USA Today wrote:This fall's Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark marks the first time that U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge have written a score for the stage. But the rock stars' love affair with musical theater predates their involvement in the show, which begins previews Nov. 14 and opens Dec. 21.
"A school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was where I first found my voice," Bono says via e-mail from Europe, where the band is on tour. His father, moreover, "was a fine tenor and sang in many musicals." Bono recalls him "dressed as a cowboy in Oklahoma!"
Edge singles out West Side Story and The Music Man as "truly inspiring. The ambition for us was to write a score that matched the imagination of the best of contemporary music and the best of musical theater combined."
Bono and Edge's music and lyrics accompany a book co-written by playwright Glen Berger and Julie Taymor, who also directs. Taymor sought to spin an original tale that retained the "essence of this myth" adored by comic-book and movie fans.
"The basic story," she says, "is this geeky boy (Peter Parker, who acquires a superhero alter-ego when bitten by a genetically altered spider), who could be anybody, acquires this great power. And with great power comes great responsibility."
Bono agrees that "what's special is the very ordinariness of Peter Parker. It sounds odd to say, but Spider-Man is as important to the 21st century as the story of Ulysses was to the ancient Greeks. These are morality plays, where luminous characters duke it out in ways very revealing of the nature of who we are."
In Spider-Man, that battle is enhanced with spectacle. "We've got a great dance company, and there will be acrobatic circus feats and unbelievable action sequences," Taymor says. "We'll have (performers) flying over people in the audience, landing in the aisles and the balconies."
The technology and design accompanying such feats aren't cheap. Though a publicist for Spider-Man wouldn't comment on its budget, press reports have put the cost around $50 million. The show's original producers ran short on money, prompting a long delay and fueling skepticism.
"We've been on the receiving end of some cynicism from the Broadway media establishment," Edge says. "But really, who can blame them?" He and Bono "are under no illusion about how hard it is" to craft a musical.
"It's down to words and melodies," Bono says. "Are they memorable? Is it a fun ride, as well as a profound experience? I believe we are in with a chance."
[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]
<-- my face when I read the title...
