Could 'Spider-Man' musical be shut down again?

NEW YORK (AP) � A spokesman for the troubled Spider-Man musical on Broadway insisted Wednesday that the show is still scheduled to open next week, as talk swirled that the production will shut down for several weeks and the opening will be put off for months.

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  By Spencer Platt, Getty Images

  The Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is scheduled to open on March 15, but rumors are swirling that the premiere could be delayed for a sixth time.

By Spencer Platt, Getty Images

The Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is scheduled to open on March 15, but rumors are swirling that the premiere could be delayed for a sixth time.

Rick Miramontez, spokesman for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, said, "We are not confirming or commenting on the recent reports" in The New York Times and elsewhere. The $65 million show, he said, is still scheduled to open March 15.

Published reports, citing anonymous sources in the production, have also said that director Julie Taymor may already be on the way out, after struggling for months to revamp the show amid scathing reviews from some theater critics.

Taymor did not respond to phone calls from the Associated Press.

A new delay would be the sixth for Broadway's most expensive show. The latest postponement would also make it ineligible for theater's biggest prize, a Tony Award. Shows must open by April 28 this year to be considered for a Tony.

Spider-Man has already had the longest preview period in Broadway musical history. Many critics got fed up and reviewed it last month, largely panning the musical.

The stunt-heavy show was written by director Taymor and Glen Berger, and has music by U2's Bono and The Edge. Taymor is widely respected on Broadway for directing The Lion King, still a huge hit. She did not, however, write the script, which was based on the blockbuster Disney animated movie.

Spider-Man regularly sells out and is among the highest earners each week on Broadway.

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