Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

U2 Bringing Spider-man to Broadway

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the doing-the-things-that-a-spider-can dept.

Music Juice writes "A Broadway musical based on the web-slinging superhero is in the works, Marvel Studios said Friday. It will be directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor with new music and lyrics by U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge. The musical will be the first time a Marvel Comics character has been the subject of a show on Broadway, the company said. No opening date was announced, but Marvel said a reading would take place this summer. "

9 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Success of epic musicals by CRCulver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hopefully they'll run this past some test audiences before really launching. The Lord of the Rings musical disaster shows that musicals epic in scale can't depend on their multi-million dollar special effects to be successful when the plot itself drags and the dialogue is clunky.

    1. Re:Success of epic musicals by hey! · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The problem with this stuff is when you try to create a commercial success. On one level it seems like a sure bet: translating popular culture onto the musical stage should result in a popular musical.

      The problem is that this kind material doesn't work in the context of a Broadway or London musical. Doom and destiny are not things that make workable drama: drama is about characters making choices about things that mainly affect themselves. It isn't about characters whose decisions have mainly cosmic implications, and who are, in a sense, bit players in a much larger struggle. Spider-man perhaps is closer to dramatic material, in that you can focus on how he must continually choose between what is good for him and what is good for humanity. But it's not drama, it's melodrama. The conclusion can never really be in doubt. Where there is no possibility of doubt, there is no drama.

      The only way to put this kind of thing on the stage is by the least dramatic of drama forms. In other worlds LoTR (and possibly Spider-Man) needs to be an opera.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:Success of epic musicals by ch1a · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I agree completely with the comment about epic musicals. You just can't substitute special effects for artistic vision. However they can be commercial and artistic successes - look at Les Miserables, which has been derided recently but opened to very positive reviews.

      Julie Taymor is one of the best impressionistic stage directors out there. If this fails, I promise that it will not be because the production is too realistic and relies on big-budget special effects.

      She tends to rely on puppets and imagery rather than pyro and wires.

      The Lion King is her most profitable stage show and whatever you think of The Lion King, the puppetry and distinct style were astounding. The first 15 minutes are damn good theater.

      Honestly, when I read the headline, I thought "Good Lord. This will fail unless they do it how Julie Taymor would do it".

      If you're curious about her work, I'd recommend some movies: Titus, which is a top-notch Shakespeare-to-screen translation or Frida, which came up in this thread earlier.

      Also, I'm not too worried about the studios (yes, the movie studios run Broadway nowadays) botching this show. Ms. Taymor tends to demand total artistic control of her productions before she agrees to them. It'll succeed or fail on her merits.

      In short, I've never disliked anything she has put on the stage and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this show sees the light of day. It'll certainly be interesting.

      Let's just hope that it's better than "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" from the 60's. I don't know what traits make a superhero musical work, but that show had none of them.

      --

      --Just because you can doesn't mean you should--
  2. I Hate to Make This Point But.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When I see things like this, I have to wonder if it's on there because it's a great story with a great Broadway adaptation or is it on there because it has been repopularized by the recent movies & they're hoping to make another quick buck?

    All too often, I think it's the latter or merely proof that you can throw enough money at something to make it happen on Broadway.

  3. Why opera doesn't work by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Insightful

    At least where I live, people don't stand around on street corners singing at each other. Broadway musicals and opera need a more mythical story than Spiderman to work with. West Side Story notwithstanding.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  4. regardless of the cheese.... by shotgunsaint · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I could be convinced to go see this, if U2 hadn't been involved. My gods, everything these guys have done since the Joshua Tree has been utterly inane and lame pop-crap. I don't want poor, innocent Peter Parker getting all mixed up with these self-important dolts.

    --
    The future isn't here until I can type "car keys" into Google and have it say "You left them in your pants last night."
  5. Death throes of American culture by paleo2002 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't get me wrong, I've been enjoying most of the Marvel movies as much as the average SF/comic geek. Spiderman 2 was probably one of the few sequels I've ever seen that was better than the original. But can no one in the entertainment industry come up with an original frickin' idea?!?! Name three hit musicals from the past 10 years that weren't revivals or movie adaptations. The musical is one of the few unique American cultural contributions. We can honestly say that the musical (like Jazz and the internet) is an American invention. Now we have a theatre industry controlled by the over-commericialized mass media, whose investors are looking for a "sure thing". A multi-million-dollar box office hit that'll sell sountrack albums and t-shirts and keep the groundlings enthralled for years. I don't mean to sound elitist. For example, I think Disney musicals are an excellent way to promote appreciation for theatre amongst children. But, come on! What happened to original stories? What happened to character-driven drama? Did all those starving playwrights and composers actually die off? How do we go from West Side Story, The King and I, and Cabaret to Big, Legally Blonde, and Spiderman?

  6. No: Julie Taymor is bringing Spidey to Stage by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Being that U2 knows jack sh!t about theatrical productions and are only writing the score and lyrics, I don't see why they should be credited for anything more than that.

    Julie Taymore is a theatrical genius with many Stage and Film productions under her belt. And she will be the one responsible for bringing the work as a whole to fruition. Her artiistic vision will be driving everyting from costume and set design to cast selection and direction. And yes, she will even have a large say and input into the work that U2 produces for her production.

    I don't know if any of you have seen Titus, but I suggest you check that out, since she has a knack for giving her productions a strong artistic signature and I'm certain this wont be any different. Which means that quite a few die hard fans will probably hate it because it will not be literal from canon.

  7. Whats the problem here? by Delight-Delirium · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm confused, did it become a requirement to poo-poo everything just to comment on /.? Why does this idea suck?

    Musicals don't take away cool points from Spidey. And whats wrong with abstract interpretations or existing works? Salvador Dali's L'Enphanta Margarita was brilliant, even though it had already been done. U2 are great musicians, I'd certainly rather listen to them then sleep through Cats! again. Seriously - I do not see what everyone's issue is.