RIALTO CHATTER: SPIDER-MAN Opening Delay Likely

BroadwayWorld.com exclusively reported details from an email from the show's producers, Michael Cohl and Jere Harris, that went out to the cast and crew on Friday. The email thanked the cast for their patience, support and dedication during 'trying times' and notes that they are aware they're at a pivotal moment in the show's history and will be 'making some very difficult choices,' the results of which will be 'revealed by the middle of next week'. 

After five delays, the show is currently scheduled to open on March 15th, 2011, but rumors have said that the show will likely be delayed again, possibly to June of 2011. A delay past April 28th would make it inelligible for this year's Tony Awards. 

Now, multiple sources tell us that the show is likely to announce that further delay this week, probably to June of 2011.

Roger Friedman of ShowBiz411.com who has interviewed director Julie Taymor multiple times, reports the same as well this morning, noting that "Anyway, what I'm told is that 'Spider Man' will simply not deal with the Tony Awards and their April 28th deadline. Instead, work is being done to rewrite the show as much as possible within its mechanical parameters. "Bono and Edge are writing new songs," says my source. They do, contrary to rumors, have some good songs already in "Rise Above," "Say Now," "Boy Falls From the Sky" and a couple of others. But between the songs and the story fixes, the show will not open officially until June-right around Tony time. I am told that the feeling is that week to week the show is selling well enough ($1.55 mil last week.) that opening now, getting panned again, and then getting snubbed by the Tonys-which is likely-is worse than just staying the course and continuing to make improvements."

Word went out last week that Bono, who wrote the music and lyrics for SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK attended the show on Tuesday night to analyze the musical's progress since he last attended the production to lend his help in January, along with rumors over the last weeks (denied by the production) that they were bringing on additional team members for the book/direction. As for whether the producers would delay the opening of the show yet again, spokesperson Rick Miramontez, said earlier this week that "all decisions are made as a group."

We checked with other members of the media, who traditionally would have received officially reviewers invitations by now to see one of the show's final previews and none had yet received them. Requests for a comment went unanswered as of this story's publication. 

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal last week, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has formally slapped the production of SPIDER-MAN with three "serious" safety violations pertaining to the injuries infamously sustained by several cast members late last year.

The report reveals: "The citations, which carry $12,600 in proposed fines, come in response to the agency's investigation of four incidents that resulted in serious injuries to cast members. The $65 million musical is already the most expensive in Broadway history...The citations and proposed fines target 8 Legged Productions LLC, a Production Company for the musical. Serious citations are issued when 'there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known,' according to OSHA...During its investigation, the federal agency found that "employees were exposed to the hazards of falls or being struck during flying routines because of improperly adjusted or unsecured safety harnesses."

Featuring direction by Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor (The Tempest, Across The Universe, The Lion King), music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge, a book co-written by Taymor and Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel) and one of the most iconic title characters of all time, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is the most ambitious production ever undertaken on Broadway.