Julie Taymor has stepped down as the director of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark after the official opening of the musical was delayed for a sixth time. Taymor will be replaced by a new creative team to oversee rewrites on the musical, which was set to open on March 15. Producers said Taymor’s previous commitments past that date meant she could not work all the hours necessary but she will stay as part of the production team. The opening of the Broadway show has been delayed until the early summer. The production features music composed by U2 star Bono and The Edge.

Mel B has said it’s ‘very exciting’ that there is going to be a Spice Girls musical.

The 34-year-old star confirmed all five girls are excited about the plans.

She said: “Yes… Simon Fuller and us teamed up with Judy Craymer, who did Mamma Mia!, and yeah we’re doing a Spice Girls musical. It’s gonna be very exciting.”

Asked if they are in it for the money, she said: “No, we’ve been wanting to do something like that for quite some time now. And Simon Fuller kind of got it all together.”

However, Mel said the original band members, herself, Mel C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham, will not be appearing in the musical.

She said: “No, no, we’re going to do the creative side of it.”

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is heading to Broadway for his first musical.

The 20-year-old actor has been announced as the lead for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Radcliffe is already used to the pressures of nightly Broadway appearances, having wowed critics with Equus last year.

‘How to Succeed’ chronicles the rise of a crafty window cleaner as he follows the advice of a self-help manual to connive his way up through the ranks of the World Wide Wickets Co. and get the girl in the process.

Robert Morse created the role on Broadway and starred in the 1967 screen adaptation.

The original production won seven Tonys, including musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1962, running for a healthy 1,417 performances. Matthew Broderick won a Tony for the lead role in a 1995 revival.

Source: Splash News

Woodstock, recently a movie, is now on its way to Broadway.

A new musical celebrating Woodstock was in the works for the 2010-2011 Broadway season in New York City, said co-founder and producer of the 1969 concert, Michael Lang.

Lang said the Broadway theatrical version will be based on his bestseller The Road To Woodstock.

Lang and partner Sam Nappi said there was no title for the production at this time. Broadway’s Woodstock will feature new music as well as songs performed at the concert.

Director Ang Lee has just made a film about the making of Woodstock, titled Taking Woodstock, that stars Liev Schreiber (pictured).

Source: Splash News

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Bono may swing to the rescue of a troubled multi-million-dollar Spider-Man musical.

The U2 frontman – who penned the score to the Broadway show with bandmate The Edge – is said to have reached out to his wealthy pals to save the extravaganza after it reportedly ran into financial trouble.

Work on the show was suspended last week after producers experienced “cash flow issues”.

It prompted rumours that the cast and crew had been released from their contracts and the whole musical had been axed. But producers insisted that was not the case.

Now Bono is being tipped as the $45 million show’s saviour.

New York Post theatre critic Michael Riedel wrote: “The help – or, more accurately, the cash – is said to be coming by way of Bono.

“Bono’s too smart to put his own money in the show, but word on the street is that he’s tapped into his vast network of rich friends and business associates to restart production.

“Designers and some stagehands go back to work today. Bono feeds half of Africa, so raising a few more million for Spider-Man shouldn’t be too difficult.”

The show is due to go into previews next February.

A representative for Bono, 49, was unavailable for comment.

Source: Splash News

Billy Elliot, based on the hit movie starring Jamie Bell and Julie Walters, received the Best Book of a Musical and Choreography awards as well as Design prizes for Sets, Lighting and Sound.

It also tied with Next to Normal for Best Orchestration.

“I have to thank Elton John. It was his idea to make this a musical in the first place,” said Lee Hall, who won for Best Book of a Musical.

“He insisted we start with the music.”

Hall and John were also nominated for Best Original Score for Billy Elliot.

Billy Elliot and God of Carnage were the most popular Broadway shows this season, with Carnage also expected to garner half a dozen awards.

The Tony Awards were hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, who replaced last year’s host Hugh Jackman.

The awards feature 27 competitive categories and have been running since 1947.

Source: Splash News

Bridget Jones’s Diary is heading to Broadway, according to reports.

The bestseller is to become a musical – and Elton John may pen the score.

Helen Fielding, who wrote the popular book, has written a draft of the show, including lyrics.

And while there is no composer yet, producers have not ruled out the possibility that Rocket Man Elton John will write the tunes.

“It’s very early days yet, and we’re trying to decide which way to go musically,” Eric Fellner, the head of production company Working Title told a US newspaper. “If it’s a direction Elton John agrees with, we would of course be happy to work with him again.”

Source: Splash News

Rush, who has built his career on a string of films, won the 54th annual Drama Desk award in New York for the theatrical show that was launched in Sydney and Melbourne in 2007.

Billy Elliot The Musical won 10 prizes, among them an award for Elton John for his outstanding score and to Stephen Daldry for direction.

"It’s been an amazing experience," said John of the smash hit production.

"It’s made an incredible impact on my life."