Foxwoods Theatre. (Wikipedia)

New York Post theater critic Michael Riedel (whom we usually just refer to as "our fiancé") is getting his Christmas present early this year: Live Nation has put the Foxwoods Theatre on the auction block. This is despite the fact that the world's biggest concert promoter (Live Nation Entertainment, the company born from the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster) announced yesterday that it predicted a higher demand for its events in 2013, thanks to a poll showing a potential 37 percent increase in ticket buyers.

But it's not Live Nation's boost that is making Mr. Riedel, who we assume will take us to Hawaii on our honeymoon so he can complain about the Kupanaha Maui Magic Show for being trite and unoriginal, so happy. No, Mr. Riedel is bursting with Holiday joy because it proves that he was right about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Young Frankenstein, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Pirate Queen, all of which opened at Foxwoods. And now it will pay for its sins ... with a lack of buyers. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

[$40 million], I’m told, is the asking price for the Foxwoods Theatre, that white elephant on West 42nd Street, where “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” chugs along despite my best efforts.

(Power of the press!)

Unfortunately, Spider-Man is actually still bringing in a million a week, so Mr. Riedel has to find other examples of why Foxwoods is cursed.

Directors, writers and performers don’t like to work in the Foxwoods. It’s way too big, and there are dead spots where sound doesn’t travel.

“God, we hated that theater,” says a member of the “Young Frankenstein” production team. “We did all sorts of things to fix the sound, but nothing ever worked.”

The theater, with its huge staff, is also expensive to carry when it’s empty. And it’s had long periods of being empty over the years. “Spider-Man” should be there for another year or so — I’ve stopped making predictions about its longevity — but sooner or later the theater will need a new tenant.

And since a couple of quotes and non-predictions don't make a particularly compelling case, the theater critic finally resorts to superstition:

The Foxwoods has always been under a cloud. It was constructed in 1996 from two legendary 42nd Street theaters — the Lyric and the Apollo — by one of Broadway’s biggest crooks, Garth Drabinsky.

Drabinsky, founder of the defunct company Livent, is being forced to listen to the score of “Hot Feet” over and over again in his cell at the Beaver Creek minimum-security prison in Canada.

He’s serving a five-year sentence for fraud.

If he really wanted the theater to sink, he should suggest Macbeth as its next production.

"Just left A Christmas Story on broadway. Wow. Instant Christmas classic," wrote Mr. Beck, the author of the book The Christmas Sweater, on Twitter. "If you are in New York and can only [see] one THIS IS THE ONE TO SEE."

Previously, Mr. Beck urged his fans to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, even if they needed to "give a kidney" to afford a ticket, and called it "better than Wicked!"

Swedish soccer player Antonia Goransson (Getty Images)

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark had a bright idea for how to promote itself on Tony Awards Sunday--given that the show wasn't nominated for Best Musical and likely won't get the chance to perform a number on-air. They offered free tickets to any attendee named Anthony, Tony, Antonio, Antoinette, or Toni. Perfect opportunity to get some word-of-mouth, right?

Wrong. Someone named Antonia (possibly Dame Antonia Fraser or Princess Antonia of Prussia, Marchioness of Douro, Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo) apparently had a complaint about being excluded, prompting the world's saddest press release: “It has been brought to our attention that we excluded those named ‘Antonia’ from eligibility for the special Tony Sunday performance of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark [sic]," wrote a spokesman for the show.  "This was nothing more than a woeful oversight.

"We’d like to assure all Antonia’s out there that they too are valid 'Tonys’ in the eyes of SPIDER-MAN."

Julie Taymor and Bono (Getty Images)

Recently, the public got its hands on the 35-page complaint that Julie Taymor and her company LOH Inc. filed in response to the countersuit launched by the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

To catch up: Ms. Taymor sued the producers of the show for using her material after firing her, won a ton of money, but is still suing them for more money. The defendants in the case -- 8 Legged Productions, LLC, Hello Entertainment LLC, Goodbye Entertainment LLC, Michael Cohl, Glen Berger, Jeremiah Harris, and Savior Productions LLC -- include the producers who recently launched the countersuit, claiming that Ms. Taymor's detrimental influence on the production hurt the show and cost them money. Also, her co-author for the book, Glen Berger. Back and forth, forever and ever.

While we're waiting for this mess to get untangled (spider web pun!) in court, Ms. Taymor's complaint contains enough juicy dirt on show creator Bono and his cohorts to keep us entertained for the rest of the week. Here are the 10 most soap opera moments from the document, so you don't have to slog through the paperwork yourself.

