Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark Swings Onto Broadway in 2010; Julie Taymor Directs with Score by Bono and The Edge of U2

It’s official—legendary Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man will swing onto Broadway next season. Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark will debut at the Hilton Theatre on January 16, 2010, with opening night set for February 18, 2010.
 
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Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor, who created the smash Broadway production of Disney’s The Lion King, is at the helm of the new musical, which features a score by Bono and The Edge of U2, one of the most popular bands of all time. The show is being written by Taymor along with playwright Glen Berger Underneath the Lintel, The Wooden Breeks.

Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of The Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen.

The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down—literally—when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek—suddenly endowed with astonishing powers—soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character. Spider-Man’s battles will hurtle the audience through an original story both recognizable and unexpected—yielding new characters as well as familiar faces—until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero’s journey.

The character of Spider-Man was created in the early 1960s by Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Alter ego Parker was an unusual comic book hero at the time as he was an awkward teenager dealing with outsider feelings that readers could relate to. The fact that he was also struggling with issues of being a costumed crime fighter only added to the character’s appeal. Spider-Man is best known to contemporary audiences for the three blockbuster Hollywood films that have been released since 2002, featuring Tobey Maguire in the title role.

Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark will feature choreography by Daniel Ezralow, who previously collaborated with Taymor on her movie musical Across the Universe and Broadway’s The Green Bird. The design team includes scenic designer George Tsypin The Little Mermaid, costume designer Eiko Ishioka (an Academy Award winner for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Tony nominee for M. Butterfly), lighting designer Donald Holder Tony winner for The Lion King and South Pacific and sound designer Jonathan Deans. Tesse Gohl will serve as musical supervisor.

No casting has been announced for Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark.