Producers announced Jan. 13 that Spider-Man would shift its scheduled Feb. 7 opening night to March 15. Scheduled performances on Jan. 18 and Jan. 25 have also been cancelled.
Producer Michael Cohl said in a statement that it will be the final postponement in the production schedule. The musical is the record holder for the longest preview period of any Broadway production. It was also the top-grossing Broadway production for the Jan. 3-9 week.
The additional preview time will allow Taymor to fine-tune the production and instate a new ending. Spider-Man began Broadway previews Nov. 28, 2010, and was originally scheduled to open Dec. 21 (and later delayed its press opening to Jan. 11).
"Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark is ten-times more complicated to tech than anything else, and the preview schedule allows for only very limited rehearsal time (twelve hours per week)," Cohl said in a statement. "We simply need more time to fully execute the creative team’s vision before freezing the show. I picked a date in March that allows me to ensure that this will be the final postponement."
Representatives for the production also confirmed that Grammy Award-winning U2 producer Steve Lillywhite has joined the Spider-Man producing team and has been working with the cast on the score. Lillywhite, who produced the U2 albums "Boy," "Achtung Baby" and "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," will also produce the cast album of Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark. The New York Times and Deadline.com first reported the news. Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark features a book by Taymor and Glen Berger, and new music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge. The musical had originally been announced to arrive during the 2009 season, but was postponed due to financing.
Producers also include Jeremiah J. Harris, Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Land Line Productions, by association with Marvel Entertainment.
The cast features Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Next to Normal Tony nominee Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson and Broadway veteran Patrick Page as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin.
Since it began rehearsals, four actors have been injured. T.V. Carpio also replaced Natalie Mendoza in the role of Arachne following the injury of Mendoza.
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