It may sometimes be disguised as Metropolis or Gotham City, but New York is a well-known backdrop for the adventures of superheroes. So it seemed fitting, one morning last month, to find hundreds of hopefuls lined up along Leonard Street awaiting their try for a starring part in Spider-Man, the Broadway musical.

Three leading roles—Spider-Man himself, Mary Jane Watson (the love interest), and an unnamed female villain—were up for grabs.

The small bars and performance spaces in the now-defunct Knitting Factory served as settings for the auditions, where nearly 600 actors entered, one by one, to belt out a few bars of their favorite pop, rock or show tune.

The open call was for “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” with music by U2 band mates Bono and the Edge, slated to open on Broadway in January.

“We’re looking for something extraordinary, which is a rock singer that can play Spiderman,” said Tiffany Little Canfield, the casting agent who sat through the auditions.

“It’s such an iconic character. So we want to see what there is out there that we might not know about yet.”

Similar calls for the show’s lead roles have been held in Los Angeles and Seattle, and production staff members are scheduled for stops in Chicago and Austin, Texas.

It will take more than vocal strength to land these roles. Established veterans and undiscovered newcomers alike will need athletic prowess and a healthy love of heights, Canfield said, as Spider-Man will spends much of his time swinging over the audience, and both female leads will find themselves in the air as well.

Nevertheless, most actors who were interviewed insisted that they had all the qualifications it takes to be Spider-Man.

“I’m outgoing, I can sing, and I can fly!” exclaimed Christian Herrera.

“I live in New York, isn’t that enough?” said Aaron Anderson, who explained that he had been a professional snowboarder in his native state of Idaho.

Some, like Stevan Szczytko, of Neptune City, NJ, were a bit more apprehensive about the prospect of “flying.”

"Hopefully, we'll just be saving the day through the power of song," he said.