Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark Review

Last night for Sarah’s birthday we went to see “Spider-Man: The Musical”. It was supposed to have officially debuted by now, but due to some unfortunate accidents they’ve pushed back the official debut, so what we saw was still the preview. However, it was still a fantastic experience, both for Sarah (as a theater geek) and me (the comic book geek)!

I’m not much of a theater person. Generally, musicals aren’t my thing, but I already love Spider-Man, so that got my butt in the seat. The plot was decent, a mashup of the movie plots and some liberal sprinklings of comic book references, and Bono’s musical score was awesome. However, the reason to see the show isn’t the music or the plot. It’s the set and the stunts. The background sets were astoundingly good. Everything had a comic book-y style to it, and they did a great job playing with perspective to give the set’s depth and angle. Plus, I’m a five-year-old at heart, so watching Spider-Man swing around above the audience and fight the Green Goblin was worth the ticket price all by itself to me!

Sarah’s take (she has a theater degree): It was technically superb, but needs some work. They had to stop the show twice for set issues, and it was clear there were still a few spots requiring polish. But that doesn’t take away from how good the show is even with those issues.

Look, I know I’m being a bit general and gushy. But I don’t want to give away the plot points, and it’s likely that if you go see it there may be some changes from what we saw last night. It was still hands down the best Broadway show I’ve ever seen. There are aerial effects and video screens, and it really does look like a comic book that’s come to life. If you have the opportunity to see it, especially if you are a comic book fan!

Since the theater was very strict about no pictures or video, I sadly don’t have any shots from last night. But check out the new preview, and then be sure to check out the official site for tickets!