Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark#Cast album

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Although often described as a rock musical, the production "treads new ground" that some commentators have asserted "have effectively distanced it from its peers—and caused some confusion when it comes time to describe the show."Marshall, Rick. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653191/20101129/u2.jhtml "Bono Calls 'Spider-Man' Musical 'Pop-Up, Pop-Art Opera': U2's The Edge describes Broadway's 'Turn Off the Dark' as 'something that hasn't been done before."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203032525/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653191/20101129/u2.jhtml |date=December 3, 2010 }}. MTV.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010. The Edge said he was unsure how to describe the production, saying it had elements of rock and roll, circus, opera and musical theater. Bono, admitting that his description is a little "pretentious", referred to it as "pop-up, pop-art opera", and said that the director, Julie Taymor, called it a "rock-and-roll circus drama".Bernardin, Marc. [http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/03/27/spider-man-musi "The 'Spider-Man' musical: A 'circus rock-n-roll drama'? Really?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214014053/http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/03/27/spider-man-musi/ |date=December 14, 2009 }}. Entertainment Weekly. March 27, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2010. He said it dealt with "the same stuff" as Rilke, Blake, Wings of Desire, Roy Lichtenstein and the Ramones.Wieseltier, Leon. [http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/art/magazine/81393/excellent-new-art "Excellent New Art"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016115309/http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/art/magazine/81393/excellent-new-art |date=October 16, 2011 }}. The New Republic. January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011. 60 Minutes called it a "comic book rock opera circus," but in this segment, Bono noted that even using "rock" to describe the music is too narrow a description because "We've moved out of the rock and roll idiom in places into some very new territory for us ... [including] big show tunes and dance songs."[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-peek-at-spider-man-the-musical/ "A Peek At Spider-Man, The Musical"] . CBS.com. November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010.

The production was described early on as "the most technically complex show ever on Broadway, with 27 aerial sequences of characters flying" and engaging in aerial combat. The production also includes a "multitude of moving set pieces that put the audience in the middle of the action," and enough projections onto giant screens that Bono has said that it is like a three-dimensional graphic novel. The original story treated the origins of Spider-Man similarly to the story in the 2002 film, but wove in an involved story about a villain based on the mythological Arachne. A "geek chorus" of four teenagers narrated the story. In the rewritten version, the plot hews closer to the comic book and film and trims and transforms the role of Arachne into a "kindred spirit in Spider-Man's dreams".Marks, Peter. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/theater-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/2011/06/14/AGwZwBVH_story.html "Theater: Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018062135/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/theater-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/2011/06/14/AGwZwBVH_story.html |date=October 18, 2017 }}. The Washington Post, June 14, 2011

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark had no out-of-town tryouts because of the technical requirements of the production, which were designed for the Foxwoods Theatre on Broadway.Lustig, Jay. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2011/01/spider-man_turn_off_the_dark_-.html "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121211316/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2011/01/spider-man_turn_off_the_dark_-.html |date=January 21, 2011 }}. New Jersey On-Line. January 18, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011. The musical began previews at that theatre on November 28, 2010. After many delays, the official opening gala night took place on June 14, 2011.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-will-shut-down-for-more-than-three-weeks-before-officially-opening-june-14-com-177177 |title=Spider-Man Will Shut Down For More Than Three Weeks Before Officially Opening June 14 |work=Playbill |date=March 11, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421041959/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-will-shut-down-for-more-than-three-weeks-before-officially-opening-june-14-com-177177 |url-status=live }}

The creative team originally included the director Taymor and the choreographer Daniel Ezralow, with scenic design by George Tsypin, costume design by Eiko Ishioka and lighting design by Donald Holder.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano, Patrick Page to Star in Spider-Man; Performances Begin in November |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/reeve-carney-jennifer-damiano-patrick-page-to-star-in-spider-man-performances-begin-in-november-com-170771 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=August 10, 2010 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728161412/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141945-Reeve-Carney-Jennifer-Damiano-Patrick-Page-to-Star-in-Spider-Man-Performances-Begin-in-November |url-status=live }}Green, Jesse. (November 21, 2010) [https://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/69680/ "A Web and A Prayer: A Glimpse Inside Spider-Man, Broadway's Most Expensive Musical Ever," Jesse Green, New York Magazine, November 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604083345/https://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/69680/ |date=June 4, 2020 }}. Nymag.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.[https://web.archive.org/web/20101002224359/http://www.observer.com/2010/culture/swinging-rafters-spider-man-set-designer-opts-pop-peter-parker Swinging for the Rafters: Spider-Man Set Designer Opts for a Pop-Up Peter Parker | The New York Observer]. Observer.com (September 28, 2010). Retrieved on November 6, 2010. An "expanded creative team", announced on March 9, 2011, includes Philip William McKinley, joining the production as "consultant" (when Taymor left the production). It also includes the addition of Chase Brock for additional choreography and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for additional writing.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Spider-Man Postpones Opening Until Summer; Philip William McKinley, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Join Creative Team |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-postpones-opening-until-summer-philip-william-mckinley-roberto-aguirre-sacasa-join-creative-team-com-176943 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=March 9, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070407/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-postpones-opening-until-summer-philip-william-mckinley-roberto-aguirre-sacasa-join-creative-team-com-176943 |url-status=live }}[http://broadwayworld.com/article/Exclusive_Chase_Brock_Confirmed_as_New_SPIDERMAN_Choreographer_20110324 "Exclusive: Chase Brock Confirmed as New SPIDER-MAN Choreographer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825012835/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Exclusive-Chase-Brock-Confirmed-as-New-SPIDERMAN-Choreographer-20110324 |date=August 25, 2023 }}. BroadwayWorld.com, March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2011. Taymor retained her original credits in Spider-Man.

The opening night cast featured Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson, Patrick Page as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, T.V. Carpio as Arachne, Michael Mulheren as J. Jonah Jameson, Ken Marks as Uncle Ben, Isabel Keating as Aunt May, Jeb Brown as Mary Jane's Father, Matt Caplan as school bully Flash Thompson, and Laura Beth Wells as Osborn's wife Emily.Riedel, Michael. [http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/broadway_bombshell_mPkijXeyzMHysdvLJ1s25N/2 "Broadway bombshell"]. New York Post, May 30, 2010. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023065330/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/broadway_bombshell_mPkijXeyzMHysdvLJ1s25N/2 |date=October 23, 2012 }}{{cite web |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |title=Spider-Man-Bound Jennifer Damiano to Depart Next to Normal |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-bound-jennifer-damiano-to-depart-next-to-normal-com-169080 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=June 8, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071922/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-bound-jennifer-damiano-to-depart-next-to-normal-com-169080 |url-status=live }} Due to the physical demands of the role, Carney performed in six of the eight performances each week. The original alternate was British actor Matthew James Thomas, who left the show in November 2012 to star in Pippin.[http://www.playbill.com/events/cast_list/17100 "Cast list for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark at the Foxwoods Theatre (formerly Hilton Theatre)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514182430/http://www.playbill.com/events/cast_list/17100 |date=May 14, 2011 }}. Playbill. Retrieved November 21, 2010.{{cite web |last=Gioia |first=Michael |title=The Leading Men: Matthew James Thomas Discovers His Corner of the Sky in Broadway's Pippin |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/the-leading-men-matthew-james-thomas-discovers-his-corner-of-the-sky-in-broadways-pippin-com-204775 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071920/https://www.playbill.com/article/the-leading-men-matthew-james-thomas-discovers-his-corner-of-the-sky-in-broadways-pippin-com-204775 |url-status=live }}

On November 19, 2013, producers announced that the show would close on January 4, 2014, citing falling ticket sales{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25013522 | title=Spider-Man stage show will be 'better' in Las Vegas | publisher=BBC News | work=bbc.co.uk/news | date=20 November 2013 | access-date=20 November 2013 | archive-date=October 12, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012131946/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25013522 | url-status=live }} and no longer being able to get injury insurance for the production as reasons for closure.{{cite web | url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/444124/Spider-Man-musical-closing-due-to-insurance-issues | title=Spider-Man musical closing due to insurance issues | publisher=Daily Express | work=express.co.uk | date=20 November 2013 | access-date=21 November 2013 | archive-date=November 20, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120164549/http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/444124/Spider-Man-musical-closing-due-to-insurance-issues | url-status=live }} Having run on Broadway for over three years, the production failed to make back its $75 million cost,{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/nov/19/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-broadway-close | title=Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical to close next year | work=The Guardian | date=19 November 2013 | access-date=20 November 2013 | archive-date=November 24, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124100306/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/nov/19/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-broadway-close | url-status=live }} the largest in Broadway history, with investors reportedly losing $60 million.{{r|ny20131202}}

When announcing the show's closure on Broadway, it was announced the show would transfer to Las Vegas.{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/spider-man-turn-dark-ending-broadway-run-article-1.1521644 | title='Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' lights out on Broadway run, set to illuminate Las Vegas | publisher=New York Daily | work=nydailynews.com | date=20 November 2013 | access-date=20 November 2013 | archive-date=November 21, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121225553/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/spider-man-turn-dark-ending-broadway-run-article-1.1521644 | url-status=live }} The show's producer Michael Cohl said of the transfer, "We'll work on improving everything, It could be anything. It's a blank piece of paper.''

