Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark: the story so far – in pictures

Great was the excitement when it was announced Spider-Man was coming to the stage with a $65m budget, direction by Julie Taymor and music by Bono and The Edge. Would it be the biggest musical Broadway had ever seen? Photograph: Courtesy Marvel Entertainment

But the story of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark soon became a tangled web ... Photograph: Jacob Cohl

In 2002, theatre producer Tony Adams struck a deal with Marvel for the stage rights to the webslinging superhero's adventures. Bono and The Edge were soon on board Photograph: Jacob Cohl/AP

During a Christmas holiday with Bono, Taymor was persuaded to join the project. But trouble was already afoot. 'We don't really like musicals,' The Edge said. So what would the show be like? 'It touches on opera.' Photograph: Joan Marcus

After years of setbacks, Taymor told the press that 'nothing really creative can be done without danger or risk'. Unfortunately, her cast took the hits. Several were injured rehearsing the show's 40-plus aerial stunts. Survivors, including Evan Rachel Wood, fled the project claiming 'scheduling difficulties' Photograph: Jacob Cohl/PR

On 20 December 2010 stuntman Christopher Tierney fell during the performance, suffering a skull fracture and cracked vertebrae. 'Once I hit the darkness of the stage, I had to just turn it real quick so I wasn't going to fall on my head,' Tierney told reporters Photograph: Charles Sykes/AP

On 17 January the New Yorker devoted its cover cartoon to the suffering performers Photograph: New Yorker PR Dept

Meanwhile, the critics were getting restless. Spider-Man, which now 'officially' opens on 15 March, was originally due to open in early 2010. In December 2010, 7 February was named as the latest revised opening night – giving exasperated critics licence to unleash their pens ... Photograph: Jacob Cohl

But all was not well at the preview. The dramatic cliffhanger at the end of the first half ground to a halt when Reeve Carney, playing the superhero, was left swinging helplessly above the audience. It took stagehands almost a minute to catch him by the feet to drag him down. 'Later, there was some heckling', reported the Guardian Photograph: Jacob Cohl

The critics duly descended. 'Spider-Man is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway, it may also rank among the worst,' claimed the New York Times Photograph: Jacob Cohl

The Washington Post added that Taymor 'left a few essential items off her lavish shopping list: 1. Coherent plot; 2. Tolerable music; 3. Workable sets.' 'Looking at the sad results,' critic Peter Marks said, 'you're compelled to wonder: where did all those tens of millions go?' ('Insurance,' was one wag's reply) Photograph: Charles Sykes/AP

'The PILE-ON by the critics was ridiculous and uncalled for,' said the show’s spokesman Rick Miramontez in his best Marvel-ese. 'Their actions are unprecedented and UNCOOL!' Photograph: Jacob Cohl

But the mishaps have actually seen ticket sales soar – with some audience members admitting they've come hoping to see a live disaster. 'In a very macabre way, it's bringing out the barbarian in audiences,' said columnist Michael Musto Photograph: Louis Lanzano/AP

Despite a critical mauling, the musical is still selling out the 1,930-seat Foxwoods theatre in Times Square almost every night (though the show's huge costs mean it will have to do so for several years to break even). Will Spidey have the last laugh? Photograph: Jemal Countess/Getty Images