The Official Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Online Store


 

Creative Goods, the company ran the official Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark online store. This was the store's website.
Content is from the site's 2011- 2014 archived pages and other sources..
It is not longer possible to purchase Spider-Man merchandise on this site. There are plenty on on-line stores selling all sorts of Spider-Man merchandise. Just do a search.

 

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was a 2010 musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge, with arrangements and orchestration by David Campbell, and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

 



Highlights From "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark"
www.playbill.com/multimedia/video The web-slinging wall-crawler gets the Broadway treatment in "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark". While delays, injuries and recent high-profile changes in the creative team have plagued the production, "Spider-Man" continues to be a commercial success, even while in previews. Reeve Carney stars as Peter Parker/Spidey, Jennifer Damiano as his love interest Mary Jane Watson and Patrick Page as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin. Music by U2's Bono and The Edge, and original direction and conception by Julie Taymor.

 

REVIEWS OF THE BROADWAY SHOW


JANUARY 6, 2014 Variety.com

‘Spider-Man’ Musical Still a Tangled, Messy Web to the End

Nobody was injured at the Broadway show's last performance, except for this reviewer

By Ramin Setoodeh

I’ll never forget the first time I saw “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” It was on Saturday night. Bad reviews and buzz had kept me away from Broadway’s most disaster-prone production, but I had always wanted to witness the spectacle. I had that chance over the weekend, at the show’s final performance before it closed in New York.

My seat, which cost $160, was in the front row, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Other productions at the Foxwoods Theatre have used that aisle for cheap rush tickets, since the space is so narrow you need to prop your legs up against the stage.

But “Spider-Man,” the most expensive musical ever (with a budget of $75 million and losses estimated at $60 million), clearly needed every last cent it could grab, which explained the influx of mugs, tote bags, pins, shirts, posters, caps and blankets at the gift shop.

all the merchandise came from the concession stand. One fan celebrated the closing by arriving to the theater in Spider-Man’s tights. Although the musical never won over critics, it still has its diehard loyalists. A few of them said they had seen the performance more than 100 times.

Gale Vitale estimated 130 to 140 trips to the theater with her friends over the last three years. “I had split feelings about seeing this, because I’m not really into Spider-Man,” said the 29-year-old veterinary technician from Paramus, N.J. “But once I saw it, I fell in love.”

She rolled up her sleeve to show a Spider-Man tattoo on her left arm with the words “Rise Above,” the name of one of the better songs.

“Everyone makes fun of me for liking the show, because most musical theater people don’t like the show,” said Sarah Biddle, 22, back for the fifth time. But she didn’t care; she was giddy when she spotted Reeve Carney, who originated the Spider-Man role in November 2010 and attended the last performance, in the lobby.

“It’s crazy,” Reeve later told me of the groupies who kept coming back. “I guess they connected to the story.”

That still wasn’t enough to keep the web-slinger afloat. The producers, Jeremiah Harris and Michael Cohl, who notified the staff of the show’s ending via mass email, said the costs of operating such an elaborate production in New York was too high to make the show profitable.

“It’s exhilarating and at the same time disappointing,” Harris said. “There’s a time and place for everything, and this was time to close here in New York and move on.” He added, “We’re talking to someone about building a theater in Germany for us,” and they are also considering a Las Vegas run for 2015.

“Turn off the Dark,” in case you missed it, covers some of the origin story from the 2002 movie starring Tobey Maguire. But the plot took a back seat to spectacular behind-the-scenes turmoil and creative bickering.

From the start, the show suffered from technical glitches that turned the production into a national punch line. At least six actors were badly injured, which resulted in lawsuits. The producers kept extending the previews, which stretched over seven months as they launched major overhauls, and its director Julie Taymor was fired. The music written by U2’s Bono was also panned (although some the songs, especially in the second act, aren’t so bad).

 

 

AUGUST 15, 2016 by George Johnston / hollywoodreporter.com/

Playwright Behind 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Explains Why the Musical Failed

efore it floundered, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was predicted to be asmash hit worthy of a superhero.

After all, U2's Bono and The Edge were helping turn one of the most popular superheroes in the world into a musical. But production issues, huge costs and negative reception by critics saw Turn Off the Dark close in infamy three years after opening.

Glen Berger, who co-wrote the book for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark with Julie Taymor, gave an interview with the A.V. Club, telling all about the disaster even Spider-Man could not save.

