NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — After Michael Cohl left Live Nation in 2008, he was headed to sunny Barbados, where he would be consulting for for his former employer. If you've been wondering what he's been doing since then, rest assured, that at least in part, it's Spider Man-related.
With a $50 million price tag, the upcoming Broadway production of "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark", is on track to be the most expensive B'way production on the books. The show is set to be staged at the former Hilton Theatre, recently re-christened the Foxwoods Theatre, thanks to a naming-rights deal with between Live Nation and Foxwoods casino in Ledyard, Connecticut. According to the New York Post, the theatre has been gutted for a 6 million refurb to accommodate the sprawling production. Foxwoods is said not to be an investor in the show, or on the hook for the cost of the remodel at the theatre, which was reportedly paid for by a single unnamed investor.
The production has been in works for more than a year and nearly went bust last summer, even before opening, after the show's original producer, David Garfinkle failed to secure more than a fraction of the production's costs, leaving paychecks at the theatre bouncing. That's when the show's composer Bono stepped in.
Bono had written music for the show and when it seemed as if the production was running off the rails, he called Michael Cohl, U2's tour producer, to try to straighten things out.
"The house is on fire. You need to come in and put out the fire," the singer reportedly told Cohl.
With Cohl on board, the production seems to be back on track and is now set for a preview on Nov. 14th and opening on Dec. 21st. According to the Post, a recent private reception Cohl hosted at the theatre for ticket agents proved to be a hit and agents bought more than $600,000 worth of tickets to the show. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
