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Spiderman: Turn off the Dark - Broadway's Biggest Musical Failure? (Part 1)

5/27/202640 min

Spiderman: Turn off the Dark - Broadway's Biggest Musical Failure? (Part 1)

Joining me today to discuss one of the most disastrous Broadway Musicals ever - Spiderman: Turn off the Dark - Is comedian and friend Suzi Ruffell

There are Broadway musicals that become legends…

…and then there are Broadway musicals that become infamous cautionary tales.

From the creators of The Lion King and the visionary minds of Bono and The Edge came a musical so ambitious… so expensive… so unbelievably cursed…

…it made critics beg for intermission.

Budget problems. Flying accidents. Preview delays.

I could go on… so I will…

Six directors. Millions over budget.

And enough backstage panic to power all of Times Square.

This wasn’t just a musical.

It was a catastrophe with merchandise.

This is the unbelievable true story of the big budget Broadway musical disaster -

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

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First 90 seconds
  1. Josh Widdicombe· Host0:00

    If you want to listen to all of the episodes of this series right now, early release and ad free, plus a whole host of extra fan club benefits, head to museumofpopculture.supportingcast.fm, or if that's too much of a mouthful, just click on it in the show notes, which is the description bit that no one reads. [tape clicking] Hello and welcome. I am Josh Widdicombe. For today, I'm the curator of a place of incredible artifacts and exhibitions, a place that stores the greatest thing on Earth. This is my archive of pop culture. [upbeat music] As a self-confessed pop culture obsessive, I love the geniuses, the scam artists, and dare I say, the absolute mad men that have made the records, shows, and films that we love. In each series, I will tell you a story of unlikely triumph and usually an enjoyably crushing failure, featuring celebrated stars that in any other industry would probably be politely sacked. It's a show for people more interested in David Hasselhoff than David Lammy, Elizabeth Taylor than Queen Elizabeth I, which let's be honest, is all of us. Joining me today to discuss one of the most disastrous Broadway musicals ever, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, is comedian and friend, Suzi Ruffell.

  2. Unknown speaker1:24

    [upbeat music]

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