U2’s Bono and the Edge Talk “Spider-Man” Musical
U2‘s Bono and the Edge are opening up about their upcoming Broadway show Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, which transports the legendary Marvel superhero from the pages of comics to the stage. With seven months before the curtain rises on preview performances, the singer and guitarist, who wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, discussed why they got involved with the project and the parallels between rock stars and comic book heroes in a new video interview.
“We were open to the idea of musical theater, but Spider-Man, that’s a different thing again, because that’s comic books, and there’s a whole series of relations between punk rock and rock bands and comic books, that goes back years,” Bono says, adding the pair were eager “to mess with all these aspects of pop culture, put them in a blender and see what comes out on the other end.” The Edge also found the story of Peter Parker resonated with the rock-star experience. “Every rock & roll star probably started out as the geek who got bullied on in school, and eventually their form of revenge was to write songs or learn to play guitar.” Bono jokes, “I was more of a Green Goblin,” one of Spidey’s main villains who will likely be a part of the musical (Broadway vet Alan Cumming is rumored to be playing the role).
The video appears on the official Website for the Spider-Man musical, which indicates tickets for the show go on sale exactly two weeks from today, June 24th, if you have an American Express card. The public onsale doesn’t begin until September 12th. As Rock Daily previously reported, previews begin on January 16th, 2010 and the musical officially opens February 18th. “Spider-Man’s battles will hurtle the audience through an origin story both recognizable and unexpected — yielding new characters as well as familiar faces until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero’s journey,” reads the show’s synopsis.
While the Website doesn’t confirm casting news or a list of featured characters in the production, there are photos of Bono, the Edge and director Julie Taymor in the studio.
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