However as artists, we pride ourselves on expanding these limits and doing feats thought impossible within our milieu. This act of rebellion confirms the boundaries against which we push, it does not deny them. What then are we to do when we meet boundaries that refuse to budge and, in some cases, push back? We are witnessing such a situation now on Broadway in SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK. The problems that continue to crop up in previews are symptoms of the production meeting such boundaries.
This production illustrates the limit of (current) theatrical training. Actors receive training in movement, voice, stage combat and in some cases circus arts – but rarely, if ever, training in ‘wire work.’ That lies in the realm of Hollywood stuntmen. Of course, at some point in the future it may be a tool of stage combat choreographers, but at the moment the equipment, the time and people needed to train theatre artists is cost prohibitive.
And that is the biggest limitation in theatre, even in the for-profit sector: Time and Money. Already SPIDERMAN’s budget rivals that of a Hollywood blockbuster with advertising, a world-famous rock band, and special effects, not to mention the salaries being paid as the previews drag on and on. The more time that passes, the more money is needed from investors. That means that the ticket prices have to stay high for the investors to break even. This leads to ticket prices that are at least five times the cost of a movie ticket. At some point the audience must ask whether the cost of a ticket is worth the experience. The investors have to take that question into consideration as well, and at some point, the scales will tip and the show will be shelved.
That can be the only result when theatre attempts to compete with comic books and movies.
Spiderman is a cultural icon and deserves a stage incarnation, but how best to do it in a way that is of and for the Theatre? Of all the questions raised by Julie Taymor’s production, this one seems to be on the last on the list.
Cirque du Soleil could pull off a production of the sort that Broadway is attempting to give us. They would not need to bother with a script or U2. They would use artists who were properly trained and venues appropriate to the style in which they perform. All this could be done at a fraction of the cost of the current Broadway production.
Across the country, theatres produce their own takes on comic book and movie heroes in theatrical ways that in no way try to be something they are not. These theatres offer no international stars or movie-style stunts. The shows are not plugged into large theatres to grow box office returns. The venues are bars, black boxes and small theatres. These productions are late night and often the audience is encouraged with the stamp of BYOB on the advertising. Most important of all these tickets are affordable.
Making everything super-low budget cabaret style productions is not the solution, but it is more in keeping with our media. However we choose to push the limits of theatre, our tools must be come from within our art not without. What is happening with SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK is the inevitable result of trying to compete with media that play by different rules. It is not a fair fight. Perhaps the biggest harm SPIDERMAN is doing to our art is highlighting our limitations, rather than celebrating what is unique and powerful about theatre. We are not saying ‘Wow! That’s theatre!’ but ‘Well, it’s not a movie.’
*What exactly is the purpose of Theatre and what its particular strengths and weaknesses are should be examined, and will be in depth in other sections of this blog.
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