The Stage

A new name joins the fabled Spider-Man musical.

BTW, did you know that while the Spider-Man musical has been painfully making its way to a long-delayed opening, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have done what they should have done years ago and created a Broadway musical? The Book of Mormon opens at the end of March. It's a collaboration with Robert Lopez, creator of the cult puppet hit Avenue Q. Parker and Stone wrote the book and the songs, as they did with the South Park movie, TEAM AMERICA, and countless episodes of South Park.

And so far, people actually like it!

Although the official opening isn't until March, figuring the troubled Spider-Man musical has had enough time to get things right by any reasonable standard (but not by Julie Taymor's) theater critics are flouting tradition by releasing reviews of the show during previews. And they are administering the kind of beating that Spider-Man would normally expect only from Venom.

It has become legend. The reason this time? Well as Steven Bunche and many others have pointed out, the musical still lacks an ending. Git 'er done! Producers announced the show will be delayed until March 15 (pushed back from February 7) and several performances have been canceled between now and then to allow more time to fine-tine the technical aspects of the show -- which is the most complex ever brought to Broadway -- and to work on the ending, and allow Bono and The Edge to work on the unpopular score.

As you probably know, the Spider-Man musical claimed another victim when Christopher Tierney, 31, the main aerobatic Spider-Man, plummeted 20 feet when his safety...

Not unexpectedly, the official opening of the Spider-Man musical has been delayed again; the new opening date is February 7th. The New York...

For you stage door johnnies who are really into either Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, U2 or Lesley Stahl, CBS is selling advd of their Spider-Man musical segment from 11/28. BUT!

Well, we were wondering how Spider-Man musical previews were going. Former Marvel editor and DC editor, now writer, Steve Bunche went a few days ago and turns in the most detailed review yet, expressed as only he can. Be forewarned the review includes ALL the major plot points, so spoilers ahoy. However, he and his date were unimpressed but may perhaps be able to tell their grandchildren that they saw something beyond imagining all right. Some excerpts:

The never-ending story of the Spider-Man musical continues: • Director Julie Taymor is out and about promoting her film THE TEMPEST, and also answering questions about the musical. As many have pointed out...it's still a work in progress. Maybe that book -- the script -- does need a bit of work:

Well, it has actually happened. We've been covering the Spider-Man musical story since it was first whispered, 5 or 6 years ago, and last year, at the Foxwoods Theatre in Manhattan, the very first public performance of the musical, directed by theater great Julie Taymor, with music by Bono and the Edge, of well known rock band, U2. Some thought this day would never come.

The Spider-Man musical is becoming more of a legend by the day. If it wasn't epic cost overruns and cast changes, it was a...

http://www.youtube.com/v/DwBJ7zLebFw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3 On tour in Portugal, U2 members cranked up Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me Boy Falls from the Sky, the first song...