Oh, what a tangled web Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has woven.
Already the butt of jokes thanks to its impressive amount of production problems during its preview run at the Foxwoods Theater, opening night for the eight-years-in-the-making Broadway musical has been pushed back another four weeks.
So what is it this time?
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"Due to some unforeseeable setbacks, most notably the injury of a principal cast member, it has become clear that we need to give the team more time to fully execute their vision," producer Michael Cohl said in a statement Friday. "I have no intention of cutting a single corner in getting to the finish line."
"The backstage mood is extremely upbeat," added spokesman Rick Miramontez. "Everybody remains on their path."
Aside from more story and set tweaking, the opener has been moved from Jan. 11 (originally Dec. 21) to Feb. 7 to allow for Natalie Mendoza, who plays Spidey's villainous love interest, Arachne, to get back in fighting shape. She missed the last few weeks of shows after suffering a concussion when a rope broke and hit her in the head during the first preview performance on Nov. 28.
All told, the show was stopped five times that night for various reasons, including Mendoza's injury, and now the production's fourth major delay in a year caps off a perfect storm of problems.
But how can this be happening? Bono is involved, isn't he?!
Yes, but he and The Edge, who penned the music, have been out of the country touring since Thanksgiving and haven't yet seen the theatrical monster they and director Julie Taymor created. They're expected back in New York later this month to rejoin the $65 million (and counting) production full-time, according to the New York Times.
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