'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Opens Today On Broadway

The Lights Finally Come Up On "Spider-Man"

It's a momentous day on Broadway. Today, after multiple injuries, after the opening got pushed back six times and the longest period in previews of any musical ever, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will officially open on Broadway.

It's been a long time coming. The production originally began in 2002 when Marvel announced that Tony Adams would be producing a stage musical based on the Spider-Man comics. Adams recruited Bono and The Edge of U2, who in turn enlisted Julie Taymor as director. However, Adams suffered a stroke in 2005 and died two days later, and Adams' parter David Garfinkle took his place.

Debt has plagued the production due to the large number of technical stunts the story requires. "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is the costliest musical ever to be produced (at $70 million), even though its original budget was $52 million.

The show originally featured Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson and Alan Cumming as the Green Goblin. Both Wood and Cumming left in mid-2010 when the show kept experiencing delays. In an interview in early 2011, Cumming said of his involvement "My GOD, that was a lucky escape. Jesus Christ! Talk about dodging a bullet there!"

Even though the show hasn't officially opened, its trials and tribulations have become something of a pop-culture phenomenon. Check out some of the best moments below; if these happened before it opened, who knows what kind of headlines it will make once it does.

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Opens Roundup

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