Spidey's Jazz Hands Get Shut Down

But with a ballooning budget of over $40 million, the production of the musical was put on hold and the actors have been released from their contracts. The producers insist that once more money is acquired, the production will continue moving towards its February 2010 opening, but with the actors set free, it looks as if jazz hands Spidey is looking less and less like a possibility.

While many dreams are squashed with this announcement, the one I was already indulging in was seeing Neil Patrick Harris descend from the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall at next year's Tonys dressed head to toe in Spidey spandex (NPH already voiced Spidey for Spider-Man: The New Animated Series on MTV (see the above video).

Spidey choreographed dance numbers and NPH cameos may all be awash now, but who knows, maybe Disney can now funnel some money into the flailing Broadway production, and we may yet see Peter Parker singing a duet with Liza at next year's Tonys, but until then readers can flip through old Spider-Man back issues and dream of an arachna love that never was.

-- CHRISTOPHER RUDOLPH

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