Do You Think Linda Lavin Will Have A Big Number In This One, Too?

Well, we're living in the age of the "Jukebox Musical" - - and a few of those have won Tony Awards (God help us) - - but are we prepared for the age of the "Comic Book Musical?"

Apparently, yes.

Because I guess Zatanna "mind-wiped" the memory of IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN from the theatre community's collective conscious.

I'm talking about SPIDER-MAN: THE MUSICAL.

I guess the reading of the musical that was supposed to take place this past July actually DID take place and that people liked what they heard of the music by Bono and the Edge and the book by Glen Berger.

Neither of those two names thrill me and even though I'm a lover of both comic books AND musical theatre, the combination of the two into an evening at the theatre sounds both ridiculous and frightening to me.

The only name attached to the project that makes me feel even slightly optimistic is the director, Julie Taymor.

And according to a recent interview with Ms. Taymor, both the book and the music are so strong that they are searching for a venue....

"We want to open in New York, and there aren't enough Broadway houses. It's really tricky because ours is a big musical that's really unusual.

"It will have some fabulous things in it because it's got a very strong book. I'm very proud of the songs that Bono and Edge wrote.

"It's a real rock-and-roll musical, so we're not worried about that aspect. We just have to find where we're going to do it -- even if we have to do it in a tent, which we're looking into -- and when. It'll at least be a year away."

I wish I had given the above interview, because then I could have responded with the following...

Yeah, Julie. "Big musical" is unusual these days.

Unless you count WICKED... and MARY POPPINS... oh, and GREASE... And XANADU... and... well, anyway...

So, you're not worried about a "real rock-and-roll musical," huh?

Yes, I know... RENT... and SPRING AWAKENING... Those are rockin' scores those kids today like, aren't they?

But Julie, RENT opened over 10 years ago and then SPRING AWAKENING opened last year.

Well, my POINT is that that's an average of one SEMI-real rock-and-roll musical every 10 years. That makes a SPIDER-MAN "real rock-and-roll musical" something you MIGHT wanna worry about. Ya know?

Especially when you take into consideration who is asking to be a part of the show.

I'm talking about Marilyn Manson.

Yep, Spidey-fan Marilyn Manson has asked Ms. Taymor for a part in the Spider-Man musical.

I think he'd make a FABULOUS (and frightening) Aunt May, don't you?

P.S. Is Broadway so jammed packed with hit plays and musicals that Julie friggin' Taymor might have to do her gazillion dollar musical written by Bono IN A FUCKING TENT!?!?!

What is this?!?! BABES IN ARMS?!?!?


P.S.S. Does anyone get my reference from the title of this post? Anyone?