Despite dreadful notices, repeated delays and a series of actors either being strung up over the audience or dropped upon the audience onto the stage or into the orchestra pit (ht: Swift Loris), “Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark” is raking in over a million dollars a week. This calls to mind the apocryphal military officer’s fitness report:
“His men would follow him anywhere. But only out of curiosity.”
As for Julie Taymor, the artiste who seems almost a self-parody, Neil Innes said it best (while mocking Bob Dylan, I think):
“I’ve suffered for my art. Now it’s your turn.”
Nevertheless Julie Taymor seems to me to be a genuinely talented director / costumer / designer. And you have to admire their ability to capitalize on people’s interest in the spectacle of a train wreck.
Anyway I’ve seen worse with less real accomplishment and I bet you have too.
For the record, no Spiderman actors have been “dropped upon” the audience. There’s always a first time, of course, but so far all the various accidents have happened either backstage or onstage. No audience members have been harmed in the making of this musical…yet.
Her Titus movie is absolutely gorgeous. Likewise Frida, though it has the usual problems of a biopic.
Those fitness reports are fantastic, BTW, thanks for those:
http://www.armedforces.co.uk/mod/listings/l0019.html
I actually attended “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” and while it wasn’t “My Fair Lady” it wasn’t totally terrible either. Problem wasn’t Taymor, it’s the music from Bono and Edge, which was utterly boring.
Larry: I am not qualified to judge what makes a great Broadway director, and I never saw the Lion King which I know many people loved. Anyway, Taymor is off to other projects:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/theater/julie-taymor-spider-man.html?pagewanted=2&hp&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1299755026-czvwHWH1e/Ot9z bQVIkKw
I’m thinking that live drama might not be the best way to tell the Spiderman story. Maybe a graphic novel or something like that.
I very much enjoyed this post!!! It made me laugh out loud, twice in fact. More, please.
Excellent relevant cartoon:
http://mediumlarge.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/medlarge11001.jpg