Jere Harris News

Broadway rocker Justin Matthew Sargent, best known for his star turn as 'Drew' in Broadway's Rock of Ages, has landed the coveted role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man role in SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. Sargent will play evening performances at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street) beginning Monday, September 16.

Hero Ventures, a Los Angeles based entertainment company, announced today that it is teaming up with Marvel Entertainment to create 'The Marvel Experience,' an innovative, traveling experience, featuring dozens of Marvel's iconic Super Heroes. This attraction will appeal to a multi-generational audience and will leverage state-of-the-art interactive and multimedia technology, including a 4D motion ride and original 3D animated features, allowing fans to be a part of the action. The tour comes to life in 2014.

As we reported yesterday, it's now official that the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the UK's largest theatre owner/operator and a multi award winning theater production group, has through its subsidiary, Lyric Theatre LLC, acquired The Foxwoods Theatre from Live Nation Entertainment.

Zev Buffman, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc. President and CEO, announced that Agatha Christie's The BBC Murders will be coming to Parker Playhouse on January 15 for a limited three week run. The BBC Murders include four Agatha Christie classics: Butter In A Lordly Dish, Three Blind Mice, Personal Call and Yellow Iris. Tickets are on sale now, online by www.browardcenter.org; by phone 954-462-0222.

The team behind the trouble-plauged SPIDER-MAN, TURN OFF THE DARK, which on April 17th played its final performance before undergoing a major overhaul, have kept their silence. Through highs and lows - though much more in the public eye of the latter - the cast and creative team have rarely spoken out, but now producers Jere Harris and Michael Cohl are commenting on the $65 million dollar giant.

A production source tells us that an official company meeting has been called for tonight at 7pm at the Foxwoods Theatre for all the SPIDER-MAN cast and crew to hear the news officially from producer Michael Cohl before an announcement is revealed to the press and public regarding the show's future. We're told that neither Bono, nor The Edge are expected to be there, and aside from Cohl, it's not been revealed what current, or future creative team members might be in attendance.

Patrick Healy in the New York Times is now reporting that lead producer Michael Cohl has 'told at least two investors and one other person involved with the Broadway musical that its director Julie Taymor, will step aside once negotiations about complex contractual matters like her creative legal rights and her considerable financial stake in any profits are concluded.'

Patrick Healy in the New York Times is now reporting that lead producer Michael Cohl has 'told at least two investors and one other person involved with the Broadway musical that its director Julie Taymor, will step aside once negotiations about complex contractual matters like her creative legal rights and her considerable financial stake in any profits are concluded.'

Now, others are adding to the trickle of information leaking out of the production, with Michael Riedel in the New York Post reporting that Christopher Ashley (Memphis, Xanadu, All Shook Up, The Rocky Horror Show) is likely to take over direction duties from Julie Taymor. Riedel reports that it's unknown if she will continue with the production in some capacity, take a break and return or what as negotiations are still ongoing. He pegs the hiatus as 4-6 weeks, to begin at the end of April, but also notes that the sheer technical complexity of the production will make large scale changes difficult.

The New York Times is reporting that tomorrow's SPIDER-MAN announcement will include the news that the production will shut down for 2-3 weeks for giving the cast a break, and for holding new rehearsals for more substantial changes. Other online blogs have speculated that there will be a longer break, possibly as much as 4-5 weeks. The production is also expected to delay its scheduled opening for 'about three months'.

Sources tell BroadwayWorld.com that behind the scenes talks have been 'making progess' and that the cast, which has not been made aware yet of the specifics, has been told to expect that announcement to come tomorrow (Wednesday) as was promised on Friday.

Monday night, the New York Times is reporting that discussions and negotiations are underway for director and co-bookwriter Julie Taymor to either 'work with a newly expanded creative team to fix the critically derided $65 million musical or to possibly leave the show.' The paper reports all of this to anonymous sources as the producers have insisted that the talks are private, but they do note that for the first time Bono himself is directly involved in the negotiations. As to the possibilities of Taymor departing or accepting help, they note that as of Monday night, 'they were not sure if Ms. Taymor would stay or go as director'.

After five delays, the show is currently scheduled to open on March 15th, 2011, but rumors have said that the show will likely be delayed again, possibly to June of 2011. A delay past April 28th would make it inelligible for this year's Tony Awards. Now, multiple sources tell us that the show is likely to announce that further delay this week, probably to June of 2011.

Word went out earlier this week that Bono, who wrote the music and lyrics for SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK attended the show on Tuesday night to analyze the musical's progress since he last attended the production to lend his help in January, along with rumors last week (denied by the production) that they were bringing on additional team members for the book/production. As for whether the producers would delay the opening of the show yet again, spokesperson Rick Miramontez, said that, 'all decisions are made as a group.'