Review: Spider-Man

Musical: Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark (Preview Version 1)
Venue: Foxwoods Theatre, New York
Date: 8th April 2011 at 20:00
Cast: Reeve Carney (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Jennifer Damiano (Mary Jane), Patrick Page (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin), T.V. Carpio (Arachne), Ken Marks (Uncle Ben), Isabel Keating (Aunt May/Classic Teacher), Kevin Loomis (u/s J. Jonah Jameson), Laura Beth Wells (Emily Osborn), GEEK CHORUS: Gerald Avery (Jimmy-6), Jonathan Schwartz (Professor Cobwell), Mat Devine (Grim Hunter) and Alice Lee (Miss Arrow)
Rating: **1/2


Review: I'm just gonna admit it shamelessly that I ENJOYED SPIDER-MAN despite its many flaws. There, I said it. So let's get down to the actual review. This is one musical that I didn't plan on seeing at all. It was my second day in New York and I was selecting my shows at TKTS and was probably gonna see either Mary Poppins or La Cage but the seats were pretty bad so I decided to ask for Spider-Man and it turned out that since I was alone, I was able to get a seat in the centre orchestra for $90 so I thought why not give it a chance. I have always been curious about it anyway so I took my shot.

I arrived at the Foxwoods Theatre about 10 minutes before the show started. My brother went to see the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the next-door American Airlines Theatre with his friend. I took my seat and noticed that there were a lot of children, kids and teenagers in the theatre as well as "tourist-looking" audience.  The Foxwoods is a very beautiful theatre with very high ceiling, or maybe in USA, every theatre is big and tall. Anyway, let's start the review, shall we?

NOTE: LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW (as if it matters now..)

Let's get the bad things out first. I really didn't enjoy the music in the show. As you know, it is written by Bono and The Edge and the sound was very U2-ish.. I guess there were some nice songs but most of them were just horrible and painful to listen to, notably 'Bullying by Numbers', 'Deeply Furious' and 'Sinistereo' to name a few.

Also, I disagree with some of the direction in the show, at that point was still by Julie Taymor who was later replaced. Spider-Man slow-motioned ran down the bridge was just weird to look at. The whole 'Bullying by Numbers' (again!) were just so amateur. Most of the drama didn't look real and it did take away a lot emotionally for the audience especially in (supposed-to-be) dramatic scenes like when Peter and Mary Jane fought with their 'parents' at home or the death scene of Uncle Ben, or maybe it's just bad acting? Another really bad scene was when Peter Parker (as the Human Spider) wrestled with the 'inflatable' wrestler.. Feel bad for the actor, he must have felt stupid. And whoever thought of the villains 'fashion show' at the top of act two and the shoes scene should go hang themselves.

The director, Julie Taymor

However, the show was truly a spectacle. The sceneries were nicely-done, lots of perspective angles. There were quite a number of stage effects which was fun to watch. Many of the scenes were designed to replicate the comic-book style which was also quite good.

The main highlight of the show was probably the flying stunts. It was a real feast for the eyes. They were swinging at a very fast speed (I heard 50 mph) professionally and they would jump from the very back of the stage to stagefront in seconds, catching many front-row audience off guard. There were also platforms on the mezzanine right and balcony left where Spider-Man would stop at (and greet his audience). However, this, at several times, made me feel like I was not at a musical, rather, it made me feel like I was at a kids show where stuntmen in costumes would act to the pre-taped conversation using exagerrated body gestures. (Get the picture?)

Here comes Spidey!

Personally, I feel that the musical was a lot better when there were real people involved in the show and that was probably what made me enjoy the show a lot because the actors in this cast was really talented ones. Reeve Carney was our Peter Parker/Spider-Man and he had a really charming presence (though he reminded me a lot of James Franco). His voice was quite good, not your typical Broadway voice, but seemed to suit the sound of U2 very well. His solo in 'The Boy Falls from the Sky' towards the end of the show really showcased his talent. Jennifer Damiano from Next to Normal fame was our Mary Jane Watson and she didn't disappoint at all. Her singing was great and it was such a pleasure to hear her sing. And when both of them joined forces onstage in a duet like 'No More' and 'Walk Away', it was a real treat for the audience.

Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano

Reeve Carney in his Spider-Man costume

Patrick Page whom I saw as Scar in The Lion King on Broadway many years ago played Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin. I think he did well for the material that he was given. I really hate how they design the costume for Green Goblin, it was just ugly and couldn't match the look in the movie at all.

Patrick page as the Green Goblin at curtain call

Another star of the night was T.V. Carpio as Arachne, the new character written for the stage. Though I doubt the rationality of her character in the show, she really did her part well. She was beautiful and she chose to sing the songs more hauntingly which suited both the character and the show really well. She brought arrays of emotions to the show as well as her character, especially in her opening scene during the number 'Behold and Wonder'. That must have been my favourite scene of the whole show. I didn't like the idea of the Geek Chorus in the show and frankly they threw me off a bit in terms of what they were doing there and their narration didn't really help move the story along at all, actually they dragged the show even more.

