Through this "fans first" initiative, interested theatregoers may use their American Express card to purchase tickets to the new musical about the Marvel comic books hero, which will begin previews at Broadway's Hilton Theatre Jan. 16, 2010.

Ticket buyers can call (877) 250-2929 or visit ticketmaster.com and use the codes 1MARVL or U2FIRST. The ticket offer runs through June 23. Beginning June 24 all American Express cardholders will be able to purchase tickets to Spider-Man.

Directed by The Lion King's Julie Taymor, the musical will officially open Feb. 18, 2010. Casting will be announced shortly.

Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark features music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge and a book by Taymor and Glen Berger.

Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books, Spider-Man, according to press notes, "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. Spider-Man's battles will hurtle the audience through an origin story both recognizable and unexpected — yielding new characters as well as familiar faces — until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero's journey."

	Spider-Man creators Julie Taymor, Bono and The Edge
	photos by Brigitte Lacombe, Kevin Davies and Kevin Mazur

The creative team also includes choreographer Daniel Ezralow ("Across the Universe," The Green Bird), set designer George Tsypin (The Magic Flute, The Little Mermaid), costume designer Eiko Ishioka (Academy Award for "Bram Stoker's Dracula," Tony nomination for M. Butterfly), lighting designer Donald Holder (Tony Awards for The Lion King, South Pacific), sound designer Jonathan Deans (Fosse Young Frankenstein, Ragtime) and musical supervisor Teese Gohl ("Across the Universe," "Frida"). The musical will be produced on Broadway by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris. It will be produced in association with Omneity Entertainment/Richard Weinberg, the Mayerson/Gould/Hauser/Tysoe Group, Patricia Lambrecht and Jam Theatricals/S2BN Entertainment.

Group tickets are now on sale by calling (800) Broadway.

The Hilton Theatre is located in Manhattan at 213 West 42nd Street.

For more information visit www.SpidermanOnBroadway.com.