In 2012, the musical's producers confirmed that they were scouting theatres in Europe, after The New York Post reported that they were considering productions in arenas in London and Hamburg.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-producers-are-scouting-european-theatres-com-188265 |title=Spider-Man Producers Are Scouting European Theatres |website=Playbill |date=March 9, 2012 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070406/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-producers-are-scouting-european-theatres-com-188265 |url-status=live }}

On July 25, 2014, Cohl announced that the musical would set out on an arena tour in place of the previous announced production in Las Vegas and would launch in late 2015 or winter of 2016,{{cite web |url=http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/07-2014/spider-man-arena-tour-and-rio-on-broadway_69353.html |title=Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is Going on Tour |publisher=Editorial Staff, TheaterMania |date=July 25, 2014 |access-date=July 25, 2014 |archive-date=July 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729144544/http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/07-2014/spider-man-arena-tour-and-rio-on-broadway_69353.html |url-status=live }} but no such tour has since happened. Despite the show planned for the Vegas tour, Michael Cohl was quoted as saying: "Regarding the future of the "Spider-Man" musical property, Las Vegas was never a done deal; it's simply a market that we were exploring — among other possibilities — and still are."

At Midtown High School in Queens, New York, local teenager Peter Parker gives a book report about Arachne, Goddess of the Weavers ("The Myth of Arachne"). As Peter gives his report, Arachne descends to the stage and tells the audience her story ("Behold and Wonder"). After class ends, Peter's enemy Flash Thompson and his friends gleefully torment the straight A student ("Bullying by Numbers"). Peter has a crush on his childhood friend Mary Jane Watson, but they both have unhappy lives ("No More"). Peter has lived with Uncle Ben and Aunt May ever since his parents Richard and Mary Parker died in a plane crash when he was a child, while Mary Jane endures abuse from her alcoholic father.

A few days later, Peter and his classmates go on a field trip to the genetics laboratory of scientist Norman Osborn and his wife Emily, who explain what they hope to accomplish with their genetic research ("D.I.Y. World"). While Peter takes pictures of the lab for the school newspaper, the Osborns lock down the lab as a dangerous genetically altered spider has escaped. While the students and scientists panic, the spider lowers itself onto Peter's shoulder and bites him ("Venom").

Peter soon becomes aware that, as a result of the spider's bite, he has spider-like powers along with a muscular physique, 20/20 vision and the ability to emit web strings from his wrists. He uses his powers at school to defeat Flash and his friends in a fistfight ("Bouncing Off the Walls"). After seeing Flash give Mary Jane a ride, Peter decides to buy a car to impress her. He enters a wrestling tournament and wins the grand prize of $1,000. Peter returns home only to learn that Uncle Ben has been shot by a thief. Arachne, who has been watching over Peter, encourages him to use his gift to defend the innocent from evil ("Rise Above"). Peter vows to avenge Uncle Ben's death by using his powers to save the world and notes that "with great power comes great responsibility".

Peter makes a costume and takes on the persona of "Spider-Man" ("NY Debut"). The Daily Bugle begins to publish articles about Spider-Man while Peter is hired by editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson as a freelance photojournalist. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn begins thinking that Spider-Man stole his research as the military organization Viper Worldwide presses him to accelerate his project ("Pull the Trigger"). Norman contemplates the dilemma with Emily while Peter shares his first romantic moment with Mary Jane ("Picture This"). Norman decides to experiment on himself, causing an electrical surge that results in Emily's accidental death. Norman goes insane and mutates into the "Green Goblin".

The Green Goblin comes up with a plan to genetically alter other humans as he did himself ("A Freak Like Me Needs Company"). Through his experiments on his former employees, he creates six villains: Carnage, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Lizard, Swarm, and Swiss Miss. That night, Mary Jane tells Peter that her love for him has grown and he admits that the feeling is mutual ("If the World Should End"). The Goblin and his new alliance of criminals go on a rampage through New York ("Sinistereo"). Spider-Man quickly defeats the Sinister Six as the citizens of New York cheer him on ("Spider-Man!"), unaware that the Goblin has managed to escape. The Goblin arrives at the headquarters of the Daily Bugle and tells Jameson to print his plans of dominating the world through genetic mutation. The Goblin also tells Jameson that he gave Spider-Man life, making Jameson believe Spider-Man is in league with the Goblin. That night, Arachne comes to Peter in a vision and explains that she is his guardian, along with the reminder that being a hero is his inescapable destiny ("Turn Off the Dark").

Peter wants to spend more time with Mary Jane after missing the opening night of her play and considers taking time off from fighting crime. Upset over Peter's constant excuses, Mary Jane suggests they take a break from their relationship ("I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now)"). Peter gives his costume to J. Jonah Jameson, telling him that Spider-Man has quit. He takes Mary Jane to a night club and impulsively proposes to her. While there, the Green Goblin intercepts the city's TV signals and sends a message to Spider-Man threatening his loved ones. Peter takes Mary Jane to his apartment and breaks off their relationship for good so that his enemies won't target her. After telling Mary Jane that he will always love her, Peter takes a walk and realizes that he needs to be a hero not only for Mary Jane but for the world ("The Boy Falls From the Sky"). Spider-Man recovers his costume from the Daily Bugle and goes after the Green Goblin.

The Green Goblin sits at a piano at the top of the Chrysler Building and boasts to the audience of his plan to destroy New York City ("I'll Take Manhattan"). Spider-Man arrives and engages the Goblin in combat, but before he can finish him, the Goblin reveals that he has Mary Jane, who now dangles from the Chrysler Building. As they battle, Spider-Man webs the Green Goblin to his piano. The Green Goblin, not realizing this, thrusts the piano over the side of the Chrysler Building, taking him down to his death. After Spider-Man saves Mary Jane, she tells him not to leave and reveals that she has guessed who he is. Peter removes his mask and they embrace. The two contemplate their new life together before sirens begin wailing and Spider-Man swings away ("Finale: A New Dawn").

{{col-begin}}

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Act I:

• "Overture" – Orchestra
• "The Myth of Arachne" – Peter
• "Behold and Wonder" – Arachne, Weavers
• "Bullying by Numbers" – Peter, Bullies, High School Students
• "No More" – Peter, Mary Jane
• "D.I.Y. World" – Norman, Emily, Peter, High School Students, Lab Assistants
• "Venom" – Bullies
• "Bouncing Off the Walls" – Peter, High School Students
• "Rise Above" – Peter, Arachne, Citizens of New York
• "NY Debut" – Orchestra
• "Pull the Trigger" – Norman, Emily, Viper Executives, Soldiers
• "Picture This" – Peter, Mary Jane, Norman, Emily

{{col-break}}

Act II:

• "A Freak Like Me Needs Company" – Green Goblin, Sinister Six, Ensemble
• "If the World Should End" – Mary Jane, Peter
• "Sinistereo" – Reporters, Green Goblin, Sinister Six
• "Spider-Man!" – Citizens of New York, Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Jamerson, Aunt May, Mary Jane, Flash Thompson, Sinister Six.
• "Turn Off the Dark" – Arachne, Peter
• "I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now)" – Mary Jane, Peter
• "If the World Should End (Reprise) " -Mary Jane
• "The Boy Falls From the Sky" – Peter
• "I'll Take Manhattan" – Green Goblin
• "Finale: A New Dawn" (aka “Rise Above” (Reprise)) – Citizens of New York

