Well, it finally happened.

Officially opening to the public on Tuesday, June 14 – almost a year-and-a-half after its originally scheduled date of February, 2010 – Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark swings onto the Broadway stage at last.

Much has been written about this troubled and expensive production.  The $65 million budget that was reported in November 2010 has now grown to $75 million (and slyly referenced in the musical itself).  No less than five people have been injured due to the intricate stunt and wire work involved, and the initial reviews have been less than kind to say the least.

It is quite unusual for critics to review a production while it is still in preview performances.  In fact, critics are not actually invited to the previews, so if they show up, they have to buy their own tickets.  However, Spider-Man has been such a huge topic of conversation among theatregoers that many critics felt they had to review it given that it seemed as though the preview period would never end.  Turn off the Dark had a record 183 preview performances from November 2010 through March 2011 and resuming May 2011 through early June.

During the hiatus, original director Julie Taymor left the production and co-director Philip William McKinley stepped in to redirect portions of the show.  Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a playwright who has also written some Spider-Man comic books in the past, was called in to revise the book.  Major changes include the elimination of the so-called "Geek Chorus" who narrated the story in the original version.  Further, the confrontation between Spider-Man and Green Goblin that ended Act I has been moved to the end of the musical to serve as the climax to Act II.  Spider-Man's conflict with the villainous Arachne that formerly took up much of Act II has been removed altogether and the character has been reimagined as a benevolent guiding spirit to young Peter Parker as he learns to cope with his spider powers.

So, after all the delays, changes, injuries, and cost overruns what's the verdict on the final product?  The changes have, for the most part, been for the better, but Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is still somewhat of a mixed bag.

(l-r) Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl

Make no mistake – there is a lot to like here, and we think most people will be won over. The roles are generally well-cast, and the actors do quite well bringing the material to life. The story centers around three characters all of whom wish they could be something other than what they are and through the course of the story get their wish – for better or worse. Reeve Carney stars as perpetual nerd Peter Parker who wishes he could get the girl – in this case, his next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson. Upon being bitten by a radioactive, genetically-altered spider, he is bestowed with superhuman powers and a newfound sense of confidence and girl-getting abilities. Carney proves to be likeable and charismatic and serves as a strong anchor for the show.

Jennifer Damiano plays Mary Jane Watson, the object of Parker's desire, with a flighty and flirtatious exterior that masks a dysfunctional home life with an alcoholic father.  MJ has the social life and popularity that Peter wants, while she longs for the stable and loving home life that Peter has.

Patrick Page rounds out the trio of intersecting lives as Norman Osborn, an overzealous scientist who also wants to be more than he is and so subjects himself to his own super-soldier process and transforms into the psychotic Green Goblin.  Page delivers a gleefully unhinged performance and gets all the best scenes in the show (as the villains often do in these things).  Page's slow burn as Green Goblin grapples with an automated phone menu is just one comedic highlight.  Page and Michael Mulhern, as newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson, steal the show with their uproarious takes on these classic comic book characters and remain the best reasons to see Turn off the Dark. Comic book fans, however, may wince at the overall campy tone of the Goblin and his malevolent scheme to "flatten Manhattan."  Others in the cast worth noting are TV Carpio as Arachne, Matt Caplan as Flash Thompson, Isabel Keating as Aunt May, Ken Marks as Uncle Ben, and Laura Beth Wells as Green Goblin's ill-fated wife, Emily.

Besides the cast, other bright notes are the impressive technical elements of the production. There are a lot of constantly moving and shifting pieces in Turn off the Dark as sets (and characters) descend from above or they spring forth from below like a giant pop up book. Audience members with a secret macabre wish to see some extravagant mishap that seemed to be commonplace during the preview sessions – perhaps an actor falling from a harness or a piece of scenery toppling over – will walk away with disappointment as all of the mechanical elements of the show have been precisely nailed down and everything went off without a hitch. In fact, Christopher Tierney, who was injured and hospitalized after the highly-publicized preview show on December 20 when his harness cord snapped and he fell into the orchestra pit below stage, has returned to the show seemingly none the worse for wear.

So, with a solid cast, impressive set and costume designs, and technical proficiency, are there any areas where Turn off the Dark falls short? Unfortunately, yes. Besides a muddled story, one of the main criticisms of the show during its preview run was the music by Bono and The Edge from the rock band U2. The story has now been whipped into somewhat decent shape, but the music still falls flat. It's not that the songs are bad; it's that they're thuddingly unmemorable and indistinct. That's a shame because TV Carpio and Jennifer Damiano have quite nice voices, and we would have loved to have seen what they could have done with stronger material. There is no question that U2 has written some of the best rock songs of the last thirty years, but the simple fact is that writing a striking Broadway score is seemingly beyond the scope of their talents. They have brand name recognition with the public, but their lackluster input will likely prove to be an insurmountable detraction to hardcore Broadway theatergoers.

	(l-r) Patrick Page and Reeve Carney in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark  © Jacob Cohl

Further, the overall tone of the show is something that will likely polarize the audience. As already alluded to, much of it plays like an episode of the campy 1960s Batman series writ large with the Green Goblin all but cackling maniacally like Cesar Romero's Joker, music stings punctuating the fisticuffs, and the inclusion of the dreaded visual sound effects like "Thwack!" and "Splatt!" Note to the producers: comic book fans have been trying to live the Batman series down for the last forty years and the sound effects are their Kryptonite. Their presence here will likely be seen as a reason to stay far away and hope for a quick death for this production. As for Spider-Man himself, there are some scenes where Reeve Carney dons the costume and plays the role, but for the most part Spider-Man is portrayed by a cadre of silent stuntmen led by Tierney. When the show doesn't remind one of Batman, faint memories of the "Spidey Super Stories" segments on The Electric Company might spring to mind. 

Another thing that will bother true Spider-Man fans is the liberties taken with the origin story.  In the original comic book, Peter Parker was indirectly responsible for his uncle's death when he failed to stop the killer when he had a chance.  In the musical, that crucial element of underlying guilt has been oddly watered down and all but eliminated.

So, the show will likely not win any awards and may not fully please the most devout Spider-Man fans, but criticisms aside, is Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark a crowd-pleaser for the mass audience?  Of that, we can answer an unequivocal "Yes!"  The audience applauded wildly after each song, laughed heartily at the antics of the Green Goblin, and smiled from ear to ear as both Spider-Man and Goblin flew off the stage and over the audience to engage each other in aerial combat.  The kids loved it, but the adults were right there with them.  The audience was packed with people from 8 to 80.

Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is a flawed gem – the classic case of the whole not quite adding up to the sum of its parts – but for those looking for a summer movie blockbuster to be played out live before their eyes, this pop whirlwind is the best bet on Broadway.

Click here to watch some scenes from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark (coming soon!)
Reeve Carney in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	Patrick Page in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	Jennifer Damiano in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	T.V. Carpio in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl
(l-r)Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	(l-r) Jennifer Damiano, Reeve Carney and Patrick Page in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	A scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl	T.V. Carpio and ensemble members in a scene from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark © Jacob Cohl