Since You Guys Like to Get a Heads-Up About Things…

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Tonight on “60 Minutes” they’re doing a piece about the upcoming much-discussed, much-maligned, and possibly hazardous Broadway musical, “Spider-Man: Turn On the Funk,” or whatever it’s called. I don’t have anything to do with the show, and apparently director Julie Taymor states that they released info about Swiss Miss just to mess with the fans (so, y’know, mission accomplished if that’s the case). So we’ll all find out together just what’s up.

PAD

40 comments on “Since You Guys Like to Get a Heads-Up About Things…”

  1. Definitely will tune in tonight. FYI…HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of your X-FACTOR and HULK runs. You are one of the only reasons I’m still sticking with comics today. Just wondering, do you have any novels other than your movie adaptions or Star Trek novels?

    Thanks,
    Jesse

  2. So, are you officially denying the rumor (that I’m starting right now) that it’s an adaptation of “When Cometh The Commuter?”
    .
    J.

  3. Swiss Miss was just to mess with the fans? I’m guessing she’s one individual who doesn’t know (or care) why this musical is being maligned then.

  4. Was it just me, or was that not a very informative or illuminating report? It was pretty much all about the show’s finances.

  5. .
    “… and apparently director Julie Taymor states that they released info about Swiss Miss just to mess with the fans…”
    .
    Yeah, that’s the kind of PR mastermind you want handling your very expensive production.

  6. As long as they don’t adapt it into a comic or film, I’m good living out here on the West Coast.

    Unless it migrates to one of our local theaters…

    Kill it! Kill it with fire!

  7. Okay, see, I watched it and thought it actually looked pretty cool, and the pieces of the tunes I heard are still in my head. I’m still concerned about the prospect of someone getting hurt or crippled or killed, particularly when I learned they’re moving at 50 miles an hour. But I’m really interested in seeing it now.
    .
    And no one else has anything positive to say.
    .
    And you wonder why I don’t always give you guys heads up about things.
    .
    PAD

    3. .
      Well, I didn’t see it since I’ve been in and out all night so I can’t comment on the positives or the negatives of the story. I just found that one line you mentioned in the thread starter to be a bit of a facepalm moment. I actually hope it doesn’t bomb because almost everyone who controls the purse strings will then likely say it bombed because its source material was a comic book and not because of most of the other possible reasons.

      1. When has anyone ever said that something bombed because it was based on a comic book? Well, regardless, this is Spider-Man we’re talking about, one of the three most famous superheroes in the world and star of the 10th highest grossing film in U.S. history. He’s not a comic book character anymore, he’s a franchise, and I can’t imagine the purse string holders seeing it any other way.

      2. While “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman” was critically praised, it technically didn’t do very well on Broadway and it bombed as a TV special. Prior to a recent re-structuring of the musical at the Dallas Theater Center, director Kevin Moriarty recounts, “…In its time it was probably fresh and funny: Both Pop Art and camp were new and surprising in 1966, and we were at the nadir of superheroes at the time. People didn’t take comics or superheroes seriously, and the musical sent all that up, which is not where we are now, Our relationship with superheroes has changed.”

        Here’s a link to the complete Dallas Observer article:

        http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/04/the_defining_moment_of_superhe.php

        I’m reserving judgement on this musical but am I the only one who wonders why 60 Minutes either didn’t interview Stan Lee for his input or at least give their customary “He declined to speak to us” disclaimer before, during or after this feature? Hmmm…

    4. I thought it looked good to, and my sisters taking me to see when I’m in the NY area in December, (assuming it stay’s open till then of course). Frankly I can’t wait.

  8. I’ve said this other places, but this could either be amazing and pave the way for a whole slew of superhero musicals, or be a complete and utter train wreck. I want it to be the former, because I’m a huge fan of musicals, but I’m so afraid it’s going to turn out to be the second.

  9. I wish I’d seen this earlier. I missed the whole thing.
    .
    Well, knowing nothing about it aside from what’s been written right here, I’ll say that I’m optimistic about the musical.

  10. As an aside, how cool would it have been if they had gotten Neil Patrick Harris to play Spider-Man? He’s done plenty of Broadway, he voiced Spider-Man twice (once on the 2003 cgi show that aired on MTV, more recently in the SPIDER-MAN: SHATTERED DIMENSIONS videogame), and with DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG he has experience in superhero-themed musicals. I suspect doing a musical could cut into his other work — star of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, hosting untold numbers of award shows — but it’s fun to imagine.

  11. Well, I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing it, if I get the chance. If I was in New York and could only see one show… well, I’d see American Idiot. But if I could see two shows, I’d definitely see Spider-Man (although Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson sounds kind of awesome, too).

