to preview or not to previewMontreal’s non-digital media (print, radio, TV) has shown a criminal lack of regard for most of what goes on in MELT
by joel fishbane
A standing ovation must be given to those theatre critics who, in a stunning move of collective wisdom, finally reviewed the troubled musical Spider Man: Turn off the Dark. The official opening has been prorogued more times then Stephen Harper’s parliament, with the current opening slated for March 15. With a $65 million dollar price tag along the way, it has become the most expensive musical ever made – especially because in all likelihood, it will never make it’s money back.
With preview tickets running $275, the American theatre critics decided that enough was enough. After all, a theatre critic’s job is not to critique the artistic merits of a show: that is a question for academics. The only responsibility for the critic is to inform an audience whether a show is worth both their time and the price of admission. And so, at the beginning of February, a host of important publications reviewed the show. They were all largely negative and, if you believe the N.Y Times’ Ben Brantley, audiences are going solely to see what great disaster will happen next.
