above: dancer and gymnast Emmanuel Brown, pictured here, is a stunt double.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz went behind the scenes of the new Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, to shoot this fashion editorial for Vogue's December issue.
CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
above: Mary Jane (Jennifer Damiano) falls into the clutches of the Green Goblin (Patrick Page). Will Spider-Man save the day?
fashions: Alexander McQueen red printed silk chiffon bustier dress. Shot on location at Foxwoods Theatre, NYC. Mask by Julie Taymor.
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
above: Mary Jane fends off the multibladed Swiss Miss (Sean Samuels). “There are a lot of comic-book nerds out there who are in love with Mary Jane,” says Damiano. “I don’t want to let them down.”
fashions: Marchesa sculptured sapphire satin-faced organza ball gown. Mask by Julie Taymor.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
above: The ill-intentioned Carnage (Collin Baja) goes after Mary Jane. Says Taymor: “I saw the inherent theatricality in it, and I couldn’t resist.”
fashions: Marchesa black-and-white hand-painted crinoline ball gown.
WEB OF DESIRE
above: Carney and Damiano as the star-crossed Peter and Mary Jane.
fashions: Dior Haute Couture red-and-violet hand-painted satin organza dress. On Carney, Billy Reid striped shirt and Marni pants.
Images shot on location at PRG Scenic Technologies, New Windsor, NY. In this story: hair, Kamo for Mod’s Hair; makeup, Gucci Westman for Revlon. Photography production design by Mary Howard. All costumes by Eiko Ishioka. Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman.
above images and captions courtesy of Vogue.com
The story:
Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of the Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen.The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down— literally—when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek—suddenly endowed with astonishing powers—soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character. (text from Broadway.com)
A behind the scenes glimpse at the musical: