Techtite's Shows & Parks Reviews!

"So what if some say that the Universal Studios stage show is better; with the money they pump into their theme park, I'm not surprised. This is still a great stage show to take the kids to on a family weekend."

---from the review

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With my niece and three nephews loving Scooby-Doo in: Stagefright! so much, I couldn't help but look for other similar, made-for-kids stage shows. Lo and behold, there was to be a Spider-Man stage show, at the same theater, the very next month. The verdict...? Well, once again, the kids loved it. However, parents who were Spider-man-fans in their youth, cannot help but wonder if this show could've gone that extra mile.

While this stage show's subtitle is listed as either "a family spectacular" (on various souvenirs for the event) or "a stunt spectacular" (on the promotional material), I'd say both descriptions are around equal. For one; this isn't a stage show you see without the kids; hence the "family spectacular" description. On the other hand, this is more of s stunt stage show than a real stage production per se, with well over 3/4ths devoted to various aerial stunts. If you're looking for a good story, memorable dialog, or even a memorable acting performance, I'd say look elsewhere...though hey, those stunts are pretty darn COOL!

The stage show clocks in at an hour and 45 minutes, which includes a 15 minute intermission. Part one is mostly back-story of Peter Parker learning how to use his newfound powers. Comic purists who didn't like the genetically-savvy rewrite of the story via the Spider-man movie, will appreciate how true to the original comic tale this stage show is. The only rewrites here are only to accelerate the 90-minute story, where Harry Osborne (not his dad) quickly becomes Green Goblin in order to woo the interest of Mary Jane from Peter Parker. She protests, so he winds up dangling her above the typical bad-guy's barrel of green toxic slime. It's Spider-man to the rescue...!

However, at this story's core are the stunts. There's a well staged wrestling fight between Spider-Man and "The Crusher" (a la the classic story of how Peter first tries to use his powers to be a celebrity, not a super-hero). Later, there's an even better staged fight between Green Goblin and Spidey, which even includes some fireworks pyrotechnics to simulate Goblin's jack-o-lantern bombs. Spring-like trampolines built into the stage allow the acrobatic Spider-actor to perform "super-power" jumps over and around their opponent. Meanwhile, wire-harnesses from up above allow for both Spider-Man's web slinging, as well as an impressively well done "flying" Green Goblin atop his rocket flier. For a stage show intended for children, this is a lot of nice eye candy to enjoy.

The setup of the stage cannot help but be admired. Three flatscreen monitors to the sides, and a large, stage-sized monitor in the top-middle, allow for both close-ups of things impossible to see on stage (like a "spider" biting Peter Parker), to news reports about the Green Goblin. When Spidey and Mary Jane are trapped by Goblin, the screen switches to a countdown timer, telling the audience how much time is left before Goblin's "bomb" explodes. This timer showcases the impressive choreography at work here, since Spider-Man, in typical thriller fashion, saves M.J. with mere seconds to spare! 

The screen also allows for a cute moment of audience interaction worth mentioning here. At one point, a news cast appears on the large screen, "live," with the "reporter" interviewing kids in the audience! Parents of kids in the front-left of the theater will love seeing their kids on the screen as the reporter interviews them, asking them if they think Spider-Man will get out of this trap, and how they think he'll do it. This is a cute added touch.

The flaws with this show stem from having seen the Scooby-Doo stage show earlier, and comparing the two. For one, while the Scooby-Doo show didn't waste time with back story, this show does, making it around 20 minutes before kids see Spider-Man on stage at all. Fans who'ce already heard the how-Spider-man-got-his-powers story will have to see all over again the tale of how the spider bites Parker, blah blah blah, Parker lets villain go, villain robs his own family home, Parker learns to forevermore use his powers for good yadda yadda yadda. Hey, enough with the back story: I came to see Spider-man shoot some webs!

That's the other problem; very little web-slinging or wall-crawling is offered here at all. Of course, let's be fair: how hard is it to simulate "web-slinging" in a stage show? Sure, computer FX-laden films can show such stunts with ease, but in a live stage show, such FX are impossible. Spidey always swings onto center stage via his web, and yes he does "web" Goblin in the end, though as for webs shooting out of his wrists or anything; no. He oddly seems to like to punch enemies more than trap them with webbing. While this is of course understandable in the world of stage shows (where a fake punch is easier than faked webbing), it's a tad less eye-grabbing than the web-slinging one might expect.

Be this as it may, there's a lot to love about a stage show made for kids that involves spider-man. If they had this sort of thing in the 1970's, I'd have seen it at least twice. So what if some say that the Universal Studios stage show is better; with the money they pump into their theme park, I'm not surprised. This is still a great stage show to take the kids to on a family weekend. They'll love it. Parents will like it too.