Julie Taymor Bites Back: Bono Didn't Know What Was Happening on 'Spider-Man'

The people behind Broadway's Spider-Man are all snakes.

At least that's what ousted director Julie Taymor says in a just-published interview with Esquire.

The one-time puppeteer was fired in March from Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the most expensive show ever mounted on Broadway, amid concerns about out-of-control budgets and her alleged resistance to changing what was seen as a meandering and confusing script.

"I think that those were important to paint a picture of a director who you needed to release in order to make this big change," she says. "I had to be characterized that way in order for something to happen."

At the time, those involved with the production--including U2's Bono and the Edge, who wrote the show's music and lyrics--painted Taymor as worn out and unable to continue. That wasn't the case, she now alleges, and even if it were, those people weren't around to take notice.

"There's no doubt by the end of February, when I felt all of this stuff happening, that I was exhausted by that, but not by the show and not by the inspiration that I was getting from the actors," Taymor tells Esquire. "What was exhausting was the fact that the producers were absent." She adds, "Those people weren't there, so how does Bono know?"

Taymor, who attended the show's June opening and mugged with Bono for the crowd, has filed two lawsuits against the production dealing with royalties, copyright infringement and back pay.