Rehearsals for the most expensive show ever produced on the Great White Way have been put off from this spring, according to senior members of the production team, who declined to be named because an opening date has not been announced.

According to these people, the musical will have a workshop in the late summer and begin rehearsals in the late fall for a Broadway opening at the Hilton Theater likely in early 2010.

“This is the third time the date has been changed so far,” one of the production people said.

This person added that the high cost of producing the show “has never been an issue because the producers arent tied to the market.” The reasons for the delay, this person said, have to do with still-unresolved creative decisions by a team headed by director Julie Taymor.

“Spider-Man” is being produced by a small consortium that includes Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle; Martin McCallum, a former top executive in the Cameron Mackintosh organization; and “Spider-Man” publisher Marvel Entertainment.

Announcement Coming

None of the lead producers would speak about the show. Suzanne Tighe, a spokeswoman for the production, said, “There cant be a postponement since no dates were announced.”

“Were going to send out an announcement next week,” she said, declining to comment further.

“Spider-Man” would mark Taymors return to Broadway for the first time since 1997, when she staged the Tony Award-winning adaptation of Walt Disney Co.s animated film, “The Lion King.” The songs for “Spider-Man,”, by U2s Bono and the Edge, and book, by Taymor and Glen Berger, were completed last year.

Evan Rachel Wood, a star of Taymors Beatles film, “Across the Universe,” already has been cast as Spider-Mans love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Woods co-star from the film, Jim Sturgess, has performed readings of the show and is favored for the lead role.

The show could cost as much as $40 million, according to published reports. In a recent interview, the Edge put the cost at $25 million euros ($31.3 million). In addition to a large cast and special effects, the production calls for a 20-piece rock band.

In a television interview after a reading last year with Wood and Sturgess, Taymor said that recreating Spider-Mans superhero feats will be much harder to replicate on a live stage.

The people involved in the production said that preliminary work on the show would begin this spring, in preparation for the summer workshop.

“But everythings been changed, so dont assume it wont change again,” one person said.

Despite the slumping economy, seven musicals are scheduled to open on Broadway between now and the end of the season in May. They include revivals of “Guys and Dolls,” currently in previews at the Nederlander Theater; “West Side Story,” “Hair” and another big-budget film-to-stage transfer, the Dolly Parton-scored show “9 to 5.”

To contact the writer of this column: Jeremy Gerard in New York at jgerard2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 18, 2009 22:00 EST
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