|
|
|
Caught In A Web Of Spectacular!
By Pat Singer
Last week I had the pleasure of seeing Spiderman Turn Off The Dark, Version 2 . Admittedly, I was less then excited after it had been globally panned by previous reviewers. That quickly changed—from the moment the curtain rose, right through to the closing finale it blew away any negative assumptions I had. The show was amazing, fantastic, exhilarating and incredibly clever. Add to that fabulous music and you have a totally satisfying experience—a musical extravaganza that brought into the spotlight an iconic comic character that took you for the ride of your life.
This charming story is of teenager, Peter Parker, a science geek who can’t grasp being “cool”, is mercilessly teased, thus causing a great deal of teenage angst.. His dull life is suddenly jolted when he is bitten by a spider. He metamorphoses into a character with great omnipotence and yet not from another planet, but hailing right here from Queens, New York. At first Parker uses his super power for himself, but very quickly realizes he has a far greater responsibility as NYC is being threatened by the Green Goblin. He is an endearing and empathetic character played phenomenally well by newcomer Reeve Carney.
Although he is the consummate classical actor, Patrick Page (Green Goblin) has made a prodigious name for himself on Broadway by playing colorful villains. His most noteworthy roles were as Grinch from Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and as Scar in The Lion King. As the Green Goblin he is an indisputable and most captivating villain. Although he has hatched a plan to destroy New York City, he seems to have trouble with the simplest of things. He is uproariously funny especially when he plummets into total frustration by today’s modern telephone. His melodramatic interpretation of the song “I’ll Take Manhattan” was hilarious. The colossal sensation of the evening were the aerial sequences—actors flying all around the stage, and more impressively, soaring above the orchestra frequently landing on the railings of the balconies. They were spectacular and all magnificently harmonious with the music. The audience was stunned craning their necks in every direction possible watching these breathtaking acrobatics in flight. It was dazzling stunt work and truly a first for Broadway. Most thrilling was Spiderman and the Green Goblin fighting on top of the Chrysler Building and moving with breathtaking speed right over the mesmerized audience. The show’s discernable vibrancy is staggering.
The blend of George Tsypin’s fantastic sets, Daniel Ezralow’s mind-blowing aerial choreography, Kyle Cooper’s ground breaking electronic visuals and Eiko Ishioka’s incredibly unique costumes create a potpourri of spectacular dimension. U2’s rock stars Bono and The Edge delivered a thrilling musical score that was a perfect match for this story. It had exceptional volume and intensity, something that one has to experience to appreciate. All are truly deserving of major awards. A special note should be made for the completely original and jaw-dropping sets. The illusion of extreme height of the Chrysler Building in the fighting scene as well as Peter bouncing off of his movable red walls was awe-inspiring. The beautiful imagery of the saffron cloth web that was being woven by the aerial dancers during the opening scene was stunning.
The entire production is truly memorable and there is no doubt that it is an incredible crowd pleaser. It is enormous, bold and sassy and deserves to be on Broadway for a very long time. This is a 21st century theatrical and engineering feat and should be seen by people of all ages. It was clearly evident that the audience absolutely loved it. What a tremendous experience!!
Last week I had the pleasure of seeing Spiderman Turn Off The Dark, Version 2 . Admittedly, I was less then excited after it had been globally panned by previous reviewers. That quickly changed—from the moment the curtain rose, right through to the closing finale it blew away any negative assumptions I had. The show was amazing, fantastic, exhilarating and incredibly clever. Add to that fabulous music and you have a totally satisfying experience—a musical extravaganza that brought into the spotlight an iconic comic character that took you for the ride of your life.
This charming story is of teenager, Peter Parker, a science geek who can’t grasp being “cool”, is mercilessly teased, thus causing a great deal of teenage angst.. His dull life is suddenly jolted when he is bitten by a spider. He metamorphoses into a character with great omnipotence and yet not from another planet, but hailing right here from Queens, New York. At first Parker uses his super power for himself, but very quickly realizes he has a far greater responsibility as NYC is being threatened by the Green Goblin. He is an endearing and empathetic character played phenomenally well by newcomer Reeve Carney.
Although he is the consummate classical actor, Patrick Page (Green Goblin) has made a prodigious name for himself on Broadway by playing colorful villains. His most noteworthy roles were as Grinch from Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and as Scar in The Lion King. As the Green Goblin he is an indisputable and most captivating villain. Although he has hatched a plan to destroy New York City, he seems to have trouble with the simplest of things. He is uproariously funny especially when he plummets into total frustration by today’s modern telephone. His melodramatic interpretation of the song “I’ll Take Manhattan” was hilarious. The colossal sensation of the evening were the aerial sequences—actors flying all around the stage, and more impressively, soaring above the orchestra frequently landing on the railings of the balconies. They were spectacular and all magnificently harmonious with the music. The audience was stunned craning their necks in every direction possible watching these breathtaking acrobatics in flight. It was dazzling stunt work and truly a first for Broadway. Most thrilling was Spiderman and the Green Goblin fighting on top of the Chrysler Building and moving with breathtaking speed right over the mesmerized audience. The show’s discernable vibrancy is staggering.
The blend of George Tsypin’s fantastic sets, Daniel Ezralow’s mind-blowing aerial choreography, Kyle Cooper’s ground breaking electronic visuals and Eiko Ishioka’s incredibly unique costumes create a potpourri of spectacular dimension. U2’s rock stars Bono and The Edge delivered a thrilling musical score that was a perfect match for this story. It had exceptional volume and intensity, something that one has to experience to appreciate. All are truly deserving of major awards. A special note should be made for the completely original and jaw-dropping sets. The illusion of extreme height of the Chrysler Building in the fighting scene as well as Peter bouncing off of his movable red walls was awe-inspiring. The beautiful imagery of the saffron cloth web that was being woven by the aerial dancers during the opening scene was stunning.
The entire production is truly memorable and there is no doubt that it is an incredible crowd pleaser. It is enormous, bold and sassy and deserves to be on Broadway for a very long time. This is a 21st century theatrical and engineering feat and should be seen by people of all ages. It was clearly evident that the audience absolutely loved it. What a tremendous experience!!
