'Spider-Man' begins 3-week hiatus

Spider-Man crawls up walls. The Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has had critics climbing the walls. That may end, as the unsuccessful excesses of original director/co-writer Julie Taymor's version conclude Sunday night and a three-week hiatus begins in preparation for Spidey 2.0.

The cast -- which includes Reeve Carney as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson and Broadway veteran Patrick Page as the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn, whose role will be greatly expanded in the new version -- has been rehearsing the new material by day and performing the old show at night, spokesman Rick Miramontez said.

Gone, he confirmed, is the "Geek Chorus" of four teenage Spider-Man fans who framed the story, as well as the musical number "Deeply Furious," in which the spider goddess Arachne and her spider-women minions do a dance in designer footwear that these powerful mythological beings have, well, stolen from city shoe stores.

"In the next three weeks, they're going to be further rehearsing changes in the show that includes some completely new musical numbers and dialogue," Miramontez said. "Then they have to tech all of these changes," referring to the new blocking, lighting and other technical aspects being retrofitted into the existing sets and stunts.

Neither Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the playwright brought in to rewrite the script, nor Philip William McKinley, the new director, would comment on the show's changes. Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris also declined to comment.

The revamp is set to open in previews on May 12. The new opening date is June 14.