Cirque du Soleil: It can make clowns not scary and bring the Beatles back to life -- but can it fix the notoriously awful and problem-plagued "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"?

Looks like they're going one better in New York, where Cirque is set to launch its own improved version, "Zarkana":

As it happens, “Zarkana,” Mr. Laliberté’s own high-flying blend of circus and rock opera is to begin a four-month run at Radio City Music Hall this week, the first time Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based entertainment behemoth, will have a regular presence on the edge of the New York theater district. Like “Spider-Man,” which opens on June 14, “Zarkana” features a character soaring over the audience, a hard-driving rock score, a villainous spider lady and gravity-defying acrobats. Mr. Laliberté didn’t just reject his friend’s offer; it appears he decided to show him how it’s really done.