The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History
January 6, 2014
When the renowned director Julie Taymor picked Berger to co-write the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, he joined a dream team of Taymor and U2's Bono and Edge. Berger's book offers a behind-the scenes- look into that collaborationâthe making of a musical that went on to become both hugely successful and the ultimate source for backstage gossip and tales of theatrical hubris. The theatre world was riveted by the show's unending problems, especially when two performers injured themselves during flying stunts in previews. All of this was chronicled by the New York Post's Michael Riedel who Berger makes no effort to conceal his strong dislike of. However, Riedel is just about the only person Berger openly disdainful towardâmuch of the book functions as a long apology to Taymor, who was finally fired as director of the show when she refused to implement widely agreed-upon changes. The book loses steam three-quarters of the way through, once Taymor departs the show. As the subtitle promises, Berger provides his insider's perspective, but readers may well agree with his self-assessment as an insecure people-pleaser. Despite this, the book is still highly readable, particularly when Bono and the Edge grace its pages. Agent: Joseph Veltre, the Gersh Agency.
June 15, 2013
Chosen by Julie Taymor to collaborate on the book of the Spider-Man musical, Emmy Award-winning television and theater writer Berger saw the entire musical unfold over seven years and finally become one of the top ten highest-grossing musicals in Broadway history.
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2013
Playwright (Underneath the Lintel; O Lovely Glowworm) and Emmy Award winner Berger invites the reader behind the scenes for a Glen's-eye view of how a blockbuster Broadway musical might (or might not) get made. From the sample scene that a somewhat starstruck Berger sent to director Julie Taymor in 2005 to the bittersweet, oft-postponed opening night more than six years later, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark dodged (not always successfully) land mines of egos, the death of a key producer, technical glitches, actor injuries, and more egos. The money involved in the production (technical props cost millions), ticket prices (currently some upwards of $200 each), and weekly box office (approaching $3 million) are staggering. Berger supports his memoir with quotes from emails and tweets, as musicians Bono and Edge, Taymor, and others wrestle to meld their vision of a stage-worthy Spidey story with one another and with Marvel Comics executives. VERDICT An entertaining if one-sided tale that reveals the sometimes treacherous underpinnings that make the magic happen.--Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.