Spidey director Julie Taymor may have doomed herself by trying to unravel the musical web that Irish rocker Bono weaved for the show, sourc...
Spidey director Julie Taymor may have doomed herself by trying to unravel the musical web that Irish rocker Bono weaved for the show, sources said Wednesday.
Bono and his U2 bandmate, The Edge, wrote the score for "Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark" and she recently brought aboard a veteran director to tune up the music.
"If Bono had wanted Taymor to stay, she'd still be here," one source told The Daily News a day after the Tony Award winner exited the Broadway boondoggle. "He's a huge part of the decision making that goes on."
There were several reports that Bono might take on the directing chores - a possibility that most Broadway insiders say is unlikely.
There was no comment from Bono.
The veteran director Taymor brought on board last month is Paul Bogaev, who was musical director on Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" and "Sunset Boulevard." He won a Tony nomination in 2004 for his work on "Bombay Dreams."
Meanwhile, the matinee preview performance of the show went on Wednesday while the real drama played out behind the scenes.
Cast members interviewed following the show said they in the dark. They said they were told there would be an announcement about Taymor and the fate of their the $65 million show after the Wednesday evening performance.
"I love Julie tremendously," said Patrick Page, who plays the Green Goblin. "Any day she's not in the building, I miss her."
Producers of the snake-bitten aerial extravaganza were also expected to address reports that the scheduled opening of the show at the Foxwoods Theatre next Tuesday might be postponed for three months.
So far, show spokesman Rick Miramontez has not veered from his pledge that the opening "is still scheduled for March 15."
Taymor, 58, a Tony Award-winning Broadway legend, remained out of sight a day after she exited from the show she co-wrote and worked relentlessly to bring to Broadway.
"Taymor is out," a source told The News on Tuesday. "She's left the building."
The show, which features death-defying stunts, has been plagued by injuries to cast members and constant tweaks to the book and score.
It's still not clear if Taymor quit or was fired. But her departure left Broadway wondering whether lead actor Reeve Carney was next.
Carney, 27, was handpicked by Taymor for the marquee role, told The News he was not going anywhere.
"Oh yeah," he said. "All the changes, so far, have been good for the show. We're just trying to make it the best it can be."
A lengthy shutdown would cost the show $1.3 million a week and cause it to miss out on any Tony Award nominations.
But it would enable the show to officially open around June and seize on the summer tourist trade, insiders said.
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