Poll: Should news outlets be running early reviews of 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'?

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is still in preview performances, but that hasn't stopped some news organizations from sending their critics to see the troubled Broadway musical, breaking with the widely accepted journalistic protocol of waiting until opening night. Over the weekend, critics from Bloomberg and Newsday published pseudo-reviews -- or an "interim report" as Jeremy Gerard of Bloomberg described his write-up.

Gerard wrote: "On the evidence of what I saw, the second act still has yet to be completed. We might expect more of a show that has been in the works for almost nine years." Linda Winer of Newsday described the musical's book as "meandering" and the second act as "weak" in her report, but added that the show's "up-close flying really is exciting and scary, in a circus way." Bloggers and other amateur reviewers have been offering their opinions of "Spider-Man" since previews began in late November.

All of which raises the question: Should news outlets be running reviews of "Spider-Man" before the official Feb. 7 opening? With significant changes still being made, "Spider-Man" remains very much a moving target (although tickets for previews generally cost the same as what regular tickets will sell for).

Director Julie Taymor and songwriters Bono and the Edge are reportedly reworking the book and the score. And despite official assurances that the new Feb. 7 opening is definite, there's still talk that the musical might not even make it through previews.

What do you think about the early reviews for "Spider-Man"? Let us know in our poll...

 

-- David Ng

Photo: The marquee for the Broadway play "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark" at the Foxwoods Theatre in New York. Credit: Lucas Jackson / Reuters

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Comments

[tval]

Consider these reviews a blessing -its about time someone stood up to the big egos of Taymor and Bono and told them like it is. These Producers have millions to lose and one does not have to be a genious to see how bad both the story (book), dialogue and music/lyrics are. Terrible does not even come close to describing how awful they are. Conceptually the sets and flying sequences are great and the concept of a SpiderMan musical is fine however this needs a complete rewrite in both story and score. I dont see this happening. Just for the record, I saw the preview last Sunday night, spent $150 for two tickets ($300 total)and was really hoping it would be good if not great with some technical issues. Not the case - "Train Wreck" in the making. Sorry guys but it needs to be said.