"Spider-Man" debut dubbed "epic flop" by one NYC tabloid (video)

I'll start with some highlights. The music is solid. You'd expect that from Bono and The Edge. It was good to finally see them in the context of the play. "Boy Falls From the Sky" is the musical thread that begins the play and is craftily woven throughout, taking slight diversions with "Girl Falls From the Sky" to indicate the role the song has with Mary Jane's storyline. This may be the breakout song from the play, but "Rise Above" has to be one of the most beautiful ones Bono has ever written as well as one of the most inspirational. It's a tear-jerker of a ballad and you can't help but want to rise above whatever is troubling you. It was refreshing to hear proper duets and ensemble songs written by Bono and Edge as it shows their strengths as songwriters. The conflict, tension, and heartache was well executed through the music.For me, the real star of the show was Patrick Page. His Green Goblin was like MacPhisto on steroids. There were elements of Zoo TV all over the play with subtle Bono nods hidden through it. For example, the play Mary Jane was starring in was "The Fly." The album version of "Vertigo" was also featured in a disco scene.

For me, the real star of the show was Patrick Page. His Green Goblin was like MacPhisto on steroids. There were elements of Zoo TV all over the play with subtle Bono nods hidden through it. For example, the play Mary Jane was starring in was "The Fly." The album version of "Vertigo" was also featured in a disco scene.

That said, it's hard for me encourage people from out of town to spend serious money to travel to New York City and pay upwards of $300 for a pair of tickets for this show. I understand that what we witnessed this evening was a preview -- a dress rehearsal, if you will. The play itself was very disjointed with a very ambitious plot. I can appreciate that Julie Taymor wanted to educate theater goers on the mythology of Arachne and the Fates, but it did not have to take up more time than the introduction of the "sinister six." It left me feeling that she wasn't sure what way she wanted to go with the storyline: educate the audience or entertain them. After all of the press about the special effects, over 30 set changes, and most importantly, the acrobatics, the audience had to wait quite a while for the first "wow" or the first real action scene. This is what we were expecting to see, and we had to wait almost a full 40 minutes into the first act before the action really began

The New York Times provides the actual details of what went on inside the show, which started nearly a half hour later than it's 6:30 p.m. start.  But the most vicious review comes from Michael Riedel from the New York Post, who writes that "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" "was an epic flop as the $65 million show's high-tech gadgetry went completely awry amid a dull score and baffling script."