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Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark - Broadway's Adrenaline-Fueled, Rock-Infused Musical Thrill Ride

Let’s begin at the end: the soaring OMG! climactic battle of good vs. evil between Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Reeve Carney) and Dr. Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin (Patrick Page): a bona-fide audience gasp-a-thon unlike anything ever beheld on Broadway before.

Archenemies going at it full-tilt above the heads of awe-stuck theatergoers -- who have been glued to the Parker-Osborn storylines for roughly two-and-a-half hours -- explains the non-negotiable standing ovation, occurring at some performances even before the cast appears for the curtain call.

According to the show’s dead-on comic-strip set, the clash of superhero and fanatical mutant takes place atop the Chrysler Building -- a subtle reminder that even at its most epic moment, this is a show set in Manhattan and that your theatre seats aren’t very far from the heartbeat hub of the city, Times Square.

And don’t for a moment think that the months of eyebrow-raising press buzz preceding the show’s official opening on June 14 have any clout as far as this revamped version of Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark -- dubbed by insiders as Spider-Man 2.0 -- is concerned. In short, gossipmongers and ghoulish theatergoers in search of stage carnage need not apply. The current incarnation of Spider-Man is a stellar example of an unprecedented Broadway extravaganza that has weathered the media storm and come out shining.

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Broadway in NYC

The main reason for the show’s overall appeal, however, has remained unchanged. It’s the cast, headed by Carney, who is totally believable as a high school science geek-turned-superhero, and Jennifer Damiano as his love interest, aspiring actress Mary Jane Watson, whose unhappy home life is tempered by her budding relationship with Peter. Additionally, T.V. Carpio, as Arachne, the mythical girl transformed into a spider whose legend is fleshed out in the show’s overlapping opening numbers, “The Myth of Arachne” and “Behold and Wonder,” is a stunner.

But it’s the dual role of Osborn/The Green Goblin, embodied by veteran actor Patrick Page, that the kids in the audience gravitate to…almost as much as they do to Parker/Spider-Man.

“I’m having a great time,” says Page, whose résumé is peppered with a number of major roles in family-friendly shows such as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. And, if you reach back into your grab bag of holiday highlights, you may recall that it was Page who starred as another green villain on Broadway: Dr. Seuss’s curmudgeonly Grinch.

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Broadway in NYC

“I have sought out opportunities to do shows that one can bring one’s children to,” says Page, who readily acknowledges the value of kid feedback. “Adults are often swayed by…reviews, and they will lie. But you get an honest reaction from children, and I like that a lot.”

As for Page’s other stage credits, they veer toward the classical with a serious emphasis on Shakespeare, whom he fell in love with when he was only three years old. “It’s the bedrock of what I do,” he notes, adding that Shakespearean characters he’s played have influenced the way he embodies his fantasy roles in musicals. For example, in the case of Osborn, he found Macbeth to be a helpful parallel. “Both Osborn and Macbeth are essentially good men who are blind to the depth of their narcissism and hunger for power,” he observes.

As for the production itself, Page points out that the show was designed to work with an ebb and flow that matches up with kids’ attention spans. “More than any other show I’ve been in,” he concludes, “Spider-Man has appeal that spans the generation barrier.”

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is currently playing at the Foxwoods Theater, 213 W. 42nd St. For tickets, call 800-745-3000 or click here.

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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