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• Mary Jane Watson: Rebecca Faulkenberry
• Arachne: Katrina LenkGans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/katrina-lenk-will-be-arachne-in-broadways-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-193504# "Katrina Lenk Will Be Arachne In Broadway's 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415140036/https://www.playbill.com/article/katrina-lenk-will-be-arachne-in-broadways-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-193504 |date=April 15, 2021 }} Playbill, May 11, 2012, retrieved January 16, 2017
• Norman Osborn/Green Goblin: Robert CuccioliGioia, Michael. [https://www.playbill.com/article/robert-cuccioli-is-broadways-green-goblin-in-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-beginning-aug-7-com-196396# "Robert Cuccioli Is Broadway's Green Goblin in Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Beginning Aug. 7"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916182912/https://www.playbill.com/article/robert-cuccioli-is-broadways-green-goblin-in-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-beginning-aug-7-com-196396 |date=September 16, 2020 }} Playbill, August 7, 2012, retrieved September 15, 2020
• Flash: Matthew Wilkas
• Alternate for Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Jake EpsteinGioia, Michael. [http://www.playbill.com/article/degrassi-star-jake-epstein-will-make-broadway-debut-in-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-200287# "Degrassi" Star Jake Epstein Will Make Broadway Debut in 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302025729/https://www.playbill.com/article/degrassi-star-jake-epstein-will-make-broadway-debut-in-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-200287 |date=March 2, 2021 }} Playbill, November 30, 2012, retrieved January 16, 2017
• Peter Parker/Spider-Man understudies: Matthew Wilkas
• Arachne understudies: America OlivoHealy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/concussion-sidelines-spider-man-actress/?hp "Concussion Sidelines 'Spider-Man' Actress"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206085259/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/concussion-sidelines-spider-man-actress/?hp |date=December 6, 2010 }}. The New York Times, December 3, 2010, retrieved September 19, 2022
• Child Needing Saved: Jacob Belçher

According to the New York Post, Bono began composing Spider-Man after Andrew Lloyd Webber joked, "I'd like to thank rock musicians for leaving me alone for 25 years – I've had the theater all to myself"; Bono and Taymor "decided to give Andrew a little competition".

In August 2002, Marvel announced that Tony Adams would produce a stage musical based on the Spider-Man comics.{{cite news|last=Hoby|first=Hermione|title=Can the Spider-Man musical turn disaster into triumph?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/feb/06/spiderman-musical-bono-broadway-preview|access-date=February 20, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=February 6, 2011|location=London|archive-date=October 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015210937/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/feb/06/spiderman-musical-bono-broadway-preview|url-status=live}} Adams approached Bono and the Edge to be involved with the project; in turn, they enlisted Taymor to direct.{{cite news|last=Bernstein|first=David|title=Broadway's 'Spider-Man': The Full Story|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2010/Broadways-Spider-Man-The-Full-Story/|access-date=March 10, 2011|magazine=Chicago|date=November 9, 2010|archive-date=March 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317183611/http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2010/Broadways-Spider-Man-The-Full-Story/|url-status=live}} In October 2005, Adams suffered a stroke while the creative team was assembled to sign contracts; he died two days later. Patrick Healy in The New York Times described their situation:

{{blockquote|Others might have abandoned the project, but the Spider-Man team decided to go on, with Mr. Adams's partner, David Garfinkle, as lead producer. An able entertainment lawyer, Mr. Garfinkle had little producing experience, and he ceded artistic decisions to Ms. Taymor, a perfectionist whose aesthetic included never repeating herself. Mr. Garfinkle did not take the tack that Disney had while working with Ms. Taymor on their hit musical, The Lion King: her genius flourishes best under supervision.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/theater/spider-man-a-superlative-for-all-the-wrong-reasons.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=Spider%20Man&st=cse|title=A Broadway Superlative for All the Wrong Reasons|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=March 13, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 15, 2011|archive-date=August 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825012847/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/theater/spider-man-a-superlative-for-all-the-wrong-reasons.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=Spider%20Man&st=cse|url-status=live}}}}

Readings of the musical were held beginning in 2007,{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Ernio |title=Spider-Man Musical to Take Gotham in Upcoming Reading |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-musical-to-take-gotham-in-upcoming-reading-com-140125 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=April 16, 2007 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070410/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-musical-to-take-gotham-in-upcoming-reading-com-140125 |url-status=live }} but the production was delayed several times.Gerard, Jeremy. [https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aC3yk2GJGuK4&pid=newsarchive "Bono’s $31 Million '‘Spider-Man'’ Delays Rehearsals, Opening Date"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105112602/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aC3yk2GJGuK4&pid=newsarchive |date=November 5, 2012 }}. Bloomberg.com. February 18, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010. By early 2009, the Broadway production ran $25 million into debt, the New York Post reported, and work on it was suspended. The budget for the project was reported in March 2009 to be a record-setting $52 million.Riedel, Michael. [http://www.nypost.com/p/news/item_GiHEQB43jpz2AtfnecPy5M;jsessionid=1468B62A671A9D34B0712F4A1E36D165 "'Spidey' Senses Tingling"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023055122/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/item_GiHEQB43jpz2AtfnecPy5M;jsessionid=1468B62A671A9D34B0712F4A1E36D165 |date=October 23, 2012 }}, New York Post, March 27, 2009. On August 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to buy Marvel Comics. Despite the previous Broadway success of their Disney Theatrical Productions subsidiary, Disney made no move to assume control of Spider-Man, or help the production financially.{{cite news | url = https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/disney-unlikely-to-rescue-spider-man-1118007950/ | title = Disney unlikely to rescue 'Spider-Man' | author = Gordon Cox | work = Variety | date = September 1, 2009 | access-date = February 18, 2020 | archive-date = August 25, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230825012812/https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/disney-unlikely-to-rescue-spider-man-1118007950/ | url-status = live }} In late 2009, Bono asked Michael Cohl to step in as producer, and by May 2010 Cohl had raised the money to proceed with the project, much of it from Jeremiah J. Harris, former Chairman of Live Nation, who is also listed as a producer.Healy, Patrick. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/theater/24spider.html?pagewanted=1&hp "‘Spider-Man’ Starts to Emerge From Secrecy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012131946/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/theater/24spider.html?pagewanted=1&hp |date=October 12, 2019 }}. The New York Times. November 23, 2010. Meanwhile, the musical was eventually scheduled to open at the Foxwoods Theatre on February 18, 2010, but the production was delayed again until fundraising could be completed.Fung, Lisa. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/02/spider-man-musi.html "'Spider-Man' musical sets 2010 Broadway opening date"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410160158/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/02/spider-man-musi.html |date=April 10, 2010 }}. Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2009.

By November 2010, the production was estimated to cost $65 million. Previews began on November 28, 2010. The show's unusually high running costs were reported to be about $1 million per week.[https://theweek.com/article/index/206033/spider-man-the-musical-an-instant-guide "Could Spider-Man the Musical be the 'biggest disaster in Broadway history'?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120165023/http://theweek.com/article/index/206033/spider-man-the-musical-an-instant-guide |date=January 20, 2011 }}. The Week. August 13, 2010 (updated November 4, 2010). A new opening night of December 21, 2010 was scheduled, but this was delayed until January 2011, reportedly due to "a tremendous amount of creative commotion behind the scenes" as more time for rehearsals was needed.Healy, Patrick. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/theater/05spiderman.html?_r=1&ref=theater "Costly ‘Spider-Man’ Can’t Get Off the Ground"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524151838/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/theater/05spiderman.html?_r=1&ref=theater |date=May 24, 2018 }}. The New York Times. November 5, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010. In December 2010, the official opening was again pushed back, to February 2011, "to provide more time for the creators to stage a new final number, make further rewrites to the dialogue and consider adding and cutting scenes and perhaps inserting new music. ... Ms. Taymor and the producers have concluded that Act II has storytelling problems that need to be fixed."Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/spider-man-opening-delayed-again/?hp "Spider-Man Opening Delayed Again"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219085347/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/spider-man-opening-delayed-again/?hp |date=December 19, 2010 }}. The New York Times. December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010. A "final postponement" was made once again, pushing the opening to March 15, 2011, in order to "allow Taymor to fine-tune the production and instate a new ending".

