Spider-Man is a true marvel on Broadway- SEE POLL

It is worth waiting for this world wide web

The story in the Broadway incarnation stays true to this line, and there’s nothing at all wrong with the Taymor and Bono/Edge new interpretation.  The cast members are excellent, so talented and so obviously full of enthusiasm for what they’re doing.

Spider-Man isn’t Shakespeare, and anyone looking for high drama with a deep and profound meaning is fortunate because there are lots of those type of shows playing on Broadway and elsewhere in the city.

Taymor has added the new character of Arachne, a sinister female spider for Spidey to contend with.   The character proves to be an integral part of the story – maybe a bit too much in the second half, which Taymor acknowledges is still being worked on in advance of the opening in March.

If there’s one legitimate complaint that’s been voiced about the show, it’s that the ending lacks a final jolt of oomph given all the razzle dazzle that preceded.  If I was Taymor, Bono and The Edge I’d definitely shake up the final 15 minutes some more, and let Spidey go out with a wondrous leap that will send audience members rushing back to the box office for more tickets even faster than they already undoubtedly will.

So what of Bono and The Edge’s musical score?  As one half of U2, the world’s most important and celebrated rock band for the past three decades, they certainly have huge reputations to live up to . . . and they’ve done exactly that, with great aplomb.

Their score is an artistic triumph that they can and should be extremely proud of.  It’s edge-y (excuse the pun), it’s vital to Taymor’s narrative and the overall feel of the show, suspenseful when it needs to be, mellow when it needs to be.

And it’s absolutely tinged with U2-isms . . . Edge’s distinctive guitar hooks, Bono’s vintage prose and knack for telling a story.  One of the band’s most popular hits, “Vertigo,” even makes a fun appearance in a disco scene with Peter and Mary Jane.

As with seemingly everything Spider-Man related, the music has also come in for a wallop in some quarters.  One critic from Bloomberg sniffed, “As with most rock stars, Bono and The Edge haven’t a clue about writing for the theater.”

Oh, please.  As if the “theee-aah-tuh” is so above everything else – like, selling more than 150 million albums, touring the world with sell-out stadium shows, and creating unforgettable songs that will stand the test of time for years and years to come.

That’s what Bono and The Edge have already accomplished.  They don’t need Broadway … but Broadway, with slumping ticket sales, sure could use some of their magic.

To be part of a band like U2 is a career achievement that the rest of us can only dream of, and their score for Spider-Man is yet another notch on a belt full of successes.

The bottom line from our vantage point?  If you want to be entertained on Broadway like never before, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is just the ticket.  Fans at the performance we saw – especially the many children – were enthralled by what they witnessed, with lots of “oohs” and “aahs,” wide eyes and open jaws.   It’s people such as these who will determine whether the show stands or falls, and from what we can tell, they’re very much ready to stand with Spidey.

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Nster.com