Spider Man musical postponed again

Producers of Broadway's Spider Man musical postponed the show's official opening for a stunning sixth time, announcing that it will not officially open until this summer and that Julie Taymor will no longer helm the production.

Taymor, who directed and co-wrote the book for 'Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark', will remain a part of a new creative team, the producers said.

The delay revealed a production so trouble-plagued that it has taken itself out of the running for Tony Award consideration this year, but it will be eligible for the 2012 season.

"The team will be implementing a new plan to make significant and exciting revisions to the production," lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said in a statement.

"This amended schedule will allow the time necessary to execute the plan, which will include revisions to the script."

The show's representative, Rick Miramontez, said no performances will be cancelled during the overhaul.

Philip William McKinley and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa have joined the €65m (€47m) production to assist with new staging and rewrites for the show, which was to have opened on March 15.

Musical consultants Paul Bogaev and sound designer Peter Hylenski are also on the new team.

Bogaev, who won a Tony nomination in 2004 for his work on Bombay Dreams, has a history of working with rock musicians who craft musicals, including Tarzan with Phil Collins and Aida with Elton John. Hylenski worked on Elf, Shrek and Scottsboro Boys, among other shows.

"Julie Taymor is not leaving the creative team. Her vision has been at the heart of this production since its inception and will continue to be so," the producers said.

"Julie's previous commitments mean that past March 15, she cannot work the 24/7 necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for our opening."

Taymor's directing duties will be handled by McKinley, who directed 'The Boy From Oz' (2003) and 'The Night of the Hunter' (2006).

Aguirre-Sacasa worked on HBO's 'Big Love' and has written for Marvel comics, and wrote the play 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', based on the Oscar Wilde novel.

The stunt-heavy show was co-written by Taymor, director of the hugely successful 'Lion King', and 'Glen Berger', and has music by U2's Bono and The Edge.

"This is an epic ride, and the standing ovations we have seen from the preview audiences have confirmed our absolute faith in the project," Bono and The Edge said in a statement.

"We are listening and learning and, as a result, we have a couple of new songs we are very, very excited about putting into the mix."

The highly unusual move to again delay the show came as Spider Man continues to defy the reviews and post impressive numbers at the box office.

It was the second highest-grossing show on Broadway this week, after 'Wicked', pulling in close to 1.3m (€939,248) - though it was slightly down from the week before.

Indeed, the scene at the Foxwoods Theatre was in marked contrast to the turmoil in the headlines.

The line to get into the matinee snaked well down a huge city block, and was filled with tourists, an entire class of schoolchildren and others clearly excited to see the much talked-about flying scenes - including an aerial battle between Spider Man and his nemesis, the Green Goblin.

However, at the evening performance, Green Goblin's steering mechanism froze and the stunt was cancelled.