1. Julie Taymor is a genius, says co-author.
In a private e-mail correspondence, the book's co-author Glen Berger effusively gushed to Ms. Taymor about what an honor it was to work with such a brilliant auteur.

i’ve been meaning to point this out for a while, but today, as people could sense something alchemical was going on in how the story was working—it’s—your directing and designing on this thing aside—your understanding of theatre has enabled you to
create a profoundly effective story. yeah, I wrote more of the words in the script, but the beat-to-beat narrative—that was totally your vision (I was your boy wonder) – and by figuring how to send the audience high, then plunging them low immediately after, then sending them high again, and on and on—well,anyway, just a few hundred hurdles to go, so I won't get into it...it seems to work on the audience on a physiological level—putting them in a state where they're wholly open—prepared to engage in the story on a deep deep emotional level...(Emphasis added) but just wanted to say what a gift, what a mind-cracking, heart-swelling gift it’s been having these front-row tickets to you....

2. Mr. Berger later changed his mind and went behind her back to help develop the nefarious-sounding Plan X in an attempt to change the show to make it more coherent, which is bitchy but we're pretty sure is not illegal.

As the series of unforseen events unfolded, Berger and Tsypin apparently began privately to discuss a plan to re-write the Book of the Musical such that, among other things, the culmination of the current Act I—a dramatic fight scene between Spider-Man and the villain Green Goblin—would move to the end of Act II. Berger called this plan “Plan X.”212.

Among other things, and unbeknownst to Taymor, Plan X appears to have been conceived as a way to avoid the technical challenges Tsypin and his team were having with staging the finale called for by the Book of the Musical co-authored by Taymor.

3. Bono, Mr. Kohl, and Mr. Berger all emailed each other about the problems with the show! Without CC'ing Ms. Taymor!

On December 29, 2010, for example, Berger sent an e-mail to Tsypin stating that it was “best not to mention anything to J.” Tsypin responded: “I won’t say a word.”

Upon information and belief, Berger and Tsypin, without Taymor’s knowledge,then reached out secretly to Cohl, Harris, Bono, and Edge in an effort to further their clandestine plan. To this end, Berger and Tsypin apparently sent e-mails to Cohl and Harris describing their plan and imploring the producers to “please don’t let JT know I’m sending this.

4. Bono et. all were going to come clean to the director about the changes in a meeting set in a hotel room at night (where most meetings take place), only to show up drunk with super models. Come on, Bono was just trying to lighten the mood!

Upon information and belief, on January 13, 2011, Cohl, Berger, and Bono met with Taymor in the VIP room of the Foxwoods Theater. Unbeknownst to Taymor, Berger apparently understood that the purpose of the meeting was to finally disclose Plan X to Taymor. As Berger recounted in a later e-mail, however, “that meeting never happened”:

[t]he meeting was postponed until 11 p.m., when Bono was going to show up –except he showed up in our room with Christy Turlington and a couple other supermodels, and he had already had a few beers, rendering him useless — so the producers postponed the meeting till the next afternoon–but that meeting never happened.

(More importantly, since when does a "few beers" render an Irishman useless? And Christy Turlington isn't just any old floozy...she probably lent some actual class to the proceedings.)

5. Apparently, Turn of the Dark actually got some great early reviews...but no one read them because they were too busy focusing on how cast members were being put in mortal danger.

On February 7, 2011, critics published pre-emptive reviews of the Musical five weeks before the then-scheduled opening night of March 15. While some of the reviews contained criticism of the show, those that praised it praised elements that had been conceived and implemented largely by Taymor: “As a stager . . . Taymor is bold, elegant, and eloquent”;“The flying is thrilling, a full-tilt leap into the extraordinary”; “‘Spider-Man’ deftly spins substance and spectacle”; “The state-of-the-art visuals can be stunning”; “Taymor delivers”; “A visual feast.”

6. And the stuff that wasn't even reviewed?? Even better.

By many accounts, the version of the Musical as it was being performed in late February 2011—which version was never reviewed by the press—had greatly improved since the version that had been reviewed by the press at the beginning of February 2011.247.

On February 18, 2011, for example, Glenn Orsher, Cohl’s Executive Producer,sent an e-mail to Taymor stating: “Wow! What a great show!

7. Even after she was fired, the press was (apparently) still applauding Ms. Taymor, despite the producer's claims that the show was entirely revamped. (Though she's still listed as the author of Spider-Man's book.)