The New York Times reported that the show's opening would be delayed for the sixth time, until summer 2011. This latest delay included a shutdown of previews.{{cite news|last=Healy|first=Patrick|title='Spider-Man': Turn On the Changes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/theater/changing-julie-taymors-vision-in-spider-man.html?ref=theater|date=March 10, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 12, 2011|archive-date=October 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012131944/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/theater/changing-julie-taymors-vision-in-spider-man.html?ref=theater|url-status=live}} The shutdown lasted from April 19 to May 11, 2011, in order for the new creative team to implement changes; preview performances resumed May 12.[http://broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking_News_SPIDERMAN_to_Shut_Down_April_19_May_11_Open_June_14_2011_20110311 "Breaking News: SPIDER-MAN to Shut Down April 19 – May 11; Open June 14, 2011 2011/03/11"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314013817/http://broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking_News_SPIDERMAN_to_Shut_Down_April_19_May_11_Open_June_14_2011_20110311 |date=March 14, 2011 }}. BroadwayWorld.com. March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011. In March, Cohl and Harris said they shut down previews because they felt "the story needed some work, the songs needed some work, and the sound needed some work", and that they "were going to concentrate on those three areas over the next three and a half weeks." They also announced that injured Spider-Man stunt performer Christopher Tierney would be rejoining the show.[http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000018268 "Spidey Cents"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320071935/http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000018268 |date=March 20, 2012 }}, CNBC, March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011. (video) By April 2011 the capitalization was reported to have grown to $70 million,Healy, Patrick. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/theater/julie-taymors-vision-for-spider-man-takes-its-final-bows.html?_r=2&hp "One Show Spins Its Last, As Another Takes Shape"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012131955/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/theater/julie-taymors-vision-for-spider-man-takes-its-final-bows.html?_r=2&hp |date=October 12, 2019 }}, The New York Times, April 15, 2011 and as of the opening, it was reported as $75 million, compared to the typical $5 to $15 million for a Broadway musical.{{r|healy20111127}} It included $9.7 million for sets and costumes, $4.4 million to rent the Foxwoods Theatre for two years before performances began, and $2.2 million for flying equipment. The weekly production budget was $1.3 million.{{r|ny20131202}}

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=My GOD, that was a lucky escape. Jesus Christ! Talk about dodging a bullet there!|source=—Alan Cumming, on his decision to leave the musical{{cite news|last=Freeman|first=Hadley|title=Alan Cumming: King of off-message|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jan/24/alan-cumming-dare|access-date=February 5, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=January 24, 2011|location=London|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426004601/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jan/24/alan-cumming-dare|url-status=live}}}}

Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming were cast as Mary Jane Watson and the Green Goblin, respectively, in June 2009,Cox, Gordon. [https://variety.com/2009/legit/markets-festivals/wood-cumming-set-for-spider-man-1118005441/ "Wood, Cumming set for 'Spider-Man': Duo to star in Broadway play mega-spectacle"] . Variety. June 26, 2009. but Wood left in March 2010 and Cumming the following month when the show was delayed.Ram, Archana. [http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/03/10/evan-rachel-wood-drops-out-of-spider-man-musical/ "Evan Rachel Wood drops out of 'Spider-Man' musical"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516082314/http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/03/10/evan-rachel-wood-drops-out-of-spider-man-musical/ |date=May 16, 2010 }}. Entertainment Weekly. March 10, 2010.Nashawaty, Chris. [http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/19/alan-cumming-out-of-spider-man-musical/ "Alan Cumming out of Spider-Man musical due to beefed up 'Good Wife' role"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624054839/http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/19/alan-cumming-out-of-spider-man-musical/ |date=June 24, 2010 }}. Entertainment Weekly. April 19, 2010. The new original cast was announced on August 16, 2010.[http://www.broadway.com/shows/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/buzz/153279/complete-cast-announced-for-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/ "Complete Cast Announced for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112192349/http://www.broadway.com/shows/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/buzz/153279/complete-cast-announced-for-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/ |date=January 12, 2012 }}. Broadway.com. August 16, 2010. During early previews Mat Devine, Gideon Glick, Jonathan Schwartz and T.V. Carpio (and later Alice Lee) played a group of characters known as the "Geek Chorus". After revisions, the characters were cut from the show.Healy, Patrick. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/theater/spider-man-is-said-to-drop-geek-chorus-of-narrators.html "'Spider-Man' Is Said to Drop Geek Chorus of Narrators"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323124450/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/theater/spider-man-is-said-to-drop-geek-chorus-of-narrators.html |date=March 23, 2018 }}, The New York Times, March 24, 2011[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/theater/julie-taymors-vision-for-spider-man-takes-its-final-bows.html?ref=theater "A Final Bow for Julie’s Taymor’s ‘Spider-Man’ Vision"], The New York Times, April 15, 2011.

In February 2011, playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was asked by the producers "to help rewrite the script".Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/spider-man-producers-have-their-eye-on-script-doctor-with-superhero-credentials/?scp=1&sq=spiderman%20musical%20rewrite&st=cse "‘Spider-Man’ Producers Have Their Eye on Script Doctor with Superhero Credentials"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714223417/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/spider-man-producers-have-their-eye-on-script-doctor-with-superhero-credentials/?scp=1&sq=spiderman%20musical%20rewrite&st=cse |date=July 14, 2011 }}. The New York Times. February 16, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011. He had written several stories for Spider-Man comic books and had revised the book for a production of It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Will Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Help Save Spider-Man? |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/will-playwright-roberto-aguirre-sacasa-help-save-spider-man-com-176257 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=February 16, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070404/https://www.playbill.com/article/will-playwright-roberto-aguirre-sacasa-help-save-spider-man-com-176257 |url-status=live }} On February 21, 2011, Paul Bogaev (a 2004 nominee for a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations) was hired "as a consultant to help improve the performance, vocal and orchestration arrangements, and sound quality of the songs and numbers."{{cite news |last=Gans |first=Andrew |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/paul-bogaev-hired-as-a-consultant-for-previewing-spider-man-com-176357 |title=Paul Bogaev Hired As a Consultant for Previewing Spider-Man |work=Playbill |date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070413/https://www.playbill.com/article/paul-bogaev-hired-as-a-consultant-for-previewing-spider-man-com-176357 |url-status=live }}

In early March 2011, Playbill and The New York Times reported that the producers had considered whether to "work with an expanded creative team" or have Taymor leave the production.{{cite web |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |title=Will Julie Taymor Be Released from Spider-Man{{'}}s Web? |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/will-julie-taymor-be-released-from-spider-mans-web-com-176880 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=March 7, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070401/https://www.playbill.com/article/will-julie-taymor-be-released-from-spider-mans-web-com-176880 |url-status=live }} Soon thereafter, Taymor left the production. Philip William McKinley joined the show as "consultant", and Chase Brock joined as an additional choreographer.

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=[Joan Rivers] was there backstage to develop more material for her stand-up act, which lately has begun with a moment of silence for 'those Americans risking their lives daily – in 'Spider-Man' the musical'.|source=—The New York Times{{r|healy20110206}}}}

