Report: New 'Spider-Man' opening delayed

The opening of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will be postponed from March 15 to at least June and heavily reworked, according to a New York Times report Tuesday night. In an unprecedented move, the show will also stop previews for several weeks next month to give the cast a break, then begin a new rehearsal period.

The producers continue to have no comment, according to spokesman Rick Miramontez, who insisted Tuesday night that the official opening remains March 15. "If critics want to know where their invitations are, who says we are going to invite critics?" he said.

The fate of director Julie Taymor remains uncertain. Citing anonymous sources, the Times said she was in discussions Tuesday with the producers and composers Bono and The Edge about expanding the creative team, which could involve replacing the Tony-winning director of "The Lion King." According to the Times, producers have talked to at least two directors, Christopher Ashley ("Memphis") and Philip William McKinley ("The Boy from Oz") about joining the production.

This would be the sixth delay for the catastrophe-prone $65-million-plus musical, which, despite negative press, has been among Broadway's top grossers since its first preview Nov. 28. For the week ending Sunday, grosses were down 15.6 percent from the previous week and attendance was down from 100 percent capacity to 84.5 percent Still, it grossed $1,281.776, comfortably in the desired $1 million club.

The new opening would take the show well past the April 28 cutoff for the Tony Awards, but situates the unveiling near the June 12 Tony telecast.