  12. Just this minute saw this notice…as the episode was ending here on the West Coast. Now I’ll need to watch for the segment to show up on the Web.

    I’m cautiously optimistic about the musical, mostly because I am very familiar with one of the principals. I’ve seen Patrick Page (cast as Norman Osborn) play a great variety of roles from Shakespeare to Disney, and I trust both his artistic skills and his career-planning judgment; the fact that the producers cast him — and that he took the job — suggets to me that the show has legs.

  13. It looks amazing…but I have a hard time seeing how they have much chance of making money. This isn’t something that will be able to be sent on the road, at least not without all the stunts and spectacle stripped out. It has to be a monster broadway hit, the likes of which only a tiny number of plays have ever achieved. I wish them all well but I’m glad I didn’t bet the mortgage payments on it.

    1. $140 per ticket for a preview?!
      .
      And the radioactive spider is played by a person?! And it/she sings its/her own musical number called “Rise Above”?! Okay, that sounds like a joke.

      2. Well, people are saying it’s a train wreck, and train tickets always cost more, so…
        .
        PAD

    3. The problem is, from what I’ve read, that it wasn’t actually an opening. It was a dress rehearsal for which they charged admission. Normally Broadway musicals have out-of-town tryouts to smooth this stuff over (“Wicked” was a complete mess in Los Angeles before it got its act together and settled in for a healthy run on Broadway). “Spider-Man: Don’t Drop the Actors” hasn’t had that advantage.
      .
      Under normal circumstances, mountings such as what happened last night would only be open to select invitees in order to get the cast used to working in front of an audience. My guess is that the producers don’t have that option; they literally cannot afford it. If this thing is really costing a million a week to run, then they needed butts in the seats for the maximum amount they’re willing to pay. $140 a ticket? I heard of some going for $275.
      .
      It’s not the stories about problems with the mechanical stuff that concern me. It’s people saying that the story was confusing and the songs weren’t good. That’s the heart and soul of a musical. Staging tricks can be fixed with practice; practice won’t wave a wand and fix the story or make the songs better.
      .
      PAD

      1. Heh. I can confirm that at least one of the people whose name has been floated as a script doctor is not doing so. The first time he heard about it is when he read it in the Post…

  16. I just read a news report about it. It doesn’t look good.
    I’m not too concerned with the technical problems; those might be fixable. What worries me is learning that the songs were written by U2. I’ve never understood the appeal of that band. I’ve never heard a U2 song that was any better than acceptable, and most are worse.

  17. I guess my problem with this musical is that Julie Taymor felt the need to creatively “re-interpret” the visuals of most of the villains, and create a couple of new ones.

    I mean, they could have gone ahead and used the existing travesty that was the Green Goblin from the movie, but no, they had to create a whole new abomination that looks for all the world like the love child of Krevlornswath of the Deathwok clan, a pterodactyl and a palm tree.

    But hey, at least Carnage looks like the comic version. Really, if you’re going to bring in one of the less mainstream villains, that one, at least, should be on-model. That way, when the audience says “who the heck is THAT guy,” they can locate a comic and find him. However, People scouring the comics looking for Swarm as a swollen sumo wrestler covered in bees are going to be a mite disappointed.

    What also worries me is that, should this thing become a smash-hit, someone over at Marvel may get the urge to introduce “Swiss Miss” into continuity.

    Unless, of course, it’s YOUR idea, PAD. Then I’m sure you’d find a way to make it work. I mean, you made Shatterstar cool, so there’s no questioning your ability to take somewhat imbecilic concepts and turn them into gold.

    But if that assignment doesn’t fall into your lap…

    1. Gawker article about it. Check out the comments for a great parody to the tune of “One Day More.”

    2. Carnage should be on-model? ‘That way, when the audience says “who the heck is THAT guy,” they can locate a comic and find him’??
      Would you really want to inflict that on the poor Broadway audience? It’s bad enough that Carnage was inflicted on us comic fans; why spread the misery?
      Swarm as a sumo wrestler covered with bees does sound bad, but I can’t think of any way Swarm could be done accurately on stage, so maybe they shouldn’t be criticised for that one.
      I don’t know which villains they used for this, but I would think they should’ve stuck to the ones that don’t require too many special effects– the Kingpin, the Chameleon, the Rhino, Hammerhead. Electro is tricky, but doable– I know there are lightning effects that can be done on stage, and as long as everything is choreographed well, it could look pretty impressive.
      So what bad guys did they use, besides the Goblin, Carnage, and Swarm?

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