Six people were injured while working on Spider-Man.{{cite news | url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/spider-man-leaves-behind-broadways-biggest-bill.html | title=A Monetary Autopsy of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | work=New York | date=2013-12-02 | access-date=24 November 2013 | archive-date=August 31, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831183733/https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/spider-man-leaves-behind-broadways-biggest-bill.html | url-status=live }} After two stunt doubles were injured during various flying sequences in rehearsals,{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Safety Inspectors to Examine Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark{{'}}s Flying Sequences Nov. 17 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/safety-inspectors-to-examine-spider-man-turn-off-the-darks-flying-sequences-nov-17-com-173671 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=November 17, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071916/https://www.playbill.com/article/safety-inspectors-to-examine-spider-man-turn-off-the-darks-flying-sequences-nov-17-com-173671 |url-status=live }} safety inspectors from the New York State Department of Labor reviewed these scenes in the showHealy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/inspectors-to-review-flying-safety-for-spider-man-musical/ "Inspectors To Review Flying Safety for ‘Spider-Man’ Musical"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106055858/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/inspectors-to-review-flying-safety-for-spider-man-musical/ |date=November 6, 2010 }}. The New York Times. November 2, 2010. and, in February 2011, cited the show for two workplace safety violations. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the show $12,600 in March 2011 for three serious safety violations.{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/spider-man-cited-for-federal-safety-violations/?ref=arts|title='Spider-Man' Cited for Federal Safety Violations|access-date=March 7, 2011|author=Flynn, Kevin|date=March 4, 2011|work=The New York Times|archive-date=March 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309051550/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/spider-man-cited-for-federal-safety-violations/?ref=arts|url-status=live}} The Actors' Equity Association also looked into the incidents. One of the injuries occurred when Spider-Man stunt double Kevin Aubin broke both wrists.Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/actor-in-spider-man-musical-is-injured/ "Actor in 'Spider-Man' Musical Is Injured"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104061010/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/actor-in-spider-man-musical-is-injured/ |date=November 4, 2010 }}. The New York Times. October 29, 2010. Another actor "had broken [his] feet on the same move a month earlier."Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/another-actor-speaks-of-spider-man-injuries/ "Another Actor Speaks of 'Spider-Man' Injuries"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102150716/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/another-actor-speaks-of-spider-man-injuries/ |date=November 2, 2010 }}. The New York Times. October 29, 2010.

Natalie Mendoza, who was originally cast as Arachne, suffered a concussion during the first preview performance on November 28, 2010, when she was struck in the head by equipment in the wings. She did not report the accident to producers until November 30. She appeared in the second performance against her doctor's advice; the role involves several flying sequences, including one in which she is spun upside-down. Mendoza later felt ill, and America Olivo, her understudy, played the role during her nearly two-week absence. Mendoza returned to the show for the December 15 evening performance. Following the preview of December 20, 2010, when Spider-Man stunt performer Christopher Tierney was injured and hospitalized, Mendoza suspended her performance, Olivo again filling in for her. On December 30, she announced her permanent withdrawal from the show. She was replaced by T. V. Carpio, with Olivo remaining as understudy.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=T.V. Carpio Succeeds Natalie Mendoza as Arachne in Broadway's Spider-Man |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/tv-carpio-succeeds-natalie-mendoza-as-arachne-in-broadways-spider-man-com-174868 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=January 3, 2011 |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019125808/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146315-TV-Carpio-Succeeds-Natalie-Mendoza-as-Arachne-in-Broadways-Spider-Man |url-status=live }} When Carpio was injured in March 2011 and withdrew from the show for two weeks, Olivo performed the role again.{{cite magazine | url = http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/03/22/another-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-actor-sidelined-due-to-injury/ | title=Another 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' actor sidelined due to injury | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | first= Adam B. | last=Vary |date=March 22, 2011 |access-date= 2013-12-31}}

In that December 20 preview, Tierney fell {{convert|21|ft|m}} off a piece of scenery when his harness was not connected to the safety cord, leaving him to freefall through the stage and into the orchestra pit. Tierney was hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital Center; he was released for rehabilitation on December 28.Ossad, Jordana. [http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/01/07/new.york.spider.man.show/ "Injured 'Spider-Man' actor to attend Friday's show"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110010916/http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/01/07/new.york.spider.man.show/ |date=November 10, 2012 }}. CNN. January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2011.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Spider-Man{{'}}s Christopher Tierney Discharged from Bellevue; Enters Rehab Facility |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-mans-christopher-tierney-discharged-from-bellevue-enters-rehab-facility-com-174778 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=December 30, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070403/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-mans-christopher-tierney-discharged-from-bellevue-enters-rehab-facility-com-174778 |url-status=live }} The December 20 performance was ended prematurely.Kessler, Jason. [http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/12/21/new.york.spiderman.fall/ "'Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark' performer hospitalized after fall"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224123234/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/12/21/new.york.spiderman.fall/ |date=December 24, 2010 }}. CNN. December 21, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010.Carucci, John and McElroy, Tom. [https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_spider_man_fall "Broadway 'Spider-Man' stunt double falls to stage"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230022828/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_spider_man_fall |date=December 30, 2010 }}. Yahoo! News, Associated Press. December 21, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010. After rehearsals for stricter safety procedures involving the harnesses, the show resumed with the evening performance on December 23.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Dec. 22 Evening Performance of Spider-Man Canceled; Department of Labor Explains New Protocol |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/dec-22-evening-performance-of-spider-man-canceled-department-of-labor-explains-new-protocol-com-174656 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=December 22, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070410/https://www.playbill.com/article/dec-22-evening-performance-of-spider-man-canceled-department-of-labor-explains-new-protocol-com-174656 |url-status=live }}Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/spider-man-musical-safely-swings-through-performance/?partner=rss&emc=rss "'Spider-Man’ Musical Safely Swings Through Performance"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230170315/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/spider-man-musical-safely-swings-through-performance/?partner=rss&emc=rss |date=December 30, 2010 }}. The New York Times. December 24, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2010. Tierney was released from New York University's Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine on January 5, 2011. He returned to the show for rehearsals on April 25, 2011,{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Christopher Tierney Given Okay to Return to Spider-Man |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/christopher-tierney-given-okay-to-return-to-spider-man-com-178446 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=April 21, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070408/https://www.playbill.com/article/christopher-tierney-given-okay-to-return-to-spider-man-com-178446 |url-status=live }} and performed in the show on opening night.Theatre program, Foxwoods Theatre, June 14, 2011 Carpio was injured during a March 16 performance, reportedly hurting her neck, and left the show for two weeks.{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/another-spider-man-actress-injured/|title=Another 'Spider-Man' Actress Injured|access-date=March 23, 2011|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=March 22, 2011|work=The New York Times|archive-date=March 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323105444/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/another-spider-man-actress-injured/|url-status=live}}

On August 15, 2013, actor Daniel Curry (who was playing a villain, and was also a Spider-Man stunt double) was hurt by apparently being pinned under a piece of equipment and suffered leg trauma.{{cite news|title=Injured 'Spider-Man' Dancer Discusses His Lawsuit|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/theater/injured-spider-man-dancer-discusses-his-lawsuit.html|work=The New York Times|date=February 26, 2014|access-date=2 January 2019|last1=Healy|first1=Patrick|archive-date=November 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106060705/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/theater/injured-spider-man-dancer-discusses-his-lawsuit.html|url-status=live}}

On September 10, 2010, Carney and his band performed "Boy Falls from the Sky" on Good Morning America.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHdJ_vBhkBc Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark – "Boy Falls From The Sky"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422153317/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHdJ_vBhkBc |date=April 22, 2016 }}. Youtube.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.{{cite web |last=Blank |first=Matthew |title=PHOTO CALL: Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Swings By "Good Morning America" |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/photo-call-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-swings-by-good-morning-america-com-171659 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=September 10, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071918/https://www.playbill.com/article/photo-call-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-swings-by-good-morning-america-com-171659 |url-status=live }} Carney, Bono, and the Edge all performed on the May 25, 2011, final episode of American Idol Season 10 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, singing "Rise Above".{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Spider-Man{{'}}s Reeve Carney, Bono and The Edge Will Perform on "American Idol" Finale |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-mans-reeve-carney-bono-and-the-edge-will-perform-on-american-idol-finale-com-179449 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=May 24, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071926/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-mans-reeve-carney-bono-and-the-edge-will-perform-on-american-idol-finale-com-179449 |url-status=live }} Carney and Damiano performed "If The World Should End" on the 65th Tony Awards telecast in June 2011.

The show has twice appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. On March 2, 2011, the cast performed "Rise Above", as featured in Julie Taymor's version. On July 18, 2011, the cast, led by Patrick Page, performed "A Freak Like Me Needs Company".

A short performance of this show was featured in the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with Spider-Man battling villains, while the ensemble performed a medley of "Bouncing Off the Walls", "A Freak Like Me Needs Company", and "Spider-Man!".

