Hundreds of aspiring Peter Parkers showed up at the Knitting Factory last Monday to try out for the upcoming Julie Taymor–directed Spider-Man musical. Left, auditionee head shots; below, their choices of audition tunes (pop/rock was requested—Bono and the Edge are writing Spider-Man’s music and lyrics) and selected explanations as to why they should get the part.
1. JOSH BEDNARSKY, Manhattan.
“With or Without You,” U2.
“For me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.”
2. MICHAEL PETRILLO, Detroit.
“I Can’t Stand Still,” from Footloose.
“There is always a time for the unknowns to shine, and this could be my big break.”
3. GASPARE DI BLASI, Brooklyn.
“Sweetest Thing,” U2.
“I am a hardworking student who believes in fighting for what is right!”
4. ALEX PEPPER, Middletown, Md.
“Through Glass,” Stone Sour.
5. SAMUEL KUNZMAN, Tewksbury, N.J.
“Oh! Darling,” the Beatles.
6. ANTHONY JACOBS, Manhattan.
“Heaven,” Bryan Adams.
7. ADAM MOSEBACH, Hicksville, N.Y.
“This Is the Night,” Clay Aiken.
8. ROBBIE RHODES, Astoria.
“Drive,” Incubus.
9. NICK FONDULIS, Astoria.
“You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi.
“I already walk around New York in Spidey underwear.”
10. MICHAEL BARTKIEWICZ, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
“Lost in the Wilderness,” from Children of Eden.
11. SALVADOR GARCIA, Astoria.
“You’re a God,” Vertical Horizon.
“Who doesn’t want to be a nerdy superhero who swings through the city? Beats taking the subway.”
12. JASON HAIR-WYNN, Attleboro, Mass.
“Higher,” Creed.
“I grew up in a small town where I was the only openly gay man. I endured quite a bit throughout my high-school life. When I look at Peter Parker, with his self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness, I feel as though a lot of young people can relate to this character. I especially could.”
13. MATTHEW KAGEN, Brooklyn.
“December 1963 (Oh, What a Night!),” the Four Seasons.
“I look great in spandex, and my upside-down kissing skills are unparalleled.”
14. CHRIS WILL, Forest Hills.
“Fortune Favors the Brave,” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. “
I have a high rock sound to my voice.”
15. CHRISTOPHER J. CANTALUPO, Edison, N.J.
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Elton John.
“I can connect with Peter Parker’s lifelong struggle for acceptance and identity in a society that contains many obstacles.”