Michael Cohl News

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the most ambitious production ever under­taken on Broadway with original direction by Julie Taymor and music by U2's Bono and The Edge, is currently in previews at the Foxwoods Theatre on West 43rd Street. After struggling to find its voice since beginning previews in the fall of 2010, director Philip William McKinley, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and choreographer Chase Brock were brought onto the creative team by lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris to help implement new staging, book rewrites, and additional choreography, respectively. The show is on track to open on June 14, 2011 after several delays.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the most ambitious production ever under­taken on Broadway with original direction by Julie Taymor and music by U2's Bono and The Edge, is currently in previews at the Foxwoods Theatre on West 43rd Street. After struggling to find its voice since beginning previews in the fall of 2010, director Philip William McKinley, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and choreographer Chase Brock were brought onto the creative team by lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris to help implement new staging, book rewrites, and additional choreography, respectively. The show is on track to open on June 14, 2011 after several delays. Yesterday, May 31, BroadwayWorld got some one-on-one time with McKinley, the newest captain of the SPIDER-MAN ship, entrusted with revamping Julie Taymor's original vision into the worldwide commercial success the team hopes the show will become. Speaking candidly, McKinley reveals the pros and cons of reworking the troubled project, his new approach, additions and changes audiences can expect, and why the cast has been the key to the show's longevity to date.

Music from SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark will be released on June 14th by Interscope Records. With 14 new songs co-written by Bono and The Edge for the Broadway production, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the album is produced by Steve Lillywhite. Songs are performed by the cast including Reeve Carney in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Jennifer Damiano in the role of Mary Jane, T.V. Carpio as Arachne and Patrick Page as the Green Goblin, with contributions from Bono and The Edge and music performed by the production's twenty member strong orchestra. The release date coincides with the opening night (June 14th) of the Broadway show.

On the heels of receiving two Daytime Emmy® nominations, a season 4 pick up from Nickelodeon and phenomenal ticket sales for their upcoming live tour in Australia, Yo Gabba Gabba! announced theywill rock the preschool and young adult set in over 50 cities across North America in 2011 when today's hottest live show returns this fall.

While ROCK OF AGES is Broadway's Best Party every day of the week, the smash hit, five-time Tony Award nominated musical is ready to take it over the top, 80's style, on Tuesdays and Fridays with the launch of Two-for-One Tequila Tuesdays and Summer Fun Fridays at the Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West 44th Street.

You know the old saying, usually reserved for Oscar-nominated films whose directors are not likewise honored:  'Did this film direct itself?'

Injured SPIDER-MAN perform Christopher Tierney returned to rehearsals for the musical on Monday, April 25th and BroadwayWorld.com was there with other press to great him upon his return. Lead producer Michael Cohl said last week that Tierney has been cleared to rejoin the show and hopes to be swinging over the audience again on opening night June 14.

The team behind the trouble-plauged SPIDER-MAN, TURN OFF THE DARK, which on April 17th played its final performance before undergoing a major overhaul, have kept their silence. Through highs and lows - though much more in the public eye of the latter - the cast and creative team have rarely spoken out, but now producers Jere Harris and Michael Cohl are commenting on the $65 million dollar giant.

Injured SPIDER-MAN perform Christopher Tierney will return to the musical, according to news reports.

Following its matinee performance on Sunday, April 17, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark embarks on a three-week hiatus for technical rehearsals before unveiling the new version of the mega musical on Thursday, May 12. The original staging of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark played its final performances to sold-out houses. The official opening night of the new SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is set for Tuesday, June 14th at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street). In the following video, swing Joshua Kobak answers questions from fans. Click below to check it out!

Following its matinee performance on Sunday, April 17, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark embarks on a three-week hiatus for technical rehearsals before unveiling the new version of the mega musical on Thursday, May 12. The original staging of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark played its final performances to sold-out houses. The official opening night of the new SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is set for Tuesday, June 14th at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).

A statement has been released by the producers of ROCK OF AGES and Local One IATSE.

Based on the MTV smash hit series Nitro Circus, the explosive touring sensation Nitro Circus Live today announced details for a North American premiere Saturday, June 4( )at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Although performances of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark will be suspended from April 19th through May 11th while the cast and new creative team work on implementing major revisions to the show, ticket-holders will still have an opportunity to see the webbed superhero in a musical, as the Foxwoods Theatre will be housing a limited run of The Spidey Project: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.

In a New York Times feature out this morning, The New York Times' Patrick Healey takes a look at what might be next for the trouble SPIDER-MAN musical, and reveals how those at the top have not yet lost faith. 'SPIDER-MAN will succeed...because we're thinking outside the box,' lead producer Michael Cohl famously said last August. Indeed they are, as 101 preview performances in - the longest in Broadway history - they have revamped the creative team.

In today's New York Post, Michael Riedel is reporting that talks have 'turned testy' between Taymor and the producers, and that she is now threading to take the entire script of the show with her, which is said to have the production in 'chaos' with producers quickly scrambling a new script. There's no word on what this might due to the production in terms of additional rehearsal time if a deal is not able to be worked out.

Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced today that SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark has rescheduled its opening night for Tuesday, June 14, 2011. In addition, to allow rehearsal time for the new changes being implemented in the show, performances from Tuesday, April 19th to Wednesday, May 11th have been cancelled with preview performances resuming on Thursday, May 12th. This amended schedule will allow the time necessary to execute the plan, which will include revisions to the script.

Talking to Don Imus this morning, legendary New York Times writer (and soon to be New York Magazine writer) Frank Rich said 'There is no way to fix a show this far into previews, according to Broadway history... it's a fool's errand at this point, if you know, follow history.' That said however, he also revealed that he has not seen the show, which has been in previews for months, because 'life is too short.'

The Wall Street Journal reports today that despite going public with the news that Julie Taymor will no longer move forward with SPIDER-MAN, her exit deal has not yet been finalized. Issues surrounding royalties, copywrites, and a non-disclosure have not yet been settled upon. Tamor's camp declined to comment on the separation negotiations. Litigation is not out of the question. Taymor will officially step down as head creative on March 15, 2011.

The production has released new footage of T.V. Carpio performing 'Rise Above' which has been seen as an anthem by the show's creative team and cast as well to ignore the negative attention that's been lavished upon the production.