Taymor files for 'Spider-Man' royalties

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Thursday filed an arbitration claim against "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" on behalf of ousted director and co-writer Julie Taymor. The union charged that the producers owe her about $300,000 in royalties.

"They are using her property unlawfully right now," union executive director Laura Penn told The Wall Street Journal. The $70-million musical, which had endured scathing reviews and other problems before Taymor was let go in March, was then reworked with a new creative team. It is set to open on Tuesday.

Michael Cohl, one of the primary producers, earlier told the paper that the production is trying to untangle financial issues that arose with the revamp. A spokesman for the musical had no comment.

Meanwhile, Broadway performers may face a picket line Sunday at the Tony Awards ceremony, due to a labor dispute between the award-show producer and the stagehands union.

With the ceremony bumped from Radio City Music Hall to the smaller Beacon Theatre on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the producers have fewer tickets to sell, and said they would locate the celebrity red carpet a block away, outside the perimeter of union requirements, in order to save money.

Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which handles red-carpet setup at theaters with a union agreement, objected and said it would establish a picket line.

Calls to Local 1 president James J. Claffey Jr. and to Tony Awards managing producer Allan Williams were not returned.