Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a musical based on the character Spider-Man, with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The story incorporates elements of the 2002 Spider-Man film and the Greek myth of Arachne. It tells Spider-Man's origin story, his romance with Mary Jane and his battles with the Green Goblin.  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 the Dark officially opened on June 14, 2011, it had set the record for the longest preview period in Broadway history, with 182 performances. 

Although often described as a rock musical, the production "treads new ground" that some commentators have asserted "have effectively distanced it from its peers—and caused some confusion when it comes time to describe the show." The Edge stated that he is unsure of what description to use for the production, because "It is elements of rock and roll, it's elements of circus, it's elements of opera, [and] of musical theater."  Bono, admitting that his description is a little "pretentious," has referred to it as "pop-up, pop-art opera," noting that Julie Taymor is calling it a "rock-and-roll circus drama."  He also described the production as "wrestling with the same stuff" as "Rilke, Blake, Wings of Desire, Roy Lichtenstein, [and] the Ramones."  A 60 Minutes CBS special stated that it is being called a "comic book rock opera circus," although in that segment Bono noted that even using "rock" to describe the music is too narrow a description, because "We've moved out of the rock and roll idiom in places into some very new territory for us ... [including] big show tunes and dance songs."   In the rewritten version, the plot hews closer to the comic book and film and trims and transforms the role of Arachne into a "kindred spirit in Spider-Man's dreams".  The opening night cast featured Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson, Patrick Page as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, T.V. Carpio as Arachne, Michael Mulheren as J. Jonah Jameson, Ken Marks as Uncle Ben, Isabel Keating as Aunt May, Jeb Brown as Mary Jane's Father, Matt Caplan as school bully Flash Thompson, and Laura Beth Wells as Osborn's wife Emily.  Due to the physical demands of the role, Carney performed in six of the eight performances each week. The original alternate was British actor Matthew James Thomas, who left the show in November 2012 to star in Pippin. 

Tracklist:

1 –Bono & The Edge: NY Debut (Instrumental) 3:10

2 –Reeve Carney: Boy Falls from the Sky 4:28

3 –Reeve Carney Featuring Bono & The Edge: Rise Above 1   3:54

4 –Bono, The Edge, Jennifer Damiano, Reeve Carney: Picture This 3:39

5 –Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano With T.V. Carpio: I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now) 3:26

6 –Reeve Carney With Matt Caplan, Luther Creek, Kristen Faith, Sean Samuels: Bouncing Off the Walls 3:00

7 –Patrick Page: Pull the Trigger 4:02

8 –Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano: No More 3:45

9 –Patrick Page DIY World 2:57

10 –Jennifer Damiano: If the World Should End 3:47

11 –The Edge With Jeb Brown, Dwayne Clark, Luther Creek: Sinistereo 3:17

12 –Patrick Page With Bono, The Edge: A Freak Like Me Needs Company 3:42

13 –Reeve Carney, TV Carpio, Jennifer Damiano: Rise Above 2  4:23

14 –T.V. Carpio: Turn Off The Dark 4:07