A Night With Spidey

Intermission Time!

Okay so back in December I went to go see the Spider-Man musical! It was meant to be a night out with Marcos and my sister, alas, things sadly had changed.

I lifted m head up and went out to get back into life, and brought along two of my dearest friends that I've known since high school. Time with dear friends and a night out in NYC to see live theatre is just what my spirt needed.

Well, as many of you have read, the "Spider-Man musical" has been plagued with many problems. There have been canceled performances due to some scary moments that involved performers being injured. Most recently one of the actors that plays Spiderman fell over 20 feet into the orchestra pit when a restraining cable failed to break his leap. And, the lead actress playing Arachne, that suffered a concussion weeks ago, left the show this week.

Did someone connected to the show mentioned the Scottish play while in the house? It feels like the show is cursed.

What I saw that night was a preview and it's traditional to not offer a review while a show is in preview. It's just not fair. The directors, actors, musicians, et. al. are working out the kinks. So what I offer now is not a review but my own reflection on what I saw that night and that lingered with me.

- The proscenium is framed with this huge web that comes out into the theatre. Very cool looking and a perfect foreground for a comic coming to life on stage.

- When Spidey ran down stage in slow motion as the Brooklyn Bridge slowly ascended with Mary Jane dangling at the end, the audience cheered. I knew we were in for something new.

- Arachne descending from the heavens as she sang an ethereal song that told of her run-in with Athena was made even more surreal as the female members of the chorus swayed back and forth while dangling from long bolts of silk in order to weave a shimmering curtain. Genius!

- Watching Spidey fly above our heads was great fun. I gagged when he would land at different areas, because you can hear this thump when he landed, that let you know this was some serious acrobatics.

- The towering 3D televisions moved about the stage and illuminated the theatre to great effect. Seeing the Green Goblin 20 feet tall in techno-green while he taunted Spider-Man was particularly creepy.

- I admired the group of performers that really gave it their all. It must not be easy to try to get things right, while so many things have been going wrong. Great singing, great dancing, wonderful portrayals of their characters. America Olivio, the stand-in for Arachne, has a beautiful voice. The show must go on.

Okay, so maybe this was sort of a review. I guess I wanted to share that on that night I saw something that was really trying to take live theatre to another level. I wish all involved with the show the stamina and inspiration to make it work.

My Family of Choice

Theatre Queen - Pissed Off Patti

Awhile back Todd over at Postcards... did a post about Patti LuPone having a Diva moment during a performance of the musical "Gypsy," by stopping a show to have someone in the audience removed from the theatre, because he or she was taking pictures, while Patti was belting out "Rose's Turn" (a show stopper of a song by the way. The irony!). A couple of his readers, along with Todd, felt Patti was a bit over the top and should have went on with the show.

I'm taking Patti's side on this one, and here's why:

Imagine you are on stage giving it your all. You have to dig deep in order to hit and carry those notes, while being in character. It takes a lot to do that folks. The amount of focus and awareness of all around you is higher than usual. Then you see flashes of light coming at you, one, two, then three (yup, the offenders took three pictures). There you are struggling to sell it and a damn light is breaking your concentration. It's just not right. The rules were explained before the performance; no flash photography!

I also want to add that many of my friends that performed as dancers, have said that it is dangerous to have a flash go off in your face while you are dancing.

I'm glad Patti called them out. This is something you have to nip in the bud, because if you don't, I can see future shows being fucked up by a bused in tourists, trying to get yet another snapshot souvenir from their trip to NYC. Imagine if audiences get over this rule and you have a series of flashes going off throughout a show. Not good! You want a picture of the star, wait till the curtain call, or go to the stage door and get a shot of you and your favorite performer.

I also have to admit, if I was there and got to see the drama in person, it would have been gravy! I'm okay with seeing rude and inconsiderate people get their hands slapped.