Critics and Audiences Cheer as 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark' Opens on Broadway With Historic Star-Studded Celebration

NEW YORK, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadway history was made Tuesday evening, June 14th as SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark officially opened at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street). A slew of celebrity guests turned out to cheer the long-awaited event, including President Bill Clinton, Matt Damon, Jay-Z, Robert DeNiro, Barbara Walters, Lesley Stahl, Helena Christensen, Steve Martin, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Liam Neeson, Spike Lee, Julian Lennon, Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Lou Reed, Cindy Crawford, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Strokes, John McEnroe, Hannah Storm, Salman Rushdie, Fran Lebowitz, Gayle King, and Harry Belafonte, and the glittery first night crowd gave the production a rousing ovation that lasted nearly eleven minutes.  

During the curtain call, Bono and The Edge were brought onstage to a thunderous audience reaction, followed by the entire backstage crew, along with producers Michael Cohl and Jere Harris, taking a bow, before original director Julie Taymor was dramatically brought onto the stage by co-director Philip William McKinley.

Critical praise, from the reviews of this new version of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, has already started pouring in from outlets including USA Today, The Associated Press, New York Daily News, MTV, WOR Radio, NY1 News, Back Stage, and a particularly glowing endorsement from President Bill Clinton. Visit http://www.SpiderManOnBroadway.com for more info.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark features creative consultation by Philip William McKinley (The Boy From Oz), original direction by Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Across The Universe, Frida), music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge, and book co-written by Taymor, Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel) and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Fantastic Four and Spider-Man comics, Big Love).

The complete cast includes Reeve Carney as "Peter Parker/Spider-Man," Tony® Award nominee Jennifer Damiano as "Mary Jane Watson," T.V. Carpio as "Arachne," Patrick Page as "Norman Osborn/Green Goblin," Michael Mulheren, Ken Marks, Isabel Keating, Jeb Brown, Matthew James Thomas, Laura Beth Wells, Matt Caplan, Dwayne Clark, Luther Creek, Kevin Aubin, Gerald Avery, Collin Baja, Marcus Bellamy, Emmanuel Brown, Jessica Leigh Brown, Daniel Curry, Erin Elliott, Craig Henningsen, Dana Marie Ingraham, Ayo Jackson, Joshua Kobak, Megan Lewis, Ari Loeb, Natalie Lomonte, Kevin Loomis, Kristin Martin, Jodi McFadden, Bethany Moore, Kristen Faith Oei, Jennifer Christine Perry, Kyle Post, Brandon Rubendall, Sean Samuels, Dollar Tan, Joey Taranto, and Christopher W. Tierney.

"Music from SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark" was released on June 14th by Interscope Records. It features 14 original songs co-written by Bono and The Edge for the Broadway production SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. The album is produced by Steve Lillywhite.

Inspired by over 40 years of Marvel comic books, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down when he's bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek suddenly endowed with incredible powers soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains put both his physical strength and strength of character to the test.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark began preview performances on November 28, 2010. Tickets are now on sale through October 2, 2011, with group tickets on sale through January 8, 2012.

Tickets for SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark are priced from $67.50 - $135 for weekday performances and $67.50 - $140 for weekend performances and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (877) 250-2929. Tickets are also available at the Foxwoods Theatre box office, which is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark now plays the following performance schedule: Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Syfy, the premier cable destination for imagination-based entertainment, is a lead media partner for SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark.

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SOURCE SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark