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The $65 million Spider-man musical suffered yet another setback last night when a performer playing Spider-man was injured during Monday night’s performance.
According to audience members of Monday night’s performance, the accident happened near the end of the show, on the bridge set. The character of Mary Jane is supposed to fall off the bridge with Spider-man going after her. As the stunt performer jumped during last night’s performance, his safety cable snapped. According to multiple sources, he fell anywhere between 8-30 feet, the lights went down and a voice (presumably Jennifer Damiano) could be heard screaming in the darkness. A few moments later, the stage manager’s voice was heard telling the audience there would be a pause in the production. Shortly after that, the rest of the performance was called off. A bootleg video, which was taken by a member of the audience can be seen at the NY Times website which can be sen by clicking here.
A spokesman for the production, Rick Miramontez, said the fall happened about seven minutes before the end of the performance, and the show was stopped.
Miramontez stated that “all signs were good as he was taken to the hospital for observation.”
Though the only official word on the accident does not state which actor was injured, sources say the injured performer is Christopher Tierney, an aerialist and ensemble actor in the show, who does some of the stunt work for the lead character. Actress Natalie Mendoza, who plays Arachne and had suffered a concussion during the first preview the play, wrote this on her twitter feed:
“Please pray with me for my friend Chris, my superhero who quietly inspires me everyday with his spirit. A light in my heart went dim tonight.”
FDNY confirms that they were called to the Foxwood’s theatre to treat a man who fell at least twenty feet. Tierney was then taken to Bellevue hospital, with minor injuries. As of Monday, this is the fourth accident that has plagued the production. The first two were suffered during rehearsals, with one performer breaking both wrists while rehearsing and aerial stunt and another breaking a leg. As stated above, Natalie Mendoza suffered a concussion during the first preview, which left her sidelined for two weeks.
No word yet on if this latest injury will affect any future performances. As of last week, Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark has pushed back it’s opening night form January 11 to February 7. Stay tuned as more details emerge.
*UPDATE* At 11:29 am, the Actor’s Equity Association issued a statement that they were working with the New York Department of Labor on the matter and have halted performances of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark until back-up safety measures have been put into place.
*UPDATE #2* – 1:30 pm – Broadway World is now reporting from several sources that Tierney suffered broken ribs and bleeding after his nearly 30 foot free-fall into the orchestra pit last night. Fortunately for him, he landed in such a way that he did NOT sustain any crippling back or neck injuries and is in serious, but stable condition at Bellevue hospital.
*UPDATE #3* – 2:45 pm, The production has just released a statement regarding the performance schedule:
“OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), Actors Equity and the New York State Department of Labor have met with the Spider-Man company today to discuss additional safety protocols. It was agreed that these measures would be enacted immediately.
Tomorrow’s matinee has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
Tomorrow evening’s, and all subsequent performances will proceed as scheduled.”
… let’s all just HOPE that there are better safety measures put in place… not only for the actor’s safety, but for the AUDIENCE MEMBERS too.
