Saturday, September 8, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
U2’s <em>Spider-Man</em> Musical Breaks Broadway Records
Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark – the drama-packed musical toting a score from U2’s Bono and The Edge – has broken Broadway records to score the title of the highest single-week grossing show of all time.
The Daily Telegraph reports the production took in roughly $3 million over a nine-show period, which breaks the previous single-week grossing record held by the Wizard of Oz-inspired musical Wicked, which grossed $2.2 million over eight shows in 2011.
First impressions are often deceiving, and that’s the case with Spider-Man. The production, which is reportedly the priciest show in history with a projected cost of $70 million, was faced with a number of early hindrances, including serious injuries to cast members, economic problems and poor reviews.
In March of last year, the production’s original director Julie Taymor was let go after the musical garnered tremendously negative reviews from critics and had to shut down for three weeks. New director Philip William McKinley stepped into the sphere and overhauled the show, revamping key parts and having U2 and the Edge rewrite some numbers. Since then, the show has evolved into a blockbuster Broadway hit. When the production re-opened in June, it received an extremely positive response from critics and theatergoers alike. Now, it looks as if nothing can top Spider-Man.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Berry Gordy Working on Motown Musical with Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson?
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy is apparently attempting to tell his life story in a Broadway musical. The New York Post is reporting that he’s working with Universal Music CEO Doug Morris and Rent producer Kevin McCollum on the project.
The musical would be set during Motown’s glory days of the 1960s and tell the story of the Detroit label’s rise to prominence. Motown stars Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson will probably be involved in the musical, which will draw on the label’s catalog of hits. Gordy owns most of the rights to that music.