Story here. That’s four accidents and an opening that keeps getting pushed back. The creative team doesn’t seem to realize that real live human beings cannot do what comic strip and cartoon superheroes can.
This show is not only a mess, but a hazard and apparently cursed. I think they ought to turn off the lights and admit it is not going to work.
Heh. At this point I can’t even imagine wanting to go to a preview; I’d be too worried I’d be witness to someone dieing.
Impossible, this is a multi-million dollar investment (20m+, IIRC). The show has to be a massive hit for many years before anyone can make a cent on it.
Unless someone really dies (God forbid), they are not going to can it before opening.
$20m? Try $65,000,000. Yes, sixty-five million dollars Most expensive show in Broadway history. Also has had tons of free publicity, including a segment on 60 Minutes.
It might turn into a money loser bigger than Carrie.
What can I say? It’s the old Parker luck.
You’ve surely never been to a NASCAR race, then.
I predict the show will be packed for a long time, and not everybody, but a certain percentage of the audience will be secretly hoping for exactly that.
The biggest technical problem they face is that it’s freaking musical about spider-man. Not sure how they can solve that one.
And given the technical complexities, how can they take the show on the road with a national touring company, or run another production in London or Berlin? Because as I understand these big Broadway shows like Mamma Mia or Starlight Express, the real money is in the multiple productions throughout the world.
Here is a video of the fall, if you are curious. Filmed by an audience member.
I agree it’s unlikely they will call it off at this point. A lot of money has been spent, and if the show doesn’t open, they have no chance of making it back. But it’s bad press every time this happens, there may be legal issues about safety, and every time the opening gets delayed, they lose more money. The show is going to be at least a year behind schedule, and that’s assuming it really does open in February. In theory they could decide to cut their losses at some point, but they probably won’t cancel the opening unless someone dies or something like that.
Whoops! I knew it was the most expensive show ever, but $65m? Dang, that beats Wicked 3:1 pretty easily (if that is so far the most expensive show, I might be behind on that as well).
I predict there will be 10,000 people at opening (and closing) night. Or at least 10,000 people who claim to have been there, just like Moose Murders.
Don’t you love watching a slow motion train wreck?
It looks like the worst carnival funhouse ride ever.
The New York Times did an interesting piece on this last week. Using some rough back of the envelope-type calculations, the writer figured the show would have to play to a nearly sold out crowd every night for four years, at over $100 a ticket, before it could even begin turning a profit.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/spider-man-economics-recouping-that-initial-investment/
Equity has halted performances until back-up safety measures are in place.
The fact that cameras and the like are just something we have to take for granted at Broadway shows is pretty sad, too, IMHO. I’m not sure if it’s worse or better than the fact that they sell candy and soda in the aisles.
If I thought the show actually had a chance of opening any time soon, I might consider putting some of the principals on my '11 Dead Pool list.
Btw, the idea for a superhero-themed musical isn’t that crazy. Joss Whedon made it work in Doctor Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog. Although I guess not everyone can be Joss Whedon or Neil Patrick Harris. (Alas.)
Oh, I misunderstood; the show has opened, but is on temporary hiatus due to the injury. I thought they were still in rehearsals or something.
My Spidey-sense is tingling.
They’re still in previews, so they haven’t officially opened yet.