Say it ain't so, Spidey, say it ain't so!

Posted by Lisa Greenwood March 1, 2009 at 8:54 p.m.

The Spider-Man Broadway Musical proudly announced that it has a title -- "Turn Off the Dark" -- and it goes into previews January 2010. Say ....wha???
Yep, here's the official website: http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/

And there it is...the poster in all its glory -- proclaiming the music written by Bono and The Edge and directed by Julie Taymor. Say it ain't so, Spidey, say it ain't so!! It's enough that producers on the Great White Way don't seem to want to bankroll any musical production that isn't based on a movie, play, book, or something that has intense marketing potential (must've taken a seminar from Disney or something). Now I have to look on in horror as my teen musical idols sell themselves out to one of the most unnecessary pop-culture adaptations of a super hero story? So here is my plea to them, in lieu of fan mail that I never sent...

Bono, Edge (and Adam, Larry)...I've loved you since that rainy day in 1981 when I defied my mom and watched some MTV while waiting for the school bus and heard for the first time that glorious sound that defined the rest of my adolescence and early college years. I defended you when everyone said you'd sold out during the Zooropa Tour. But to have it come to this? I'll just download "War" and "Joshua Tree" to my mp3 player and mourn for our lost relationship in morose silence.

And Julie -- you had me at "Fool's Fire." And the "Lion King" design still makes me weep every time I see it on stage. I was going to watch "Titus" but now...oh Julie, why? Why???

Look, I know that the two of you found "Across the Universe" a thrilling escapade, but couldn't your Broadway debut have been on a project more worthy of your talent? Something classic, something edgy..."The Tempest" or perhaps "Crime and Punishment"?

Wait...what's that ad on the right side of the Collider.com entertainment web page where I read the story of your demise? "High School Musical 4" now casting...

...Oh, the inhumanity...

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viewfromahill 4 years, 3 months ago

In a word... Boy.

David Lignell 4 years, 3 months ago

Oh Lisa…don't be too quick to judge. The Spider-Man Broadway Musical sounds like a lot of fun to me. Remember, Broadway isn't just about drama or Shakespeare. Bono, Edge (and Adam, Larry) probably are looking for innovative ways to pay their collective heating bills. After all, our economy is…well…not good. Still, exhale a bit and enjoy Broadway as it extols a superhero. After all, they are in short demand, eh?

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