire to see it.
“There’s a certain enjoyment to be had in seeing one of the worst-reviewed shows in recent Broadway history,” William Gilpin ’14 said in an e-mail. Noting that there was a wait-list for the University-sponsored tickets, he credited the demand to “schadenfreude.”
“Many of the people who knew the show’s history were secretly hoping that something would go hideously wrong,” he said.
Nonetheless, Friday’s preview opened to a packed crowd and received a standing ovation, with students commending the electrifying stage effects.
“The technical elements were absolutely mind-blowing,” William Wild ’13 said. “Julie Taymor’s brilliance with set design really shone through.”
“Spiderman flew over us,” Hannah Hou ’13 added. “I was a little bit nervous about the stunts, but that made it worth it.”
Other students commended the musical’s elaborate sets, capable of 90-degree rotations.
“I was particularly impressed by the set, especially scenes involving the city,” Michael Lee ’13 said in an e-mail. He added that he was particularly impressed by a scene that “had the audiences looking down the side of a building at the streets miles below.”
Students said that despite the technical work, other aspects of the show left much to be desired.
Wild described the interaction between Peter Parker and his love interest Mary Jane Watson as “very awkward” and he said he felt that there had been “no emotional connection whatsoever” with the audience.
“Plot development was virtually non-existent,” he said.
Other attendees also said they felt the plot and script were subpar and difficult to understand.
“I have not yet talked to anyone who understood what happened in the second act,” Gilpin said. “For a three-hour show, this is problematic.”
Jacob Kim ’13 noted that the introduction of an extra character, spider goddess Arachne, in part two was “just awful.”
“She was supposed to lust after Peter Parker and was destroying New York City as a result of jealousy. That part was just nonsense,” he said in an e-mail.
Students were also unimpressed with the soundtrack by U2’s Bono and The Edge.
“The music — although an interesting choice — did not live up to the grandeur that was expected of a Broadway show,” Wild said.
However, Hou said she felt that the actors compensated with their acting and vocal talents. “The singing was wonderful, especially given that there was something to be desired with the music.”
Kim expressed different sentiments, calling the singing “mediocre.”
Jonathan Schwartz ’10, former The Amazing Race participant and Nassoon, played the role of Professor Cobwell, electronics expert and friend to Peter Parker.
“He played a relatively minor role, but he did a great job,” Wild said.
The residential colleges originally ordered the tickets in 2009 for the show that had been due to open in February 2010, long before the technical difficulties and criticism surfaced.
“We ordered it based on Julie Taymor’s directing and music by Bono [and] The Edge,” Karen Sisti, the administrator of Rockefeller College, said in an e-mail. “Our most popular trips are to ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Wicked’ so it seemed to be about the same kind of musical.”
With Taymor’s team still working on the show’s technical difficulties, Lee expressed concern that the musical would run for a limited time.
“Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was thinking, damn, this show might not run that long. I should see it while I have the chance,” he said.
The official opening of “Spider-Man” is slated for March 15. The preview period began in November 2010, the longest in Broadway history.
“At its core it was poorly written, poorly acted and poorly sung,” Wild said.
Nonetheless, he recommended the show because it was “fun.”
“Bring earplugs,” he said. “If you’re looking for a good Broadway performance, don’t expect it from this show.”
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