This Saturday Night

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Kathleen and I have tickets for the 8 PM performance of “Spider-Man: Turn Down the Thermostat,” or whatever it’s called. Still in previews, of course, which means basically it’s a glorified dress rehearsal. But for us, this is a definite can’t-miss event. I’m figuring it’s either going to be a “Phantom of the Opera”-level spectacle, or a “Dance with the Vampire”-level trainwreck. Either way, I’ll report back here. (No, I’m not gonna live blog it).

PAD

21 comments on “This Saturday Night”

      1. One report said that this is the most expensive musical ever put on, and that they’ll have to earn a million dollars a week during its run to break even. So I’m guessing *every* ticket counts.

      2. Tax write off does seem possible.

        Even though I don’t expect much from the show and most of my friends think it sounds terrible, I kind of want to see it. Not because it can be a masterpiece, but in the way that I would have wanted to see Carrie: The Musical when it was running or be in the crowd opening night for The Room. Flops are usually not very interesting, but I have a feeling this might be one of those flops so insane and large that people will speak about in hushed tones for years to come.

  2. That’s so funny – that was the first thought Robin and I had when we first heard about the musical’s problems. We saw the vampires dance a few years ago for our anniversary and– well, let’s just say it was a low point in Steinman’s career and a memorable anniversary for us. “But you GOTTA see the vampires dance!” we still mockingly call out to each other.

    2. I’ve only heard about how bad the American version of the Vampire’s Dance was… the thing is, the German version is really good. There is a reason that it has been playing almost continually in Austria and Germany for the last 13 years. “Unstillbare Gier” (sung to the tune of “Objects in the Rear View Mirror”) about how Count von Krolock despises the monster he has become gives me the shivers everytime I hear it.
      –
      From what I understand the problem is that the Broadway production tried to make it into a (really bad) comedy – while there are quite a few funny moments in it, the German production plays it as a tragic story, and that works extremely well. As you can probably tell, I’m a fan of the German version, and I think it is very sad that they messed up the English version so bad that even years after it is still a symbol of a musical trainwreck…
      –
      Benjamin

  3. Springtime for Osborn and GreenGoblin,
    .
    Winter for Peter and Us…
    .
    (I just hope nobody tries to blow up the theatre while you are there, PAD. Otherwise, enjoy!)

  6. Peter, you should be changing your name to Matt Murdock. After all, you are the real “Man without Fear”.

  8. Very cool. Have fun! As a theatre person I’m interested in seeing *how* they do it. I got to see the LOTR production in London and yeah, it wasn’t fantastic (no memorable tunes), but it was worth it for the sheer spectacle. I have a feeling Spider-Man will be the same way. Although I hope not, I read somewhere LOTR lost something like 50 million. Well, it should at least be an interesting show!

  9. Julie Taymor’s Tempest movie is getting thrashed by the critics. I hope she doesn’t end up with two bombs simultaneously. That would just be sad. Especially since I loved Across the Universe.

  10. BTW, the webstrip Something Positive currently has protagonist Davan trying to create a good superhero musical. The storyline starts at http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12062010.shtml and is only in its 2nd day, so who knows when or how it’ll end? Of course, this is the comic that had a musical, based on the crucifixion of Jesus, called NAILED! (I once saw a fake t-shirt for this, where all the locations it was to be performed at had “cancelled” stamped over them.)

    1. Actually, there are a few more than two strips – there’s a jump; beginning here (as you said) for two strips, then continuing here through at least the current (16 December) strip has been about comics musicals. (Warning: s*p often uses language and themes that might be mildly NSFW.)

  11. On an unrelated note, I have been increasingly enjoying how you have been writing Longshot in X-Factor. I was initially worried you would relegate him to a rarely seen, rarely speaking background character, but you have turned him into enough of an oblivious jáçkášš that the relatively small ‘screen time’ he is given, he shines.

    …

    That is all.

  12. It looks like the musical is being delayed again.
    .
    “Heat Vision reports the production has been delayed from a January 11th opening to sometime in February. “Producers will use the extra time to iron out the issues and revamp the ending of with the problem-plagued show, which is currently in previews,” they write. Bono and the Edge from U2 will return to the production and write additional music; with the possibility of a new final number.”
    .
    So the version that PAD sees tomorrow won’t be quite the same as the final version.

  13. It would have to work hard to be worst than “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman.” My small-town library got the original cast recording (with Jack Cassidy, playing Daily Planet gossip columnist Max Mencken, getting top billing over the barrel-chested Bob Holiday who played Superman), and I wore the thing out from checking it out and playing it so often. Then, I actually got to see a performance of the play, and, MAN, was it bad! I went to another performance several years later, and it was even worse, with Superman being played by a guy who looked like Sal Rubinek.

    And don’t get me started on the ABC version which ran late night in 1975. They replaced the offensive Chinese acrobat stereotypes (whose lines included “who wants to pay money to see us fry, when they can see Superman fry for free?”) with generic gangsters, but it didn’t improve things. The only thing of interest to come out of that was Lois Lane being played by Leslie Ann Warren, who has since played the mother of previous Lois Teri Hatcher on “Desperate Housewives.” (And, yes, Hatcher recently played Lois’ mother on “Smallville.”) Isn’t it fun when actors and their roles collide?

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