Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark may have been the most notorious financial failure in Broadway history, but seeing it live (in its second, slightly less surreal incarnation) remains one of the most memorable experiences in this writer’s theater-going life. If you missed out on seeing that Marvel-ous misfire in person, you can experience a taste of the madness in this madcap, mostly-true backstage tell-all.
But the focus in Spider Queen is less on the actual merits of the musical or its polarizing director, and more on how schadenfreude-filled gossip columnists undermined Turn Off the Dark’s creators’ vision from the outset. In all, it’s a big web of fun for comics-loving Broadway fans to get tangled in — including the obligatory “Stan Lee” cameo — alongside an intriguing implication that the debacle was a divine punishment for the creators’ hubris. Excelsior?
Runs through Oct. 29.
Fringe ArtSpace
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | or sign up for our RSS Feed
This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2023.