It was a busy Tuesday for the cast and crew of  Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark that began with an upbeat appearance by the stars on CBS's Early Show and ended with a subdued performance on the Late Show with David Letterman. In between, Bono was expected to tell producers whether he thinks the troubled $65-million musical is ready for its scheduled March 15 opening.

On The Early Show, stars Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano and T.V. Carpio brushed aside the production's largely negative reviews, even one saying that Spider-Man ranks among the worst musicals in Broadway history. "Everyone has a right to their opinion," said Carney, who stars as Peter Parker. "If anything, maybe thanks for -- in some ways, we kind of get a kick out of the negativity, just because (of) that whole thing -- 'any press is good press' is not entirely true, but you have to have a good sense of humor about yourself, as well. We're just trying to make the best show we can. So it's one person's opinion, and I think the audience reaction is so positive every night that that's kind of what we're focused on, just trying to please the audience."

Likewise, Carpio downplayed the show's injuries, pointing out she received a concussion while performing in Rent. "Not to minimize what has happened in our show," she said, "but there's no flying in Rent and these things happened and nobody heard about it." (That said, Spider-Man producers can't be pleased by the headline on The Early Show website: "Spider-Man stars rationalize injuries.")

On David Letterman, it was all about the music, with the trio performing the obviously Bono-penned ballad "Rise Above" (watch the video below). They might've been better-served by something a little more pulse-pounding, but what do I know? How about Carney's Spider-Man jacket, though? I'd buy one of those from the gift shop (which will be stocked with merchandise sporting Greg Horn artwork).