Empire State Building Will Light Up for Flag Day, Not Spiderman

On Flag Day - which happens to coincide with opening night of the revamped Broadway musical Spider-Man:Turn off the Dark - the Empire State Building will be lit up in red, white, and blue to celebrate the American flag.

This is much to the chagrin of the show's producers, who had asked the iconic skyscaper to light up in Spider-Man's colors - red and blue.

Empire State Building officials refused the request, agreeing to accomodate it only if a climactic battle scene between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin was moved from the Chrysler Building to the Empire State Building.

Those inside the beleaguered production were taken aback by the condition.

How ludicrous. We're a week away from opening, one crew member told the New York Post. We're not going to be changing the set.

Another source from the show added, Do you know what all these sets cost? It would cost a fortune to change it, and there just isn't enough time. Also, the Chrysler Building is an integral part of the show.

So far, New Yorkers have loved to hate Spider-Man:Turn off the Dark, which at $70 million dollars is the most expensive musical in Broadway history.

The setbacks and difficulties plaguing the show have been almost comical in their magnitude and persistence. It has had the longest preview run of any Broadway show; and the feedback for the roughly 180 shows was so negative that the previews were suspended, followed quickly by the departure of the Julie Taymor, the show's original director.

One actress was forced to pull out of the show after suffering whiplash, and a stunt perfomer suffered serious injuries - fracturing his skull, shoulder blade and several other bones - after a safety harness failed.

A source at the Empire State Building explained why the landmark chose to turn on the dark. We love Spider-Man, but the Empire State Building is the world's most famous office building and the icon of the New York City skyline and omitting it from the set isn't the first misstep the Spider-Man musical has made, the unnamed source told the New York Post.

An official spokesperson for the show is not showing any hard feelings, at least not in print. Spider-Man is an equal opportunity web-slinger, Rick Miramontez said. And there's room in his heart for all of New York's great skyscrapers.

We love Spider-Man, but the Empire State Building is the world's most famous office building and the icon of the New York City skyline, and omitting it from the set isn't the first misstep the 'Spider-Man' musical has made.