"Now only slightly worse than seeing Paula Poundstone naked!"
― my downeaster ilxor (Neanderthal), Thursday, 9 June 2011 02:25 (twelve years ago) link
The thing that made this all worth it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR1DdMeVqTw
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
Oh that Edge, teasing Bono at the Tony Awards about now being humble. In the 2nd NY Times articel below there's the "humble" reference (it's mentioned somewhere after the part about Bono bringing takeout food from a pricey Italian restaurant to the NYC recording studio)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/theater/bono-and-the-edge-explain-spider-man-back-story.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Bono and the Edge expressed regret at not being on site during previews in December, saying they were locked into a U2 tour of New Zealand and Australia. Most Broadway composers, both veterans and especially newcomers, are in their theaters virtually every night during previews, watching and taking notes. The Edge said they watched videos of performances from Australia yet were not in the theater again until early January, by which time the musical had become a late-night TV punch line.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/arts/music/bono-and-the-edge-at-work-on-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark.html?ref=theater
The project led Bono and the Edge to try new structures. “I’d never written a waltz in my life,” the Edge said. Now he has: a mad scientist’s patter song, “D.I.Y. World,” with lines like “Designer genes are a better fit.” It’s a show-tune-y number far removed from anything in the U2 catalog.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
article
“I’d never written a waltz in my life,” the Edge said. Now he has: a mad scientist’s patter song, “D.I.Y. World,” with lines like “Designer genes are a better fit.”
Yeah, stop there.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 19:19 (twelve years ago) link
OK, gotta say, Taymor may be a piece of work, but she got hosed. Bono/Edge collaborate with her, are fully aware of her vision, like the script, support her crazy vision, write the shitty songs (which pushes them out of their comfort zone), then wait out the entire preview process until it's too late. Then they swoop back in - like superheroes!- and kick her off the project when she won't change the shitty musical they worked on together for years.
The other reading is that Bono recognized they were in over their heads, and understood she had to go to remotely save his investment of time and money. Though from that article it seem as if Bono was smart enough not to put any of his own money into this. Edge, not so lucky.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 19:25 (twelve years ago) link
Asked whether he and Bono plotted against Ms. Taymor, the Edge replied: “Julie was clearly exhausted, overwrought, and we all thought that if we don’t tread carefully, she’s going to walk. We were tip-toeing around her, and I think that probably meant that people were careful in what they said or told her. I certainly didn’t feel I could be 100 percent frank with Julie, and that was because I felt she was carrying so much of the weight.”
so she took the fall eh? pun intended
― backlash stan straw man fan (m coleman), Tuesday, 14 June 2011 21:30 (twelve years ago) link
I guess this would be what people refer to as "throwing someone under the bus"
― backlash stan straw man fan (m coleman), Tuesday, 14 June 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
idk if it's that easy to shift blame onto Bono and The Edge in this case though....
― Motel Kamzoil, P.I. (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 14 June 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
I'm pretty sure it was known well in advance they'd be on tour during Previews
it's just the show was supposed to have been opened by then, and not be in previews anymore
― Motel Kamzoil, P.I. (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 14 June 2011 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
Wasn't the U2 tour postponed for a year when Bono had a back operation? So maybe that wasn't on the original slate. Anyway, it sounds like their participation was passive at best until the shit hit the fan, then they decided to place the blame squarely on Taymor to save face/money.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 22:03 (twelve years ago) link
idk, from what I read in the theatre community, she was extremely resistant to make changes suggested to her from the outside, ones that were eventually made after her ouster (ie, the removal of the Geek Chorus, the stupid song about shoes, etc)
― Motel Kamzoil, P.I. (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 14 June 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link
According to that article, she was extremely resistant to make changes ... after all those months and months of development and previews. But no one asked her to make major changes until the very, very, very end, after it had shut down. There were plenty of opportunities to change the production in the months (and years!) preceding that, but the U2 guys (who OK'd her vision) were apparently AWOL.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 22:22 (twelve years ago) link
I mean, if you read that article, even Bono seems bored of the whole thing by now, and was likely obligated to see this through to fruition. Anyone remember U2's aborted stage version of "A Clockwork Orange?"
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 22:24 (twelve years ago) link
Heartwarming.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 05:47 (twelve years ago) link
Mr. Clinton applauded after every song and laughed heartily during a scene in which the villain Green Goblin becomes irked by an elaborate voice mail system.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 05:50 (twelve years ago) link
sesame street spidermonster is beyond classic. bono muppet!
