Much Ado About ‘Spider-Man’

Glitches, technical problems and injuries have haunted the $65 million production of “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark,” but they certainly haven’t rained on producer Michael Cohl’s parade.

Cohl is confident that the show will go on as planned after six weeks of previews, opening Jan. 11 at the Foxwoods Theatre in New York City.

In a recent interview, he said he feels the production has “worked out 80 percent of our bugs” and doesn’t expect any changes in cast or the script moving forward, aside from some small tweaks.

But all the delays, glitches and injuries to cast members – including a lead actress in the production who suffered a concussion – have had late-night TV tongues wagging.

Conan O’Brien’s crew has spoofed “Spider-Man” several times with cheap costumes, and “Saturday Night Live” took aim at the production’s mounting injuries with Andy Sandberg stuck hanging upside down from a cable.

Still, “Spider-Man” seems to be taking all the jabs in stride.

A floral bouquet sent to O’Brien’s crew contained a note that read: “We wanted to thank you for your tribute to our show, but we couldn’t decide what to send. We hope you enjoy the flowers – it was cheaper than a cease and desist,” sources close to the matter told the New York Times.

And Cohl, too, remained optimistic.

“Listen, they’ve mocked a lot of things and been wrong,” he said. “‘Billy Elliot’ stopped five times on its opening preview, by the way. So we’re tied with ‘Billy Elliot.’ I only hope we do as well.”

“Spider-Man” appears to be faring well at the box office, reportedly generating more than $1 million in ticket sales within 24 hours of the opening preview and selling out its first week.