A spokesperson for the Broadway production said the recent accident where an actor fell from a platform had been rehearsed a thousand times without incident.
- December 22, 2010
AceShowbiz - Broadway's beleaguered "Spider-Man" musical has been hit with another setback - a preview performance was cancelled mid-show on Monday, December 20 after an actor playing the superhero was injured on stage.
The much-delayed "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" finally began preview performances in November after months of problems and rigorous safety checks, but the opening show was marred by stops as stunts went wrong. Producers vowed to resolve all of the technical issues before the official opening, which was recently pushed back from January to February, but a horrendous onstage accident on Monday proved there are still problems to be fixed.
Audience members at the Foxwoods Theater gasped in horror as one of the actors playing the webslinger tumbled from a platform above the stage. The production was immediately halted and the unnamed star was taken to New York's Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
A spokesman for the show tells the New York Times' Arts Beat blog, "An actor sustained an injury at tonight's performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. He fell several feet from a platform approximately seven minutes before the end of the performance, and the show was stopped. All signs were good as he was taken to the hospital for observation. We will have more news shortly."
As a result, they canceled its Wednesday matinee to add safety precautions. A spokesman for the production, Rick Miramontez said the show would be safe enough to perform on Wednesday night after the new measures were put in place.
The accident marks the latest in a long line of injuries for the show's stars - actress Natalie Mendoza suffered concussion on the first night of previews when a rope broke and hit her on the head, and another Spider-Man stuntman Kevin Aubin broke both wrists during rehearsals in October.
