Julie Taymor May Be Getting Booted From Spider-Man Musical

[vansau]

Julie Taymor May Be Getting Booted From Spider-Man Musical

The latest attempt to fix the beleaguered musical may involve getting a new director.

By now, it's a common consensus that Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is pretty much the most expensive, wildly out-of-control show on Broadway. Between the insane budget, the tepid reviews (aside from Glenn Beck's fanboy devotion), <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106328-Spider-Man-Musical-Sends-Yet-Another-Actor-to-the-Hospital>the numerous injuries, and the fact that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105302-Photographic-Proof-That-Spider-Man-Musical-Is-60-Million-Down-The-Drain>the play looks hideous, people have been <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105732-Spider-Man-Musical-Probably-Wont-Run-For-Years-and-Years>quick to predict the show's demise. Now, it seems like either a shutdown or massive revamp of the production is increasingly likely, since rumblings indicate that Julie Taymor may be getting removed from the show.

The New York Time is reporting that producers of the show believe that it will be a hit, though it still needs some major work; this is after the lead actress had to be replaced because she left over safety concerns, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa rewrote the musical's book, then Bono and The Edge tweaked the play's songs. The new plan is possibly going to involve replacing Taymor as a director. At the very least, Taymor needs help to make the changes necessary for the show's survival "or face a different outcome, potentially her exit from the show."

Honestly, getting a new director to help out may not be enough. From what I understand, the show is very distinctly a Taymor production in terms of story, artistic design, and general production values. At the moment, tickets are definitely selling like hotcakes, but it sounds like Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark may just need to be scrapped and started over from scratch if the producers want to ensure its long-term survival.

Source: <a href=http://www.slashfilm.com/julie-taymor-replaced-director-spiderman-turn-dark/#more-99823>Slashfilm via <a href=http://io9.com/#!5779779/will-julie-taymor-be-forced-out-of-the-spider+man-musical>io9

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[duchaked]

figures the tickets would actually be selling hahaa

guess it's a bit like watching hockey hoping for a fist fight

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

At the moment, tickets are definitely selling like hotcakes, but it sounds like Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark may just need to be scrapped and started over from scratch if the producers want to ensure its long-term survival.

Or maybe they could just cut their losses and just ax the show?

...

...Nah! I hope the whole thing becomes a bigger, more bloated mess than it already is, and even results in property damage that ends up redrawing the New York City map. Why not, after all? It was a stupid idea to begin with, but watching it evolve from one-note fanboy snicker to full-blown artistic trainwreck makes me want to see it go even further and become a large-scale catastrophe.

 

[xHipaboo420x]

The thing doesn't need replanning, just either shelving or perseverance.

 

[Canid117]

Sweet god just kill it already.

 

[dalek sec]

Sweet god just kill it already.

Agreed, just take the thing behind the shed and tearfully but a bullet in it's head and end it's suffering. D:

 

[Canid117]

Sweet god just kill it already.

Agreed, just take the thing behind the shed and tearfully but a bullet in it's head and end it's suffering. D:

Not even tearfully behind the shed. Just pop it in the face with a load of buckshot and leave it to rot.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Marvel, stop trying to cut your loses.

Let the play DIE already.

 

[Gahars]

I honestly think they're trying to top Carrie: The Musical in terms of badness, and if that is the case they're certainly succeeding.

 

[Danpascooch]

Sweet god just kill it already.

Agreed, just take the thing behind the shed and tearfully but a bullet in it's head and end it's suffering. D:

Not even tearfully behind the shed. Just pop it in the face with a load of buckshot and leave it to rot.

Then puke on it and kick it a few times.

 

[Enkidu88]

Well I'll say this for the musical, its made the world a far more entertaining place. Its like a trainwreck so awesome that its become a work of art in itself.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

The whole thing is just a plot by the Green Goblin to humiliate Spider Man and destroy his reputation. Seriously I can understand a play, but a musical?

Actually it was based of a spider woman bringing back all of Spider Man's dead foes...also the Uncle Ben dying scene was literally 2 minutes....waste of a show

 

[mr_rubino]

Erm... little late for that, no? Either let her steer this sinking ship into port or just sink it from the shore. A ringer would just be completely adrift at this point. *starting to feel seasick from the metaphors*

I honestly think they're trying to top Carrie: The Musical in terms of badness, and if that is the case they're certainly succeeding.

It's a simple little gig. You help me kill a [spider]. (But she's already doing a bang-up job of it)
And I've got some uses for the [bitter tears of defeat].

 

[Hungry Donner]

From what I can tell many of the problems come from the quality of the story and while that may be Taymor's fault removing her as the director won't do anything unless they're also scrapping the the screenplay. However this would either require scrapping the music (which seems unlikely given that the music was written by the producers) or shoehorning the old music in to a new script, which will likely result in an equal mess to their current one.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

There is only one course of action that I can suggest to benefit this play.

Spoiler: the only solution

You know what I mean.

 

[coldfrog]

My indifference to what happens to this show (as long as the actors make it out OK) is only mollified by the ridiculousness of Glenn Beck's statements. "You are part of history" he told the casting director, and you know what, he's right. This will be the biggest, most universally panned play to burst stickily forth from the bowels of the theater ever. I hope enough actors escape before it eats them alive.

 

[vid87]

Quote from Taymor herself: "Seriously, if you don't want to do something ambitious that's never been seen before, why do you bother?"

Because, Ms. Taymor, subtlety has it's place too.

 

[DTWolfwood]

Update, she walked alway from the show, its going on hiatus for an overhaul.