“Our biggest blunder was that we only had one workshop, and then we went into rehearsals for the Broadway run of the show,” said Berger.

The play cost $75 million to produce and though it was a big earner in the beginning, by the end it was not generating enough money to cover production. Several actors were injured on set, and Taymor was dismissed from the play and later sued its producers.

Berger went on to say he had started having real seeds of doubt about Spider-Man when actors began getting hurt during the play’s production. He also said Taymor was unwilling to change anything in Turn Off the Dark during rehearsals.

“From our first preview to the day Julie left the show seven months later, not a single song was cut, which is kind of indicative of the rigidity that was setting in for one camp of the creators who felt like, 'No, we came up with the perfect show. We just need to find a way to render it competently,'" said Berger.

When Taymor left Turn Off the Dark, a new director, choreographer and co-writer were hired for the play. Berger felt rejuvenated and excited to save Spider-Man. Unfortunately, everybody’s favorite webslinger couldn’t shake the bad cloud surrounding his play. Turn Off The Dark concluded its run on Jan. 4, 2014.

 

 

Before and after reviews for Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark (Foxwoods Theatre)

A TALE OF TWO SPIDEYS

With an estimated production budget of $65-$75 million, the rock musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is Broadway's most expensive show of all time ... and certainly one of its most troubled. As originally constructed by Julie Taymor (best known for her successful theatrical adaptation of The Lion King) and Glen Berger, the effects-filled production was plagued by technical problems (which, more than once, sent cast members to the infirmary), and the opening night was delayed so frequently that Spider-Man became a national punch line. Many theater critics reached a point where they were uncertain that the show would ever open, and -- going against convention -- reviewed one of the preview performances in February, almost universally panning the incoherent story and the unmemorable music (written by U2's Bono and The Edge).

A record 183 preview performances -- and a three-week hiatus -- later, Spider-Man finally, officially, opened yesterday at the Foxwoods Theatre after a re-tooling by new writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and new director Philip William McKinley. A new song was added, 20 minutes have been lopped off the running time, and the musical's plot has been significantly restructured.

Do critics like the upgraded production any better than the original version? The short answer is yes, though most reviewers still don't recommend the show. Below, we sample the before and after reviews from critics who wrote about both versions.

 VERSIONS
 
Original Version   New Version
Scott Brown, New York

THEN: "It's by turns hyperstimulated, vivid, lurid, overeducated, underbaked, terrifying, confusing, distracted, ridiculously slick, shockingly clumsy, unmistakably monomaniacal and clinically bipolar. But never, ever boring. ... Even in the depths of Spider-man's certifiably insane second act, I was riveted."

2/7/11 MOSTLY POSITIVE 

 

NOW: "The thrill is gone. So is the insanity and the walleyed, aneurysm-in-progress fun of it all. I'm sorry to report that the eight-legged, nine-lived megalomusical ... has deteriorated from mindblowingly misbegotten carnival-of-the-damned to merely embarrassing dud. ... Spider-Man was a bad Julie Taymor musical; it is now, wholeheartedly, a terrible U2 musical."

6/14/11 NEGATIVE 

Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg News

THEN: "A protofeminist stew that foolishly decants the myth of the weaver Arachne into a story that's incoherent to begin with. After all this expenditure of talent and money, "Spider- Man" is probably unfixable because too much has gone into making humans fly, which is not what they are good at."

2/7/11 MIXED (2/4) 

 

NOW: "[The] new director, Philip William McKinley, has done little to improve the muddled mythmaking of Julie Taymor. ... The songs still stop the show in its tracks because they’re pop songs, not theater songs that get inside the characters while advancing the plot."

6/14/11 NEGATIVE (1.5/4) 

Elysa Gardner, USA Today

THEN: "Beyond the offstage drama and lavish budget, and all the feats and flash accompanying them, lies an endearingly old-fashioned musical."

2/8/11 POSITIVE 

 

NOW: "The new Spider-Man is cuter and more cautious than its predecessor, more in line with the winking musical adaptations of famous films and brands that have lined the theater district in recent years."

6/14/11 POSITIVE 

CRITICS WHO PREFER THE NEW VERSION
Original Version   New Version
David Cote, Time Out New York

THEN: "One of the saddest things about Spider-Man, in fact, is how dehumanized and humorless the whole affair feels. ... The production is a deeply confused, ugly, ultimately boring example of artistic hubris enabled by financial excess."