― And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore (contenderizer), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 05:53 (twelve years ago) link
The mega-expensive musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is no longer the ungodly, indecipherable mess it was in February. It’s just a bore
NY Times
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:24 (twelve years ago) link
I saw Bono and the Edge on NBC news last night saying the show was 90% ready. Still 10 % away?
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:26 (twelve years ago) link
"You'll applaud after every song if you're seated next to Bono!" - Bill Clinton
― da croupier, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:47 (twelve years ago) link
LOL michael musto
― backlash stan straw man fan (m coleman), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:32 (twelve years ago) link
The tonal shifts are uncomfortable, but what's worse is the fact that most of the times someone opens their mouth to sing, you want to reach for the Raid can. Bono has moaned that Julie Taymor was too close to the material to accept criticism, which is what I've said all along, but his and the Edge's score is not exactly inspired, so should he be the one to complain? Maybe they should have called Elton John for lessons on how to write pop-rock music for the theater—or perhaps just trotted out their old hits and set the show on "New Year's Day."
― backlash stan straw man fan (m coleman), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:33 (twelve years ago) link
you end up humming the scenery
Is that even legal.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:36 (twelve years ago) link
But I feel they should retool this show one more time and use music by Adam and the Ants.
I WOULD SEE THIS.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:37 (twelve years ago) link
"Broadway extrava-gorgonzola"
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:42 (twelve years ago) link
http://twitter.com/jacksonlewislee/status/80743577969377280
― da croupier, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
He hasn't posted since. Crushing.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2011/06/xlarge_0615_spidermannew_01.jpg
More Maleficient than Green Goblin, I'd think.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
holy shit i just realized that guy in the far right is supposed to be J.Jonah Jameson and not some Dick Tracy mobster
― da croupier, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
if those are Spidey's natural thighs I am envious of MJ (they're a couple now apparently)
― already president FYI (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
Best Song Title From SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK
― da croupier, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:27 (twelve years ago) link
xpost A couple of what, ha ha.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link
So has this closed yet?
Also, if you didn't hate Bono enough:
http://gawker.com/5817275/glenn-becks-final-broadcast-he-left-because-of-spider+man-and-bono
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 1 July 2011 01:38 (twelve years ago) link
Oh boy, a video!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/07/spider-man-star-reeve-carney-in-new-video-with-bono-the-edge.html
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 28 July 2011 20:05 (twelve years ago) link
Reeve Carney sounds like a Spiderman villain name.
― online pinata store (Nicole), Thursday, 28 July 2011 20:58 (twelve years ago) link
Skeeve Carney would be too perfect.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 28 July 2011 21:10 (twelve years ago) link
btw over the theater doors is this quote;
"What an amazing night on Broadway!"-President Bill Clinton
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:39 (twelve years ago) link
Is this thing still going?
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:40 (twelve years ago) link
I was going to post more or less the same thing. I totally forgot about it.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:42 (twelve years ago) link
On the plus side, that means no one else has been hurt.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:43 (twelve years ago) link
Yet.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:43 (twelve years ago) link
That's because they've switched to an all-Nerf cast.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 18:53 (twelve years ago) link
Took in $1.5 M last week, 3rd to The Lion King and Wicked.
http://broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 25 October 2011 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
sad that a stupid show like Wicked continues to rake in the green
― Neanderthal, Tuesday, 25 October 2011 22:40 (twelve years ago) link
si sad. Met the drummer once, lives in my neighborhood, seemed like a pretty nice guy
― An Outcast From Time's Feast (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 27 October 2011 02:42 (twelve years ago) link
i thought this bump was going to be about south park. i didn't know there was a spiderman musical until 10 minutes ago.
― billstevejim, Thursday, 27 October 2011 03:39 (twelve years ago) link
But of course.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 November 2011 23:50 (twelve years ago) link
just set a single-week Broadway record for gro$$es and asses in seats.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-04/-spider-man-sets-broadway-record-with-2-9-million-box-office.html
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2012 13:01 (twelve years ago) link
Its success feels similar to that of "Avatar," just this sort of gormless achievement. It's like citing the longevity of Twinkies or whatever. At a certain point you just have to throw up your hands and sigh.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 4 January 2012 15:05 (twelve years ago) link