'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark': Disaster or Too Early to Dismiss?

So let’s imagine this Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark thing just can’t turn itself around and become a successful big splashy show. It opened last night to many a technical glitch that ballooned the running time to well over three hours.

Spider-Man may join other musical adaptations that were initially thought to be bad ideas, such as It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman or Carrie. Those turned out to be abhorred by audiences and critics but remembered nostalgically for their kitschiness. From early reports, this would probably not be the case for a show that appears to have two big problems.

First, and most importantly, as a technical piece it seems to be overambitious. Sets that turn around the stage did not do so completely, actors were stuck over the audience in their harnesses, and wires reportedly fell during the performance. I’m not poopooing ambition, but if it can’t be done it shouldn’t be forced to be done. So much money has been spent on the show that it would be disappointing to see most of it flushed away because the show's creators insisted that the show out-spectacle anything that has come before it.

Second, and something I can’t speak to because I haven’s seen it, there are claims that the story is difficult to follow. That’s unfortunate because it would seem there should be a strong point of reference for the audience. This could be chalked up to the continued stops and starts that plagued Sunday’s first preview performance. I hope that this is not a case of the creators paying more attention to amaze and awe their audiences with “circus” (as director Julie Taymor affectionately referred to the show) than to tell a story.

Should Spider-Man fail, I doubt it will be remembered with the same affinity as it’s turkey predecessors. I think it will be remembered as that show with a gargantuan budget in which investors lost their shirts.

Now let’s imagine the creators and magicians are able get the show’s glitchiness and problematic stunts under control. Perhaps the script and pacing are tweaked to create a more cohesive story.

From everything I’ve heard and seen—and there’s definitely some fantastic stuff—this behemoth deserves a home in Vegas where it could really thrive. There are seven Cirque du Soleil shows on the strip and Spider-Man seems like it would feed the same voracious hunger the gambling crowd has for “circus.” I’d say a long stay in Los Angeles would be the next best bet.

The creative minds are currently at work, during previews, to make sure that the show is running seamlessly come the official opening on January 11, 2011. I’m eager to read what the theatre journalists have to say after viewing a more complete production.

For a taste of the creative minds behind the show, watch the following piece on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from this week’s 60 Minutes.