Syfy was Turn Off the Dark's lead media partner, offering tickets to the show as prizes and airing commercials for the production.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Syfy Channel Will Be Spider-Man{{'}}s Lead Media Partner |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/syfy-channel-will-be-spider-mans-lead-media-partner-com-173498 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=November 11, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104070410/https://www.playbill.com/article/syfy-channel-will-be-spider-mans-lead-media-partner-com-173498 |url-status=live }} CBS' 60 Minutes aired a feature on the production on November 28, 2010, the production's first preview performance, in which Lesley Stahl chronicled the creation of the musical.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title="60 Minutes" Will Air Feature on Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/60-minutes-will-air-feature-on-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-173934 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=November 24, 2010 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071924/https://www.playbill.com/article/60-minutes-will-air-feature-on-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-com-173934 |url-status=live }}

The show's first performance, on November 28, 2010, "garnered what was most likely the most press coverage of a first preview in history."Diamond, Robert. [http://broadwayworld.com/article/PULSE_SPIDERMAN_First_Preview_Morning_Reading_Roundup_20101129 "Spider-Man First Preview Morning Reading Roundup"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042746/http://broadwayworld.com/article/PULSE_SPIDERMAN_First_Preview_Morning_Reading_Roundup_20101129 |date=December 2, 2010 }}. BroadwayWorld.com. November 29, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010. By January 18, 2011, a reviewer reported that there were no delays during the preview he saw. He praised the stunts and ballads "that evoke the yearning grandeur of U2 – though their more upbeat material tended to be nondescript" but felt that the "plot of the second act twisted into tangled knots." Radio and TV talk show host Glenn Beck championed the production after attending the preview showings several times.{{cite web|url=http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2011/01/glenn-beck-loves-spider-man-hates-critics.html|title=Glenn Beck Loves 'Spider-Man,' Hates Critics|access-date=October 4, 2011|archive-date=April 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405220124/http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2011/01/glenn-beck-loves-spider-man-hates-critics.html|url-status=live}}

Most of the major theater critics published their reviews of the first version on February 7, 2011; nearly all of them were strongly negative in tone.{{cite magazine|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/08/worst-reviews-ever-spider-man-musical-gets-slammed/|title=Worst Reviews Ever? Spider-Man Musical Gets Slammed|last=Levy|first=Glen|date=February 8, 2011|magazine=TIME|access-date=February 17, 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/spider-man-turns-off-the-critics/|title='Spider-Man' Turns Off the Critics|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=February 8, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 8, 2011|archive-date=February 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210131003/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/spider-man-turns-off-the-critics/|url-status=live}} Although reviews during the preview period are unusual,[https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/11/29/spider-man-on-broadway-the-first-reports-on-the-show "‘Spider-Man’ on Broadway: First Reports"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127062154/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/11/29/spider-man-on-broadway-the-first-reports-on-the-show/ |date=January 27, 2016 }}. The Wall Street Journal. November 29, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010. the critics decided that the ever-expanding preview period was so long, and ticket prices were so high, that they should not wait for the official opening.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020704088.html|title='Spider-Man' on Broadway: No superpowers needed to sniff out this stinker|last=Marks|first=Peter|date=February 7, 2011|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 13, 2011|archive-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429213043/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020704088.html|url-status=live}} An analysis in The New York Review of Books by classics scholar Daniel Mendelsohn followed up the complaints of other critics that Taymor's attempt to graft the classical myth of Arachne onto the comic book story turned the show into "a grotesque hybrid" and overloaded the plot with two unrelated main villains in Arachne and Green Goblin. Mendelsohn saw

{{blockquote|a crucial difference between the ancient and modern models of human-to-animal metamorphosis. For today's audiences, such transformations are liberating — literally "empowering" – whereas for the ancients, they were, more often than not, humiliations, punishments for inappropriate or overweening behavior. ... At the heart of the Spider-Man disaster is the essential incompatibility of those two visions of physical transformation – the ancient and the modern, the redemptive and the punitive, visions that Taymor tried, heroically but futilely, to reconcile.Mendelsohn, Daniel. [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/may/12/why-she-fell/?page=1 "Why She Fell"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427114450/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/may/12/why-she-fell/?page=1 |date=April 27, 2011 }}. The New York Review of Books, May 12, 2011}}

In a scathing review of the first version, The New York Times critic Ben Brantley had said that Spider-Man may "rank among the worst" Broadway musicals.{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/theater/reviews/spiderman-review.html|title=Good vs. Evil, Hanging by a Thread|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=February 8, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 8, 2011|archive-date=February 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208045204/http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/theater/reviews/spiderman-review.html|url-status=live}} In his review of the revised version, Brantley wrote, "So is this ascent from jaw-dropping badness to mere mediocrity a step upward? Well, until last weekend ... I would have recommended Spider-Man only to carrion-feasting theater vultures. Now, if I knew a less-than-precocious child of 10 or so, and had several hundred dollars to throw away, I would consider taking him or her to the new and improved Spider-Man."{{cite web | url=http://broadwayworld.com/article_/index.php?article=Review-Roundup-SPIDER-MAN-20-on-Broadway-All-the-Reviews-20110614 | title=Broadwayworld.com: Review Roundup | access-date=June 15, 2011 | archive-date=June 18, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618210336/http://broadwayworld.com/article_/index.php?article=Review-Roundup-SPIDER-MAN-20-on-Broadway-All-the-Reviews-20110614 | url-status=live }}

In the show's first incarnation, the average rating from critics was "F+", while the revision garnered an average score of "C+". In a roundup of the reviews, Linda Buchwald commented, "critics actually miss some of Julie Taymor's ambition, crazy as they may have thought it at the time. Critics agree that the show is improved in that it makes much more sense, however, now they mostly find it a bore. Bono and the Edge's score is almost universally panned while Patrick Page's Green Goblin and stunning visuals remain for most critics the best reasons to see the show."{{cite web | url=http://www.stagegrade.com/productions/822 | title=StageGrade.com listing | access-date=June 15, 2011 | archive-date=June 18, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618164542/http://www.stagegrade.com/productions/822 | url-status=live }}

Theatre review aggregator Curtain Critic gave the production a score of 50 out of 100 based on the opinions of 20 critics.{{cite web|title=Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark|url=http://www.curtaincritic.com/Shows/SPIDER_MAN__TURN_OFF_THE_DARK_REVIEWS-28.html|publisher=Curtain Critic|access-date=June 21, 2012|archive-date=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127062152/http://www.curtaincritic.com/Shows/SPIDER_MAN__TURN_OFF_THE_DARK_REVIEWS-28.html|url-status=live}}

Despite poor reviews and bad publicity, Spider-Man was at times successful at the box office.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/theater/06spider.html?pagewanted=all|title='Spider-Man' Isn't Just the Talk of Broadway, It's the Punch Line|access-date=March 23, 2011|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=February 6, 2011|work=The New York Times|pages=A1|archive-date=November 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128201804/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/theater/06spider.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}} Ticket sales the day after the first preview on November 28, 2010, were more than one million dollars.Clark, Krystal. [http://screencrave.com/2010-11-30/spider-man-musical-sells-1-million-in-tickets-on-monday-despite-bad-reviews "Spider-Man Musical Sells $1 Million in Tickets on Monday Despite Bad Reviews"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503110307/http://screencrave.com/2010-11-30/spider-man-musical-sells-1-million-in-tickets-on-monday-despite-bad-reviews/ |date=May 3, 2012 }}. Screencrave.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010. During the first full week of 2011, Spider-Man had the highest box-office gross on Broadway, with a total of $1,588,514.Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/the-witch-is-dead-spider-man-outgrosses-wicked-on-broadway/ "The Witch Is Dead? 'Spider-Man' Outgrosses 'Wicked' on Broadway"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112082614/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/the-witch-is-dead-spider-man-outgrosses-wicked-on-broadway/ |date=January 12, 2011 }}. The New York Times. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2011.

The New York Times' Patrick Healy stated in February 2011 that Spider-Man had become "a national object of pop culture fascination—more so, perhaps, than any show in Broadway history" due to media coverage and late-night comedians' monologues on the musical's many delays, injuries, and creative issues. He speculated that the musical would not have staying power through repeat viewings like other hit musicals, after "tourists and parents with children" watched it for "bragging rights at dinner parties or on the playground".{{r|healy20110206}} The New York Post columnist Michael Riedel opined that month that the musical would be short-lived: "Depending on how much more money its backers are willing to lose, my hunch is that 'Spider-Man' will stagger through the spring, pick up with the tourist traffic in the summer and then collapse in the fall. It should be gone by September [2011]."Riedel, Michael. [http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/dark_sure_to_be_turned_off_0qYRGDFEubSFSEZ04Wp85H "'Dark' sure to be turned off"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825012921/https://nypost.com/2011/02/09/dark-sure-to-be-turned-off/ |date=August 25, 2023 }}, New York Post, February 8, 2011.

