Critics break theatre code to pan Spider-Man

THE reviews won’t be music to Bono’s ears.

The critics have filed their verdict on Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark — and that could be a bit of a problem.

Not only because of what they say, but that they exist at all.

With music by U2’s Bono and The Edge, some theatre critics are weighing in on the $65 million show even though it doesn’t officially open until March 15, violating the time-honoured agreement between producers and journalists.

The latest reviews — and, for the most part, vicious pans — include assessments by The Washington Post (“a shrill, insipid mess”), The New York Times (“sheer ineptitude”), the Los Angeles Times (“an artistic form of megalomania”), the Chicago Tribune (“incoherent”), Variety (“sketchy and ill-formed”) and New York magazine (“underbaked, terrifying, confusing”).

Their defections, timed to coincide with the third revised opening date, drew a furious response from the show’s producers.

“This pile-on by the critics is a huge disappointment,” said Rick Miramontez, spokesman for the show. “Changes are still being made and any review that runs before the show is frozen is totally invalid.”

Most critics have cited as reasons for their impatience the show’s record-breaking preview period and the high cost of tickets, which can approach $300 a seat. They also worry producers are deliberately outflanking them by pushing off potential negative write-ups, even as the show enjoys a virtually sold-out run. So far, its 67 preview performances translate into close to 130,000 tickets sold.

“The big question is: How long do you wait?” Bob Verini, a Los Angeles-based critic for Variety and the president of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, said. “That’s a fair question that honourable people can agree to disagree on.”

The stunt-heavy show, co-written and led by The Lion King director Julie Taymor, began previews on November 28 after years of delay. Its planned opening was initially set for December 21, but that was pushed back to January 11, then to February 7 and now March 15. By then, it will have had the longest preview period in Broadway history.

Reviews have always been considered separate from news stories, of which the show has generated many. Several injuries to cast members — including a 35ft fall by an actor playing the web-slinger that left him with a skull fracture and cracked vertebrae — have marred the production, as well as the defection of a lead actress after she suffered a concussion.

Verini said: “Our duty is to our readers. And I think that bombarded by the yin of months of aggressive marketing at top, top prices, they’re entitled to the yang of guidance as to whether it’s worth it.”

However, some critics argue an early review is like grabbing a dish from a restaurant kitchen before it is fully cooked.