T.V. Carpio who plays Arachne

Arachne in the musical (I think this is Natalie Mendoza though)

I also would like to mention the scenes at the Daily Bugle with J. Jonah Jameson. I think it was a clever way of moving the stories along quickly. Kevin Loomis was our JJ understudy and he did very well with this non-singing part.

Overall, I think the problem of the show lies in its story. The show crammed the whole Spider-Man 1 into Act One so we lost all connection with the character. If I hadn't watched the movie before, I wouldn't give a damn when Uncle Ben died. Here, he was seen only once before he died so there wasn't any emotional connection between him and Peter (or even us). Aunt May's role was very pointless and she didn't contribute anything to the story here. A waste of talent for having Tony nominee actress like Isabel Keating portray her. Frankly, I don't think I even understood what happened to Green Goblin and how he died.

The end of Act One with Spider-Man and Green Goblin
on top of the Chrysler Building in Manhattan

Then, Act Two was even worse. I tried really hard to make sense of the story but I really couldn't. Most characters from Act One either died or disappeared. Arachne became the villain instead. I wasn't sure whether the whole Act Two was mainly Arachne's illusion or what and the end, I think they were trying to be Phantom but it just ended so easily. You were totally lost and wondered "what the heck just happened and why did she transform back into a goddess?"

There were a lot of holes in the story to be fixed. Now the show has gone into hiatus aiming to revamp before it re-opens in June after this year's Tony Awards. I read some news about it and I like the many things that they are going to change. Green Goblin will live through to Act Two which could make more sense. Geek Chorus will be taken out, good! (I do feel sorry for the actors who play them though. Where would they be, fired?). And I also heard the role of Arachne will be reduced to a sort of Spider-Man's guardian angel rather than villain. I like that idea and it might make better sense but I hope they still give her a lot of stage time because, again, T.V. Carpio is amazing. 

Geek Chorus whose roles will be taken off the new version

Overall, what I can say about the show is that it is fun and entertaining to watch. The audience seemed to like it since there was a standing ovation in the whole theatre. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed a night out at the theatre and doesn't mind a light-hearted musical and it seems like a good one to bring the kids to. If I were in NYC, I would go see it again after it re-opens wholeheartedly. I really root for the show to be better because it holds such high potential that hasn't been exploited yet. However, stay away from this show if you're expecting something more than fun at the theatre, i.e. if you hate shows like Mamma Mia! and Legally Blonde. 

The first scene in the show

Arachne and Peter Parker during 'Rise Above' number

The Spider-men at curtain call. I counted 9 of them.

The famous Spider-man kiss which they saved for the curtain call
(I think it would be cool to have this in the show though)

Seat Recommendation:
Orchestra: do not take anything behind row S because you won't see any flying
Mezzanine: take the left side in the front to be closed to Spider-Man and Arachne
Balcony: take the right side in the front to be closed to Spider-Man


Here are the videos of Spider-Man I found on YouTube. The first one is the montage of the show overview. The other is the three main casts singing "Rise Above" on the Letterman Show. Enjoy!

Musical Numbers
ACT ONE
Splash Page... Citizens
Behold and Wonder... Miss Arrow, Arachne and Weavers
Bullying by Numbers... Bullies and High School Girls
No More... Peter and Mary Jane
D.I.Y. World... Osborn, Emily, High School Students and Lab Assistants
Bouncing off the Walls... Peter and Geek Chorus
Rise Above... Peter, Arachne and Citizens
Pull the Trigger... Osborn, Military Generals and Soldiers
Picture This... Peter, Mary Jane, Osborn and Emily
I'll Take Manhattan... The Green Goblin


ACT TWO
Spider-Man Rising... Busker and Citizens
Turn off the Dark... Arachne
Walk Away... Peter, Mary Jane and Geek Chorus
Think Again... Arachne and Furies
Sinistereo... Soloists
Deeply Furious... Arachne and Furies
If the World Should End... Mary Jane
The Boy Falls from the Sky... Peter


From the Playbill:
The Myth of Arachne
(An excerpt from Peter Parker's Oral Report)
The ancient Greeks reserved a special word for the sort of arrogance that makes you forget your own humanity. That word was hubris. In the time before Time, there was a young woman named Arachne, celebrated far and wide as the most gifted of weavers. Gods and animals - made only of thread  - seemed to come to life on Arachne's loom. Woven bulls bellowed and leapt, rivers roared and splashed those who came near Arachne's tapestries, so magical was her art. Before long, Arachne was boasting that her skills were greater than even those of the Gods. The Goddess Athena heard these impudent claims and was not pleased. After all, Athena - in addition to being the Goddess of Wisdom and War - was also the Goddess of Weaving. So she challenged Arachne to a weaving contest, and that night shuttles flashed across two giant looms as the young mortal and the powerful goddess created tapestries of exquisite beauty. But to all in attendance it was plain to see that Arachne's tapestry... was better. Enraged, Athena destroyed Arachne's work. In despair, Arachne hanged herself. But Athena took pity on the dying girl and transformed her into the world's first spider. "Now you shall live and weave forever," said Athena. Arachne was cursed to immortality in the shadows. Nevermore would she and her work inspire praise; now, only fear. Arachne was doomed to live and weave alone - alone and forever... nevermore in the light.