Spider Man: A Boring Mess
Spider Man may have been one of the worst shows I have ever seen. The story could be interesting, but I can see why so many people are confused. My kids certainly had no idea what Arachne was all about. The songs, with the exception of 1, lacked much power or drama, much less a catchy melody. A few were ok, but most were just boring. I also expected the "band" to play a larger role. The two guitar players to the left of the stage could just as well been holding cardboard cut outs - they added nothing and had no connection to the audience. I really expected something like a rock concert/musical. The show was neither. I dont see many shows, but Tommy or Passing Strange come to mind. Those shows rocked. The vocals overpowered the instruments - and for the most part MJ had a nice voice, the vocals were marginal to poor. I also expected to see Reeve Carney as Spiderman, but got the back-up. I have seen Reeve Carney perform with his band, and really paid my money to see him. No announcement about the switch before the show started. Now for the special effects. Yes, they were very cool, but the show crossed the line from Broadway musical to circus performance. I cant see how the stunt people will be able to land their stunts successfully every night. I cringed watching the performers try and make landings without getting tangled or getting hurt. Some of the sets were really very interesting, but many just looked like props from a high school production blow up dolls and plastic Spider men!. I understand that a certain comic book look was the desired effect, but I think this was another big miss. The acting was also cringe-worthy.

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Monday, Dec 27th, 2010