Money Woes Ground Spidey, Other Musicals

Financial woes are forcing more musicals to face the music: Spider-Man’s Broadway appearance has been delayed until next January, while Stephen Sondheim’s latest couldn’t raise the cash for tryout performances, Bloomberg reports. Spidey’s show, with tunes by U2’s Bono and the Edge, costs a record $31.3 million to perform, while iSondheim’s $4.5 million tryout is steep for a musical revue.

The cost of Spider-Man derives in part from web-slinging around the theater and a full-sized, suspended subway train; ticket prices are also set to break records, with the best seats going for $135. Sondheim’s show is to feature film clips of the legendary composer chatting about his work. “Obviously, we need to regroup,” said the show’s writer, but producers say they’re not giving up. (More Stephen Sondheim stories.)