After multiple delays, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" arrived on the Great White Way Sunday night amid a series of technical snafus that marred the much-hyped musical, which officially opens on January 11.
With a reported budget in excess of $65 million and original music by U2's Bono and The Edge, "Spider-Man" has become the most costly production in Broadway history and had already been delayed due to technical difficulties. On opening night, the musical had to be stopped five times, according to multiple reports, as the crew struggled to pull-off stunt work that had actors suspended in harnesses high in the air.
Granted, previews are meant for working out the kinks, but this kind of debut is rather fitting. After all, Peter Parker is a work-in-progress, a character forever trying to reconcile his regular-guy mindset with the abilities and responsibilities of a superhero. The show's creators, too, share much in common with the web-slinging wonderboy.
"There are lots of similarities," Bono told earlier this month. "He grew up in Queens. We grew up on the north side of Dublin — fairly humble origins. He falls in love with the girl next door. I married the girl next door. He starts to put on a silly costume ... yes," he trailed off with a sly smile.
The comparisons don't end there. As The Edge explained it, whether you're an arena-packing rock star or a science nerd bitten by a radioactive spider, you still have to deal with everyday life. "[H]e's a superhero; he can do loads of stuff, but when he comes home, he's put back in his place," the guitarist said. "There's nothing that he does out in the world that means anything when he's with his loved ones."
Hearing this, Bono happily declared he's got more in common with one of Spider-Man's archenemies than the Spidey himself. "I think Peter Parker's more The Edge," he said. "I'm more the Green Goblin."
Said Edge, "You just want to be careful, because you know who wins that fight."
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