Spiderman

WL and I went to a preview performance of Spiderman:Turn Off The Dark last night. It was an unfortunate disappointment. There are some good songs and performances but when the highlight of a live performance are the clever video sequences, something is missing. In fact, it is what's shown on screens that abruptly makes you realize the short comings of reality. When Electro can menacingly shoot his lighting bolts in a well done frenetically edited sequence, it fails to impress when the actor on stage can only muster a few sparklers.
My favorite song/sequence was called "Bouncing off the walls". It captured Peter Parker's new transformation and the choreography in the enclosed bedroom was very good. The villain of the piece is the Green Goblin which in this production relays more on Cesar Romero's Joker than the maniacal fiend of the comic books. In fact, the beginning of this musical presents us with a series of "Splats" and "Bonks" ala the 1960's Batman series. It set the tone of the night and when the Sinister Six arrive on stage, one is reminded of the rubbery costuming of the Power Rangers. And while slow motion effects are a staple of a film maker's conventions, the slowed down movements of the actors on stage here looks contrived and false.
But ultimately it is the lack of character that is missing most. If we had cared about Peter and Mary Jane or thought there was any genuine danger afoot, all the staging tricks and shortfalls would be forgiven. But when all the audience has is spectacle, one starts to look at the wires. With no emotion to hang onto, the audience claps for the flying.
The night ended abruptly. I might not have been paying attention at that point but felt genuinely baffled when the lights came up. In fact there was a standing ovation at the end of the performance, but in the back of the orchestra where we sat, many people were standing to put on their jackets and leave.
I am glad I saw it. There are some great sets and visual effects..... it's just the underlaying story that is missing. Hopefully the show's production staff can remedy the lack of drama as they churn towards opening night.