2/11/11 NEGATIVE (1/5)

 

NOW: "It's a hell of a lot better. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is now a coherent and mostly enjoyable entertainment for children and adults, albeit one still saddled with Taymor's vestigial nuttiness and freshly dug plot holes all its own."

6/14/11 MIXED (3/5) 

Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News

THEN: "A big production going in too many directions and in need of a lot of work to make it entertaining, satisfying and understandable. ... The show reportedly cost $65 million and that's clearly gone into mechanics, hydraulics and aerial rigging. It seems only 10 cents has gone into the confusing story and humorless dialogue."

2/7/11 NEGATIVE 

 

NOW: "Spidey 2.0 is more cohesive, streamlined and funnier than before, and its thrills are still intact - though it is still weighed down by so-so songs. ... The reason to see 'Turn Off the Dark' remains. The acrobatic aerial stunts and flying, particularly the 11 o'clock showdown, are dazzling. "

6/14/11 POSITIVE (3/5) 

 

~~~~~~~~

An aside: I had wanted to see Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark when it was on Broadway, but I never did. However a few months after the show closed when I booked a vacation rental in Lahaina for our tenth anniversary, little did I know, I would get to at least listen to most of the music from Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark via the CD I found at the lovely condo penthouse we stayed in for two weeks in Maui. I was so excited I played the music every morning while fixing breakfast and looking out at the amazing view from the penthouse’s lanai. It wasn’t till I looked up some reviews about the soundtrack that I learned that that the songs aren't in the order that they appeared in the show, and apparently not all of the songs that are heard in the play are on the SDTK. PS: I bought the audio CD when we returned to the states along with a Spider Man mousepad and mug. What can you expect? I'm a fan!

~~~~~~~~

 



 

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Spider-Man and Goblin Tee image

Spider-Man and Goblin Tee

 

Who will win the battle! Spider-Man image is on the front of the tee with Goblin on the back. 
Black unisex shirt.
100% cotton.

Price: $40.00

 

Spider-Man Windowcard image

Spider-Man Windowcard

Official SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK windowcard. 
Measures 14" x 22"
Price: $20.00

 

Spider-Man Tote image

Spider-Man Tote

Let Spider-Man hold your valuables in this tote! Spider-Man image on one side and SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK on the other. 
Canvas tote bag.
Price: $20.00

 

Spider-Man 2013-2014 Calendar  image

Spider-Man 2013-2014 Calendar

$10.00
 
This 2013 wall calendar highlights the 14 men who bring SPIDER-MAN to life on stage each night with an array of never-before-seen portraits of the performers, as well as exciting production photography from the high-flying Broadway spectacular. All net proceeds from the sales of this calendar will benefit BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS, making it the perfect gift for the holiday season. 

Dimensions: 8.5” x 22”
Price: $10.00

 

Spider-Man Keychain image

Spider-Man Keychain

$10.00
 

 

Spider-Man Blanket image

Spider-Man Blanket

$60.00
Curl up and keep warm with Spider-Man at home. 

100 % cotton.
Measures 36" x 48".

Price: $60.00

 
Spider-Man Tumbler image

Spider-Man Tumbler

For the superhero on the go. 20 oz tumbler.

Price: $20.00

Spider-Man Mousepad image

Spider-Man Mousepad

Spider-Man never stops working and neither do you. Keep him with you while you work.

Price: $12.00

Spider-Man Key Art Magnet image

Spider-Man Key Art Magnet

Key Art magnet from the Broadway show.

Price: $8.00

 

Spider-Man Lapel Pin

Official Spider-man lapel pin.

Price: $10.00

Spider-Man Book (Photo Cover) image

Spider-Man Book (Photo Cover)

Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark souvenir book features 40 pages of photographs, artwork, original comic book information, and song lyrics.

Price: $15.00

Spider-Man Mug image

Spider-Man Mug

Dishwasher and microwave safe.

Price: $15.00

Spider-Man Postcard Set image

Spider-Man Postcard Set

Exclusive set of four postcards featuring images from Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark.

Price: $8.00

Green Goblin & Sinister Six Poster image

Green Goblin & Sinister Six Poster

Bring home the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six on this roll poster. 
Measures 24" x 18"
Poster is shipped in a tube.

Price: $10.00

 



 

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