After suffering an onstage injury on March 16, actress T.V. Carpio has returned to the stage in the role of villainous Arachne in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, reports Broadway.com. Her understudy, America Olivo, filled in while Carpio was recovering from her injury for a few weeks. Carpio returned to the stage at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre on April 1 and Broadway.com reports that she will continue to appear at all performances. Carpio appears alongside Reeve Carey (as Peter Parker), Jennifer Damiano (as Mary Jane Watson) and Patrick Page (as Norman Osborn). Under the supervision of new director Philip William McKinley (who stepped in for Julie Taymor, of Lion King fame), the musical will go on hiatus on April 17. Fans can get Spider-Man the Musical tickets to see the show when performances resume on May 12. The official opening night of the musical, which features music by U2's Bono and The Edge, is now scheduled for June 14, reports Broadway.com.
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was previously scheduled to open on March 15, but on March 9, producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced that a newly expanded creative team was put in place, resulting in significant changes for the musical, reports Playbill.com. This is the sixth time the musical-the most expensive to ever take the Broadway stage-has been postponed.
According to an official press statement, the additional time commitment made it "impossible for director and co-book writer Julie Taymor to continue on in her day-to-day duties with the production," reports Playbill. U2's Bono and The Edge releasing a joint statement after Taymor's departure was announced saying, "Julie Taymor is not leaving the creative team. Her vision has been at the heart of this production since its inception and will continue to be so. Julie's previous commitments mean that past March 15th, she cannot work the 24/7 necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for out opening." Taymor has yet to comment.
In addition to Philip William McKinley, who will help with the musical's new staging, Robert Aguirre-Sacasa has joined the creative team to aid in book re-writes. Musical consultant Paul Bogaev (Tarzan, Bombay Dreams, Aida, Sunset Boulevard) and sound designer Peter Hylsenski (Elf, Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages, Shrek) have also joined the team and have been working to improve the musical arrangements and sound quality, respectively. Bono and The Edge also spoke out about the musical's changes saying, "All of us on the creative team are committed to taking Spider-Man to the next level. We are confident it will reach its full potential and when it does, it will open." They have 22 Grammys between them so they know what they're talking about!
Offering a new take on the tale of a young man with a heroic, secret side, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark takes its inspiration from more than 40 years of Marvel comic books. The musical follows the teenager Peter Parker as his ordinary existence is turned on its head when he is bitten by a genetically-altered spider. The next morning, he wakes up gripping his bedroom ceiling and has to cope with transforming from a geek to someone with special powers-all while being tested by villains.
