Giles

^ dying for one's art - literally

notkevinbacon

I'd probably pay more to see it if it's going to be as batshit insane as this sounds.

reubs82

What a terrible situation. Did anyone at any point (other than those in charge) think this would be a good idea at all?

cungar

I'm sure plenty of people thought it but when you have two of the biggest egos on the planet (Bono, Julie Taymor) involved, no one has the guts to tell them they are creating a giant theatrical albatross. These people live in another world. A place where comic book geeks, U2 fans and finicky New York critics co-exist.

Mabuse

This is hysterical. Bono just has the Midus Touch lately. First his made in china Africa clothing company and now his awful B-side musical.

Hokeyboy

The fact that no one thought a Spider-Man Broadway musical was a fundamentally stupid idea from the get-go fills me with the 's.

Mazje

I have to agree. Although, on paper, I'm sure that looks like gold to investors. Julie Taymor! U2! Spider-Man! Broadway!

Josh-da-man

This thing is turning out to be such an epic clusterfuck that I want to see it.

Dr. DVD

Has there been a single showing of this that has completed without problem? I am also in the camp of making a DVD/Blu-Ray so that they can edit it and at least show what it's supposed to look like.

islandclaws

I'm far too lazy to look any of this up, but can tickets be easily purchased for this? And are they pricey? I'm going to NYC on Jan. 5th and I'd consider checking this out.

For humor value, of course.

DeanoBKN

I think I read in the NY Post that tickets were sold out till January 9th, but you still might be able to find a random seat.

Dusty Bottoms

The New York Times is reporting that Natalie Mendoza, the actress who suffered the concussion during the first preview performance, is leaving the show.

Dusty Bottoms

I just checked Ticketmaster, and there are plenty of seats available for the matinee and evening performances on Jan. 5. Tickets range from about $76.50 to $289.

islandclaws

Thanks, guys. I'll be in NYC from Jan. 5th-11th, so there's plenty of time to get in a show if I choose.

bunnydojo

Wasn't the second-longest running Broadway show about a bunch of cats? And who would think The Lion King would translate or that something like Rent would be able to draw diverse audiences over thousands of performances? I don't know much about Broadway, but it seems wide open as far as what "works" and what grabs audiences.

Blending one of the biggest super heroes, one of the biggest rock bands, and Cirque Du Soleil-style acrobatics into a bombastic musical, there are enough elements available to create an enormously entertaining product. And there was plenty of room for additional income through soundtrack sales, DVD sales, action figures, t-shirts, comic "novelization," etc.

That's not to say it was ever a great idea, but is it really that hard to believe the excitement fueling the production?

Blame whoever is in charge of safety precautions (or their financing), sure, but the guy giving his viral/press-friendly quote on Facebook suggesting suing Bono and The Edge is laughable.

Groucho

bunnydojo = Julie Taymor?

Adam Tyner

The same dude said afterwards that his quote wasn't meant to be taken seriously. I think it was on Twitter too where jokey intent can be lost in the space of 140 characters.

Oh, here it is:

What the purpose is in making a point like that...well, whatever.

Supermallet

Actually, I think we should put Julie Taymor in jail for egregious assault on good taste.

E Unit

So Natalie Mendoza has now quit the show. This thing is falling apart at the seams. And the Today show review of it. Rather, a spectators review.

MBoyd

Just put it out of it's misery. And good for Natalie Mendoza for getting out. I have a feeling she'll be just fine.

toddly6666

Can't they just do this show without the dangerous webslinging? Just get some martial arts expert to play Spiderman and let him just do some jumpy flips.

And for any webslinging or flying on some goblin scenes, they can just do it pupeteer style as in this clip:

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All they gotta be is fuckin' creative to solve this problem. The producers think they got to have some expensive dangerous stunt for the show to be awesome. Sometimes the simplest, creative special effects are better (and cheaper).

Hokeyboy

Three words: Andrew Lloyd Webber. His record beyond spoke for itself at that point, even when doing "fantastical" subject matter. On the other hand, you can say that Julie Taymor's cred from "Lion King" helped rubber-stamp this faster than if, say, the douchebags from the "Shrek" musical wanted to showrun the project.
But "Lion King" was already not just a musical and extremely popular and beloved by the masses, it was also preceded by another successful Tony-nominated Disney Broadway musical.
"Rent" wasn't exactly a stretch either. An rock-opera adaptation of "La Boheme", at the very least, works on paper. Plus it was designed to resonate extremely well with the NY artistic/bohemian/alternative crowd.
I'm all about experimentation and pushing the envelope, but superheroes have never worked on Broadway, plus you're marrying geek/nerd subject matter with the milieu of American musical theater, which is about as odd a fit as I can think of before you start getting truly freaky. Still, it might work if you get a strong, experienced musical team to help you, and Bono and The Edge ain't it. They can write songs, no question, but writing for the stage is an entirely different beast.

bunnydojo

I think it's that the article cited its big centerpiece sources as "she tweeted" and "took to Facebook...He wrote (via Moviefone)" that made me want to jump to the defense of the production side.

I agree that the idea sounded stupid from the start, particularly when you're spending that much money and directing Bono and The Edge away from their other pursuits. And all of your counterpoints seem very valid to me, Hokeyboy. I just saw the room for how people could think it was a good idea or could be excited about the project and let myself think for a second of how wild it could have been if everything went right.

For what it's worth, a good friend of mine saw the show: "The show is actually pretty good!" ...he tweeted.

Hokeyboy

I'm ripping off a Groucho liner here, but they should totally print this on the advertisements.

Giles

and a good slap to the face.