Advertisement

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

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

‘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.

Advertisement

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

RELATED:

‘Spider-Man’ musical claims another victim

Julie Taymor’s visions manifest in ‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark’ and ‘The Tempest’

Advertisement

Bono, Julie Taymor promote Broadway’s ‘Spider-Man’ musical

On Broadway, ‘Spider-Man’s’ greatest enemy is the budget

Advertisement