Spider-Man survived beyond September 2011, with ticket sales improving during the summer. About half of its audience came from beyond the New York metropolitan area, including many foreign tourists. In November, its producers stated that the show earned about $100,000 to $300,000 in net income each week, which means that Spider-Man would have had to continue playing for at least five years to recoup the $75 million cost. Producers discussed adding new scenes and perhaps a new song each year to persuade fans to attend it again as "a whole new [comic book] issue".{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/theater/spider-man-a-year-after-first-preview-is-on-solid-ground.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all | title=Turn on the Cash: After a Year, 'Spider-Man' Earns Its Weekly Keep | work=The New York Times | date=November 27, 2011 | access-date=December 2, 2011 | author=Healy, Patrick | pages=C1 | archive-date=November 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123153150/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/theater/spider-man-a-year-after-first-preview-is-on-solid-ground.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all | url-status=live }}

The first week of January 2012, the Broadway League reported that the show had taken in $2,941,790 in ticket sales the week before, the highest single-week gross of any show in the history of Broadway.Associated Press, "Spider-Man show rakes in the dough", Japan Times, January 5, 2012, p. 8.{{r|ny20131202}} The record was previously held by Wicked, which took $2.2 million in a week the previous year.{{cite web | url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-05/u2s-spider-man-musical-breaks-broadway-box-office-records | title=U2's Spider-Man musical breaks Broadway box office records | publisher=Radio Times | work=radiotimes.com | date=January 5, 2012 | access-date=February 10, 2013 | archive-date=March 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306215620/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-05/u2s-spider-man-musical-breaks-broadway-box-office-records | url-status=live }} Sales declined to $621,960, however, by the last week of September 2013.{{r|ny20131202}} The show eventually closed at a "monumental financial loss"{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/playbillcoms-theatre-week-in-review-dec-28-jan-3-spider-man-honored-prior-to-closing-and-new-plays-set-to-open-off-broadway-com-213467|title=PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Dec. 28-Jan. 3: Spider-Man Honored Prior to Closing and New Plays Set to Open Off-Broadway|work=Playbill|date=January 3, 2014|access-date=May 23, 2020|first=Robert|last=Simonson|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812234255/https://www.playbill.com/article/playbillcoms-theatre-week-in-review-dec-28-jan-3-spider-man-honored-prior-to-closing-and-new-plays-set-to-open-off-broadway-com-213467|url-status=live}} with John Kenrick noting that "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark sold tickets, but rarely covered its ponderous weekly running cost."{{cite book|title=Musical Theatre: A History|date=July 27, 2017|page=308|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|author-link=John Kenrick (theatre writer)|first=John|last=Kenrick|isbn=9780826430137}}

File:2.11.11SpiderManTurnOffTheDarkByLuigiNovi3.jpg

Spider-Man's troubled production history, particularly the frequent cast injuries, made the musical a common subject of parody and ridicule in other media.

• After the first preview performance, Conan O'Brien featured his own "preview" of the show, demonstrating how the show could have been more inexpensively produced, in ways that included using Silly String for web-slinging stunts.Friedman, Megan. [https://newsfeed.time.com/2010/12/01/conan-obriens-spider-man-musical-better-than-the-real-thing/ "Conan O'Brien's Spider-Man Musical: Better Than the Real Thing?"] . Time. December 1, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
• On the December 4, 2010 episode of Saturday Night Live, a Weekend Update segment featured Andy Samberg as "the fourth understudy" supposedly going on in place of the injured Spider-Man. Despite failing to do acrobatic flips on the spot, Samberg's character appears quite gung ho about playing in the role, telling anchor Seth Meyers, "It's a musical, Seth. It happens! You know how many people die every year doing Jersey Boys?"[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/video-snl-mocks-spider-man-56596/ "SNL Mocks Spider-Man on Broadway,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205135713/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/video-snl-mocks-spider-man-56596/ |date=February 5, 2023 }} from The Hollywood Reporter, 12/6/2010 (accessed 2/5/2023)
• The February 12, 2011 episode of SNL featured a commercial parody for a fictional law firm called "Gublin and Green" that specializes in lawsuits related to Turn Off the Dark. Fred Armisen portrayed lawyer Frank Gublin in the ad.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuUGy6yFMYI&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive Saturday Night Live: "Spider-Man Lawsuit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205123017/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuUGy6yFMYI&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive |date=February 5, 2023 }} on YouTube (accessed 2/5/2023)
• The cover of the January 17, 2011 New Yorker featured a cartoon, by Barry Blitt, showing multiple actors dressed as Spider-Man wearing casts or a head brace or in rehab.{{Cite magazine |date=2011-01-17 |title=The New Yorker January 17, 2011 Issue |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/17 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en |access-date=2019-02-26}}Markovitz, Adam. [http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/01/11/new-yorker-spider-man-cover/ "The New Yorker spoofs Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115073624/http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/01/11/new-yorker-spider-man-cover/ |date=January 15, 2011 }}. Entertainment Weekly. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
• Sesame Street produced a YouTube skit in which Grover, playing "Spider-Monster," repeatedly slams into the show's sole audience member — his frequent customer in other sketches, Mr. Johnson.{{cite web |last=Hines |first=Ree |date=June 15, 2011 |title='Sesame Street' mocks Spider-Man musical woes |url=http://www.today.com/entertainment/sesame-street-mocks-spider-man-musical-woes-1C9380732 |access-date=May 31, 2013 |work=Today.com |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814093408/http://www.today.com/entertainment/sesame-street-mocks-spider-man-musical-woes-1C9380732 |url-status=live }}
• The Cartoon Network series MAD features a skit titled "Smallville: Turn Off the Clark", a mashup of the musical and the TV series Smallville. Along with the musical being directly mentioned, a recurring joke that occurs throughout the skit is Clark Kent repeatedly getting injured, a reference to the numerous injuries the actors faced during the musical's production.
• The South Park episode "Broadway Bro Down" features Randy Marsh putting on a Spider-Man costume and declaring, "It's time to put an end to Broadway once and for all!" He then proceeds to sabotage a performance of Wicked, swinging from a rope in the auditorium, knocking out performers and damaging the theater.
• In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Deadpool says that he will "rough [Spider-Man] up like a Broadway musical!" If victorious, he tells Spider-Man, "Maybe it would have helped if you turned off the dark!"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV2TC6usxsM Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Spider-Man/Deadpool Quotes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504001520/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV2TC6usxsM |date=May 4, 2016 }}. YouTube. October 31, 2012.
• In Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the character of Titus Andromedon (portrayed by Broadway veteran Tituss Burgess) auditions for a fictitious sequel, entitled Spider-Man 2: Too Many Spider-Men!

Turn off the Dark, like many other Broadway shows, was parodied during the Tony Awards ceremony:

• During the 2010 Tonys, host Sean Hayes ran on stage dressed as Spider-Man, struggling comically to sing through the mask.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVj_QCVeacY 64th Annual Tony Awards – Sean is Spider-Man] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718135603/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVj_QCVeacY|date=July 18, 2010}}
• At the 2011 Tonys, host Neil Patrick Harris rattled off as many jokes about the musical as he could in 30 seconds, squeezing in a couple more after the timer ended (e.g. "I sent Bono a congratulatory cable, but it snapped!").[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfo5Sqwccsk&ab_channel=GuilbeauxFan "Spider Man Jokes on the 2011 Tony Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205135712/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfo5Sqwccsk&ab_channel=GuilbeauxFan |date=February 5, 2023 }} on YouTube (accessed 2/5/2023)
• At the same 2011 Tonys, Bono and The Edge appeared on-stage to note that the show would formally (and finally) have its premiere the following week, though they joked about it being ineligible for consideration for that night's awards (Bono: "It appears we missed the deadline." Edge, in agreement: "A few of them.").