Rather Taymor’s substantial creative contributions to the Musical, including her work as co-author of the Book, remain an integral part of the Musical and a substantial reason for its success. The myriad press reviews of the revised Musical that the producers have touted on the Musical’s website promoting the show confirm this: “A fun, high-flying adventure”; “There's more flying than ever-And you can't help but feel a thrill as Spider-Man and the Goblin battle it out just a few dozen feet above your head!”; “it’s a fantastic spectacle”; “Thrilling high-flying acrobatics”; “dazzling sequences unprecedented on Broadway!”; “It was one of the most dazzling theatrical experiences we have ever seen! And, most of that, we think, can be attributed to the bold and inspired work of Julie Taymor”; “[e]ssential elements of [the Original]

8. Ms. Taymor barely had time to eat dinner, that's how hard she was working!
From disclosed email correspondence between Ms. Taymor and Bono.

It is nine pm in NYC. I am just about to sit down to a home cooked meal. I have been at it on [Spider-Man] nonstop. Glen has as well. We are writing lyrics, lines of dialogue, changes in music–all in service to the ending, to clarity. We know what the story is, we understand the stakes–but we do not have the lyrics to support it. I would like to talk to you before midnight my time– after I eat– to go over the situation and beg for lyrics. We need you. It is not easy to change anything but now I think it is a matter of lyrical and musical changes — and perhaps cutting a scene or two from a second act.

9. Most incredibly: Julie Taymor spent seven years on Spider-Man and still couldn't get it to opening night.

In total denigration of Taymor’s over seven years of work on the Musical and with obvious malice, defendants assert in paragraph 10 of their counterclaims that “[t]he show is a success despite Taymor, not because of her.”

10. Spider-Man's ticket sales have not increased since the show opened and Ms. Taymor was fired.

The producers also have not created a more financially viable production than Taymor’s original production. The first version of Spider-Man consistently ranked as the second- or third-highest grossing show on Broadway, despite the lack of promotion of the show to encourage ticket sales during the prolonged preview period. Its box office receipts were almost identical to the box office receipts that the revised version has earned since Taymor was dismissed from the production.

So basically: Julie Taymor did everything, Glen Berger is a jerk, and even though the show is entirely different now--scrapping entire elements and characters of the original and creating new content--Ms. Taymor should also be getting credit for this. (Except for the parts of the show which were a flop, in which case it was the fault of Bono being drunk.)

Also Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark made a ton of money under Ms. Taymor's guidance, got rave reviews, everything was perfect, and nothing hurt. (Except for those internal injuries suffered by the show's actors.)

Julie Taymor makes Spidey spin green (Getty Images)

There's one less lawsuit plaguing the cast of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark today, as the theater-director union decided yesterday to settle claims in favor of Julie Taymor to continue receiving royalties for the production, despite the fact that she was booted out of her director's chair back in March. The New York Post reports that this decision could lead to $10k a week for the rest of Spidey's run.

Of course, there's still the dueling litigation between Ms. Taymor's company 8 Legged Productions LLC, and the producers of Spider-Man. On November 8th the stage-and-screen director filed a suit against the producers of the show--including Sony Entertainment, Michael Cohl, and Jeremiah J. Harris--claiming for copyright infringement after the revamped Spidey contained elements of her original production.

The producers then launched their own counter-suit last month, claiming that Ms. Taymor drove up costs, delayed the opening, and had no legal standing for copyright claims of the Marvel character.

Despite the $10k-a-week pay-out, these lawsuits are still in negotiation.

Ishioka's costume for the Green Goblin (Getty Images)

The costume designer Eiko Ishioka, most recently known for the costumes in Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, has died at 73. Ms. Ishioka won an Oscar for Bram Stoker's Dracula and designed the costumes for the 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing. The producers of Spider-Man have issued a statement reading in part: "Her work will continue to touch audiences for years to come, but she will be greatly missed," and are dedicating tonight's performance to her memory.

Julie Taymor and Bono, in better times. (Getty Images)

Though the production has been accident free since its official premiere at the Foxwood Theatre in June, there's still more blood to be spilled over Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. On November 8th, Julie Taymor, the ousted director of the play (along with her production company, LOH, Inc.) filed suit against the producers of the once-cursed production, saying that they had violated her creative rights and haven't compensated her for her work on the play.

The lead producers--who are listed in the Playbill item about the lawsuit--disagreed, and filed their own counter-suit in response to Ms. Taymor.

Ms. Taymor is requesting to be paid full royalties as a director and collaborator, according to the countersuit, "despite the fact that Taymor caused numerous delays, drove up costs, and failed to direct a musical about Spider-Man that could open on Broadway." The claim goes on to say:

“any similarities [between the final version and Taymor's original treatment]. . . exist by virtue of the fact that they are both based on the same pre-existing works in which Taymor cannot claim copyrights, including, but not limited to, the Spider-Man comic books and the 'Spider-Man' and 'Spider-Man' 2 films, which originated all of the main characters in the works at issue in this case, their settings, the Spider-Man origin story premise, and the plot elements that appear in the works.”

