Taymor’s Shakespearean Web
As a fan of director Julie Taymor, I welcome the news that she will be filming a version of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in November, and am revved about its stars — especially the casting of Helen Mirren (pictured) as a female version of the work’s wise character, who here will be called Prospera. But I have to wonder what the hell will happen to Taymor’s long-aborning stage musical “Spiderman” while the director is communing with Mirren. Today’s New York Post reports that the musical, with music by Bono, is expected to cost as much as $40 million. If the meter keeps running on the show while Taymor is off directing “The Tempest,” then “Spiderman” could surpass the musical of “Lord of the Rings” ($50 million) to become the most expensive live pop-musical sinkhole of all time.
