Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Arachne created blasphemous images of the gods. Furious, Athena destroyed Arachne's work. Devastated, Arachne hanged herself, but Athena took pity on Arachne and transformed her into the world's first spider. Now Arachne is cursed to wander the universe and weave her web for all eternity. After class ends, Peter's ex-best friend Flash Thompson and his gang gleefully torment the straight A student ("Bullying by Numbers"). Peter has a crush on his popular next door neighbor Mary Jane Watson, but they both have unhappy lives: Mary Jane has an abusive father and suffers at home while Peter suffers the torment of
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark The Broadway production was notorious for its many troubles. Several actors were injured performing stunts and the opening night was repeatedly pushed back to give the creative team more time to work, causing some critics to review the 'unfinished' production in protest. Following negative reviews, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" suspended performances for a month to retool the show. Long-time "Spider-Man" comics writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was brought in to revise the story and book. Director Julie Taymor, whose vision had driven the concept of the musical, was replaced by creative consultant Philip William McKinley. By the time "Spider-Man: Turn Off