While this may or may not be true, it will be Ms. Taymor's name who is eligible for the Tony Awards this year, and not her successor, Philip Wm. McKinley, according to a recent ruling by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. Her name also appears in the credits for the show, under both "book by" and "original directing."

While Ms. Taymor might have an axe to grind against the show's producers, she's still on good enough terms with the cast to have turned up for their June premiere, where she was greeted by "wild applause" and embraced both Bono and the Edge.

"Spider-Man" makes it out of previews!

In honor of this momentous occasion, we put together a little timeline of the show's history. Enjoy! And try not to hurt yourself while reading this.

* $75 million+, and that's not even including the ongoing lawsuit with former director Julie Taymor and the worker's comp paid out to injured cast members.

Via TV.com, a recap of the segment entitled "The Diving Bell and the Butterball":

It started off parodying one of the best foreign films of the last ten years, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—a touching and imaginative movie about a man who learns to communicate despite being unable to move anything but his eyelids. Homer found himself in a similar position after being bitten by a spider, but instead of blinking, his communicated by farting. And farting. And farting. Despite realizing that it was completely stupid, I secretly giggled every time Homer pushed methane. Hey, you're either all in or you're not. At one point Marge hushed Homer's butt, which was funny, but the sketch took a bizarre turn when Homer suffered another spider bite and became a paralyzed Spider-Man, swinging around Springfield and stopping crime despite not being able to move. I commend this sketch for saying "F**k it" and going completely absurd. But really, how did this make it to air?

Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark made headlines after being one of the most costly and dangerous productions in the history of Broadway theater. Actors have fallen from stunt cues and been injured on stage, in front of audiences. A re-worked of the show even included self-referential moments taking note of the New York Post's notoriously cruel coverage of the show's major failings and bloopers.

This morning, producers of the show responded with the following press release through the show's spokesman, Rick Miramontez:

Everyone at SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark was extremely flattered by last night’s tribute on ‘The Simpsons.’ ‘The Simpsons’ is an iconic American institution, and being part of last night’s episode was an honor and dream come true. As a token of their appreciation, the SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark producers, Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris, have invited the entire Simpsons family (including, and especially Bart) on an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to sit front row at a performance of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, and then come backstage for a meet-and-greet with the cast and for a champagne toast (the French stuff).”

If "an honor and a dream come true" constitutes your shows' reputation for being one of the most injury-prone, expensive, confusing productions on Broadway still manically trying to recoup the initial investment at (literally) any cost being enshrined into pop culture, then by all means, Spider Man producers are having a hell of a day.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

"Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" (Getty Images)

The Transom went to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark last week; the long-gestating musical had undergone a break so that its direction and book could be re-envisioned without original director Julie Taymor. We sat next to a New York Times Arts editor planning a piece on “one of the characters”; he wouldn’t tell us which one.

Such has been the constant culture of secrecy regarding the show. Given the relentless media drubbing suffered by Ms. Taymor’s previous incarnation of the musical, we were a bit surprised at all the showbiz in-jokes, often deployed by the Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (played by Michael Mulheren). Jameson tells his reporters that the Daily Bugle, like the embattled show in which it features, is “fighting the Internet. We’re fighting bloggers! We’re fighting Facebook!” The newspaper is a quality product, though, unlike “The Times, the Herald, or”—pregnant pause—“the POST!” The name of the tabloid, whose theater reporter Michael Riedel was a particularly vociferous Spider-Man critic in its last round of previews, was spat out.

Mr. Riedel, reached by phone on the day of the Tonys, took it in stride. “I made many, many jokes at Spider-Man’s expense so I think it’s only fair that they make a few at mine.” (A source close to Ms. Taymor’s production of Spider-Man confirms that the lines were added after she left the show.) The jokes, he says, are a welcome addition to a show that had been a bit of a dirge: “I think they’re trying to add something to it that it didn’t have before—which is humor.” But Mr. Riedel had a warning for the show’s creative team: “The danger of metajokes is that only insiders get them. It’s a very small group.”

Spider-Man’s backstage drama has become a thing of the past: with Ms. Taymor gone and months elapsed without an injury, the show has stayed out of the news. “The story’s kind of petered out,” said Mr. Riedel. “It’ll become a financial story. Are they willing to prop it up if it needs propping up—or will it be a hit?” Not to worry. The new Spider-Man writers were prepared for that journalistic angle as well. At one point, the villain, the Green Goblin, references the show’s astounding expense, referring to himself a “$65 million—no, $75 million!—circus freak.” At that, the Transom and the Timesman in the adjacent seat shared a chuckle.

ddaddario@observer.com :: @DPD_