Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Tina Kasin

Staff Writer

Reading the Spiderman comics and watching the movies while growing up left me feeling attached to the story and char­acters Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Because I already had this attachment, I had high expectations for the Spiderman-themed Broadway musical, “Spi­der-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

How does one make a story that demands many special ef­fects into a musical? I was afraid it was going to be awkward. The set made me think it was going to be a high school musical, not a Broadway show. However, as the story went on, the effects and the acting improved and I finally relaxed.

Reeve Carney interpreted his role as Peter Parker well, making the audience believe he was a nerd without friends and hopelessly in love with Mary Jane. Rebecca Faulkenberry, as the beautiful Mary Jane, was equally good and acted like a love-struck teenager with a twist of her own personality.

The gene-mutated Norman Osborn, played by Robert Cuc­cioli, and his mutated crowd re­minded me a little bit of the band Kiss. Once I looked past that, the acting became more realistic and alive. In fact, his lines were by far the funniest in the show.

Overall, the set was amaz­ing. It featured the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and a bunch of yellow cabs, which gave the audience the feeling of being in New York City. The acrobatics was breathtaking. The actors were swinging and dancing in the air right above the audi­ence’s heads, making me want to either catch a ride with them or hide my face.

The International Student Services hosted the trip to Fox­woods Theatre to see “Spider­man: Turn Off the Dark” on Thursday, February 28. The students were happy to spend the evening on Broadway.

“I thought it was great, and the different Spiderman actors looked hot,” said junior Econom­ics major, Martine Melde, who said she was disappointed she did not receive an after-party invitation.

“I loved it but I wish there was more dancing, more chore­ography,” said junior Accounting major, Vibeke Aarstad.

Overall, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” was a good show. A 10-year-old boy was sitting behind me and he enthu­siastically called his mother to explain how happy he was. If I was a child again, I believe this musical would have been even better. In other words, it is a great show for parents to take their children to.