The musical, and in general the unusual ideal of a superhero-themed musical, has been the subject of indirect parodies:

• The May 23, 2011 episode of the animated sketch comedy Mad involved Julie Taymor approaching Clark Kent to cast him in Smallville: Turn Off the Clark.{{cite web |date=January 1, 2000 |title=The Social Netjerk/Smallville: Turn Off the Clark |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1929746/ |via=IMDb |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=October 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012132003/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1929746/ |url-status=live }}
• The February 3, 2013 episode of Robot Chicken contains a sketch titled "Avengers: Musictacular Tapstravaganza", featuring musical numbers sung by Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Loki, and Iron Man, a dance number by Captain America, and a large animatronic Hulk.{{cite web |title=Robot Fight Accident |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674382/ |website=IMDb |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-date=October 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012131945/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674382/ |url-status=live }}

When running for Congress in 2021, George Santos contended that he worked as a producer on the musical. Show producer Michael Cohl brushed off the claim, noting to Bloomberg that Santos had never worked on the show nor did his name appear on its playbills.[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-03/george-santos-produced-broadway-s-spider-man-musical-at-least-he-claims-he-did?leadSource=uverify%20wall "George Santos Produced Ill-Fated Spider-Man Musical. At Least, He Claims He Did,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825012811/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-03/george-santos-produced-broadway-s-spider-man-musical-at-least-he-claims-he-did?leadSource=uverify%20wall |date=August 25, 2023 }} from Bloomberg News, 2/3/2023{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/george-santos-told-donors-produced-spiderman-broadway-1234673529/|title=George Santos Reportedly Told Donors He Produced Spider-Man on Broadway|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=February 3, 2023 }}[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/the-everything-guide-to-george-santoss-lies.html "Here’s Every Single Lie Told by George Santos,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206024256/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/the-everything-guide-to-george-santoss-lies.html |date=February 6, 2023 }} from New York, 2/3/2023

Swiss Miss, an original character created by Taymor and Berger for the show's Sinister Six, makes a brief visual cameo in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as a prisoner in Spider-Society' headquarters. Producer Phil Lord confirmed her inclusion via Twitter.{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/philiplord/status/1665829726685118464?s=46&t=04oq8ADPFPtZL0mOikXVFw |title=Archived copy |access-date=August 9, 2023 |archive-date=August 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811060806/https://twitter.com/philiplord/status/1665829726685118464?s=46&t=04oq8ADPFPtZL0mOikXVFw |url-status=live }}

In December 2023, a screenplay about the troubled production of the musical, Boy Falls From Sky by Hunter Toro, was included on The Black List, an annual survey of the "most-liked" motion picture screenplays not yet produced.Culwell-Block, Logan. [https://playbill.com/article/will-a-movie-about-the-making-of-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-come-to-the-big-screen "Will a Movie About the Making of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Come to the Big Screen?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224185442/https://playbill.com/article/will-a-movie-about-the-making-of-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-come-to-the-big-screen |date=February 24, 2024 }}. Playbill. December 12, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.

A Broadway concept album, produced by Steve Lillywhite, was released on June 14, 2011.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Spider-Man Cast Recording Due in June; Single of "Rise Above 1" Released May 25 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-cast-recording-due-in-june-single-of-rise-above-1-released-may-25-com-179425 |website=Playbill |access-date=January 4, 2023 |date=May 25, 2011 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104071914/https://www.playbill.com/article/spider-man-cast-recording-due-in-june-single-of-rise-above-1-released-may-25-com-179425 |url-status=live }} On May 25, 2011, a single version of "Rise Above", titled Rise Above 1: Reeve Carney Featuring Bono and the Edge, was released digitally.[https://itunes.apple.com/us/store album/rise-above-1-feat-bono-the/id440055539 iTunes Store] . itunes.apple.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110528114709/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/rise-above-1-20110526 Rise Above 1 by Reeve Carney feat. Bono and the Edge | Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews]. Rollingstone.com (May 26, 2011). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.

The music video was released on July 28, 2011[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/07/spider-man-star-reeve-carney-in-new-video-with-bono-the-edge.html 'Spider-Man' star Reeve Carney in new video with Bono, the Edge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103161238/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/07/spider-man-star-reeve-carney-in-new-video-with-bono-the-edge.html |date=January 3, 2018 }}. The Los Angeles Times. (July 28, 2011) Retrieved on July 29, 2011. and for the Billboard chart week of August 13, 2011 the single debuted on the Adult Top 40 chart at position 40,[https://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-rock-country-songs-more-1005300122.story Chart Highlights: Rock, Country Songs & More] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728100351/https://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-rock-country-songs-more-1005300122.story |date=July 28, 2018 }} Billboard.com (August 1, 2011) Retrieved on August 1, 2011 and peaked at position 34. On the Billboard Hot 100, the single peaked at position 74.

Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone gave the album a three stars rating out of five commenting: "Amid the all many disasters that beset the Broadway version of Spider-Man, Bono and the Edge's songs emerge pretty much unscathed by critics. Now that the show has been revised and restaged, this centerpiece anthem of struggle over adversity may become a metaphor for its slog towards redemption. "Rise Above" is a trademark soaring U2 ballad, with the elegant grandeur cranked up to Andrew Lloyd Webber levels. But show tunes need big voices too, and, singing next to Bono on this version from the forthcoming cast recording album, leading man Reeve Carney sounds like a nervous understudy."{{cite magazine|last=Dolan|first=Jon|title=Rise Above 1 by Carney feat. Bono|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/rise-above-1-20110526|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528114709/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/rise-above-1-20110526|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 28, 2011|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 14, 2011|date=May 26, 2011}} Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album one star, stating that all the problems that plagued the production "obscured one key problem with the musical: the songs written by Bono and the Edge are dreadful." Erlewine summed up his review calling the songs a "murky, turgid mess, too concerned with atmosphere and narrative to reel in a listener and ironically not offering ambience or story enough to suggest that the musical would entertain."{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen|title=Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-mw0002161756|work=Allmusic|access-date=July 9, 2012|date=June 14, 2011|archive-date=June 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624035845/http://www.allmusic.com/album/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-mw0002161756|url-status=live}}

The concept album features alternate orchestrations and arrangements not featured in the Broadway productions and omits a number of songs including "The Myth of Arachne", "Behold and Wonder", "Bullying by Numbers", "Venom", "Spider-Man!", "I'll Take Manhattan" and the finale "A New Dawn".

{{Infobox album

| name = Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

| type = soundtrack

| longtype = cast recording

| artist = Various

| cover =

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|2011|06|14}}

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length = {{duration|m=51|s=35}}

| label = Interscope

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column =

| title1 = NY Debut (Instrumental)

| length1 = 3:10

| title2 = The Boy Falls from the Sky

| length2 = 4:27

| title3 = Rise Above 1

| length3 = 3:53

| title4 = Picture This

| length4 = 3:38

| title5 = I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now)

| length5 = 3:26

| title6 = Bouncing Off the Walls

| length6 = 2:59

| title7 = Pull the Trigger

| length7 = 4:01

| title8 = No More

| length8 = 3:45

| title9 = D.I.Y. World

| length9 = 2:56

| title10 = If the World Should End

| length10 = 3:46

| title11 = Sinistereo

| length11 = 3:17

| title12 = A Freak Like Me (Needs Company)

| length12 = 3:41

| title13 = Rise Above 2

| length13 = 4:22

| title14 = Turn Off the Dark

| length14 = 4:06

}}

{{clear}}

{{Portal|Speculative fiction|Theatre}}

• Spider-Man Live!
• Rogers: The Musical
• Marvel Universe Live!

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last= Berger |first= Glen |author-link= Glen Berger|date=2013 |title= Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History |location=New York |publisher= Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1451684568 }}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/home Spider-Man On Broadway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923170903/http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/home |date=September 23, 2011 }}
• {{Ibdb title|488485}}
• [http://www.broadway.com/shows/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/ Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark] at Broadway.com
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111203220239/http://playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/13708/Spider-Man-Turn-Off-the-Dark Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark] at Playbill Vault

{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Spider-Man music}}

{{Spider-Man in popular media}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark}}

Category:2011 musicals

Category:Bono

Category:Broadway musicals

Category:Classical mythology in popular culture

Category:Musicals based on comics

Category:Rock musicals

Category:Science fiction musicals

Category:Spider-Man in live performances

Category:Spider-Man in music

Category:U2

Category:Musicals set in New York City