Batman Live Sneak Preview
I still can’t figure out if this will be more or less of a disaster than Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. But, just like that train wreck, I really want to see this.
I still can’t figure out if this will be more or less of a disaster than Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. But, just like that train wreck, I really want to see this.
Today is Father’s Day, congrats to all the days out there! Also, if you’re in the Washington, DC area today is the DC Comicon at the GMU campus. While you were pondering what to get your dad, here’s the news you might have missed.
Around the Blogs:
The Beat – THE LEGAL VIEW: Super-style and the DCU Relaunch – We’ll soon find out the changes, and it’ll be interesting to see what we can attribute to the ongoing legal proceedings.
ArtsBeat – Taymor Calls New ‘Spider-Man’ Much Simpler – No one said she couldn’t comment as part of her departure?
CapeTown Community – What Consumers Should Know from the DC Retailer Roadshow – DC comics took to the road to talk to retailers about the upcoming reboot/relaunch.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
Seattle Pi – Modesty Blaise: The Double Agent
So what comic books did you pick up yesterday? Anything? Bueller? Well, while you were watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup, here’s the news you might have missed.
Around the Blogs:
ArtsBeat – Untangling the Reviews For ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ – I don’t think reviews will kill this, Les Mis had horrible reviews when it debuted. What’s the audience’s reaction?
ICv2 – Can ‘Green Lantern’ & Spidey Trump Bad Notices? – I don’t give a shit, I’m seeing both.
Kotaku – Week in Comics: Deus Ex, Gears of War, Sonic The Hedgehog Have One Thing in Common Today: New Comics – Kotaku each week highlights comics it thinks video game fans would enjoy.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
Bleeding Cool – Uncanny X-Men #538 and Generation Hope #8
Comicvine – Comic Book Reviews For The Week of 6/15/11
Complex – Has “Invincible Iron Man” Slowed Down After Three Great Years?
This past Thursday the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society filed an arbitration claim on behalf of Julie Taymor, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark‘s original director. The claim is over the failure to pay royalties to the director. In a statement the union said to producers:
…failed to pay to Ms. Taymor any royalties for the run of the production” in violation of her contract and the union’s collective bargaining agreement. Laura Penn, the society’s executive director, said in the statement that Ms. Taymor “has given nine years of her life to this project” and its producers had “absolutely no right, legally and ethically, to withhold royalties that are due to her.” Ms. Penn added, “In fact, the right to use her work, on Broadway or anywhere else, is dependent upon the payment of royalties.
The union represents theater directors. The union says that according to it’s collective bargaining agreement, directors are supposed to receive royalties with a show’s first paid public performance, which occurred in November for the Broadway musical.
The Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has hit a huge moment. As of Wednesday night’s preview performance, its 177th, the musical is now an officially “frozen” production. That’s a term that means there’ll be no more changes made. After injuries, delays, cost over runs, plague, locusts, firings, the show is locked in. The show according to Philip William McKinley, who is overseeing production of the musical, is good enough and improved enough for audiences and more changes are not needed.
That also means the musical is ready for theater critics. Some critics have seen the production during it’s previous incarnation and came out blasting it for it’s craptacular everything.
The musical’s cost is now around $70 million and those involved are hoping for $1.7 million weekly to eventually break even.
Well, it looks like Spider-Man might have righted it’s wrongs, and we’ll be waiting to see how the next comic book based theatrical event, Batman Live fares.
It seems a break hasn’t hurt the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. It’s five preview performances last week after it’s hiatus brought in $809,941. The production did five performances instead of the normal eight in it’s first week back. Before it was shut down, the musical was regularly bringing in between $1.3 million and $1.5 million a week.
The top five musicals were:
It was a pretty quiet Friday, but here’s the news and reviews you might have missed. Thank god it’s the weekend!
Around the Blogs:
The Mary Sue – The Wonder Woman Pilot Has Not Been Picked Up For A Series – And thus my fall tv schedule completely falls apart…
Bleeding Cool – DC To Publish Only One Comic At The End Of August – Yay! My wallet thanks you.
The Mary Sue – Amazing Spider-Man Writer Dan Slott Says the Revamped Musical Rocks – I’ll believe it when I see it for myself. Then again, not like I can compare it to the original.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
Comic Book Resources – Batman Incorporated #6
IGN – The Magdalena #6
After sacking the director, bringing in someone to help with the music and so other work, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is ready to resume previews. Below is a new advertisement for the retooled show. Will reviewers be more kind to this version?
The retooling saw another $5 million sunk into the disaster. And new writers who were more familiar with comic books and a new director were brought into the plagued show.
I’m expecting more injuries and our making fun in 3…2…1…