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Thursday
01Jan2009

'Spider-Man' Musical Will Feature New Villain, But Will It Star Jim Sturgess?

DateThursday, January 1, 2009 at 7:36PM
We already know that director Julie Taymor wants to reunite her Across the Universe stars for the upcoming Spider-Man musical on Broadway. Evan Rachel Wood has already committed to playing Mary-Jane, and now she's talking a little bit more about what we can expect , no matter who plays Peter Parker.

"It's a year commitment," says Wood. "I did the workshop with Jim Sturgess, but he's not sure if he can make that year commitment but we're trying to get him to do it. I want him to do it so bad."

That would be ideal for Taymor, and perhaps even for Sturges, who has kind of been lukewarm on the idea all along. If he can prove he can play a superhero on stage, that could set him up nicely for a film franchise of some kind down the line, if he's looking for that kind of thing.

Of course, it would help if the Spider-Man musical is worth its salt. Wood says "stuff from the first and second films and some stuff from the comic books" have been used to create the story, and we'll have a new villain, as well, plus music by Bono and The Edge. And that all sounds great but...Spider-Man singing?

"The deal was that a man would never sing in spandex on stage, so, rest assured, Spider-Man will never sing in tights, only as Peter Parker. Only Julie Taymor can bring it to that place. She's bringing it to the next level like she did with The Lion King. There's all new flying technology."

Being as objective as possible with this, there's as much chance of dismal failure here as inspired success. We talk a lot about comic books that don't translate well to the screen, and I think that goes double for the stage. A lot of it depends on the tone, the songs, and if Sturgess (or whomever) can convey Peter Parker's turmoil when he's not in the Spidey suit. I mean, a Spidey suit on stage is pretty much like not having an actor, anyway, so it's imperative that while Parker's on stage, there are no throwaway moments.

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AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

If anyone can convey emotion, it's Jim Sturgess. My only concern is that as a screen actor Jim uses his facial expressions and eyes to communicate emotion. Ben Kingsley called Jim's performance in Fifty Dead Men Walking, "emotionally eloquent." You can see fear, anger and resolve fly across his face in the matter of seconds. I'm not sure how that will translate to the stage. On the other hand Jim was trained in the theater while in school at Salford University in Manchester and has performed a one-man show when he was newly graduated. With Julie Taymor at the helm, I can only imagine the performances her actors will give. And one has only to watch a few scenes of Across the Universe to see how well Jim can "act a song." My bets on Jim. :o) FG

Thursday, January 8, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterFantasy Girl

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