Song of Spider-Man

One of the best literary works of this year (Miami Herald-Tribune): The true story of a theatrical dreamor nightmarecome truethe making of the Spider-Man musical.As you might imagine, writing a Broadway musical has its challenges. But it turns out there are challenges one cant begin to imagine when collaborating with two rock legends and a superstar director to stage the biggest, most expensive production in theater history. Renowned director Julie Taymor picked playwright Glen Berger to cowrite the book for a $25 million Spider-Man musical. Togetheralong with U2s Bono and Edgethey would shape a work that was technically daring and emotionally profound, with a story fueled by the heros quest for loveand the villains quest for revenge. Or at least, thats what theyd hoped for. But when charismatic producer Tony Adams died suddenly, the show began to lose its footing. Soon the budget was ballooning, financing was evaporating, and producers were jumping ship or getting demoted. And then came the injuries. And then came word-of-mouth about the show itself. What followed was a pageant of foul-ups, falling-outs, ever-more harrowing mishaps, and a whole lot of malfunctioning spider legs. This circus-rock-and-roll-drama, with its $65 million price tag, had become more of a spectacle than its creators ever wished for. During the shows unprecedented seven months of previews, the companys struggles to reach opening night inspired breathless tabloid coverage and garnered international notoriety. Through it all, Berger observed the chaos with his signature mix of big ambition and self-deprecating humor.