'Spider-Man' Actor Injured in Fall; Producers Vow to Increase Safety Measures

By PopEater Staff Posted Dec 21st 2010 01:45PM

One of the actors playing Spider-Man in the trouble-prone Broadway musical 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' was injured during a performance Monday night when a rope he was tethered to snapped, causing him to fall a reported 30 feet into the orchestra pit.

A police spokesman confirmed that a male actor was injured at about 10:42 p.m. and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center where his condition is unknown. A Washington Post source in the cast says the injured performer was Christopher Tierney and the hospital has confirmed that a patient with that name has been admitted.

Natalie Mendoza, an actress who suffered a concussion during an earlier performance, asked fans in a Twitter message to keep the actor in their prayers. "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."

Earlier accounts from audience members indicated that the performer fell about 10 feet, but a stagehand for the show told BroadwayWorld.com that it was actually a 30-foot drop.

The terrifying accident, which was videotaped by an audience member and posted on NYTimes.com, came near the end of the show during a scene in which Spider-Man was standing on a "bridge"-like platform and attempting to rescue a dangling Mary-Jane.

The cable that snapped was supposed to stop the actor from falling as he ran to help. He fell from that height down to the bottom of the orchestra pit.

In response to the accident, producers have quickly moved to increase safety measures for the cast and crew, according to a statement from 'Spider-Man' spokesman Rick Miramontez.

"OSHA, Actors Equity and the New York State Department of Labor have met with the Spider-Man company today to discuss additional safety protocols," the statement said. "It was agreed that these measures would be enacted immediately."

Miramontez says that the matinee performance scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed, while that evening's performance will proceed as planned.

Christine Bord, another eyewitness, described the events inside the theater in a blog post on her website, OnLocationVacations. "They both went tumbling over the ledge into the pit. The music stopped, an announcement was made that show was going to pause, and you could hear people beneath the stage in a panic. 'Is he alive?', one man shouted, while another screamed, 'Call 911'. You could also hear a woman screaming in terror," she wrote.

This is not the first injury for the musical. In early December, a cast member had been injured on the job. In recent weeks, a dancer broke his wrists attempting a flying stunt in rehearsal, and another actor sustained injuries to his feet trying the same stunt.

Mendoza, who plays villainess Arachne, suffered a concussion during the production's first preview of the show.

The technically challenging 'Spider-Man' has cost $65 million, twice as much as any Broadway show in history. The musical was slated to open in January but opening night has been postponed to sometime in February.

With the latest injury it is very possible that there may be more delays to the musical.

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Comments

(23)

Tuesday 21 December

By themeeker

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I really think that the greed of these producers is going to result in a death. Then watch how quickly people try to distance themselves from this fiasco.

By Dianne Pasierb

Proof that bigger and better isn't always bigger and better.
They will continue this fiasco until someone is killed. How sad.
What's wrong with letting the audience use their imagination!
Nothing is left to the imagination anymore, is it?

By Marty

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What amazes me is that they can't make the restraints work. "Flying" as David Copperfield and 1000 others have done for decades on stage - is no rocket science. With the modern fibers of carbon and Kevlar and even steel- supporting a skinny 150 pound person should be no problem. Who is the "brains" behind the technology used. Someone doesn't understand simple mechanical engineering it seems.

By Momma Bear

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They played the recording here in the NYC area. YOu could hear the screaming. Awful. The show should be shut down.

By dave

this play is cursed. plain and simple. spiderman as broadway musical? better left to cgi and the big screen.

By chante

that's what I said it is cursed and i will NOT be surprised if they cancelled it altogether.

By msgoogle2

I agree. The show feels spooked to me; it most probably is cursed and should be shut down before more people get hurt.

By Paige

They seriously need to shut down this musical, it's not working out and they should quit before someone dies!

By yfa2

This is just irresponsible. The show needs to stop.

By Harbo

It is simply foolish, not say criminal, to keep keep this show going. It's a dog, anyway. Julie Taymore, the director, is wonderfully talented, but she is dangerously over-reaching herself here. It's an ego trip for her - an ego trip that couild have serious - even fatal - consequences

By jerry

He's lucky.....30 ft is 3 stories could you imagine falling off the 3rd floor of a building !

This show could easily ruin Julie Taymor's career. She's a talented director (she directed "The Lion King") but she's difficult to work eith and won't take advice. If something dire happens - and that's a good possibility - there isn't a producer in town who would touch her.

By badass

that's what happens when you try using a phony as SPIDERMAN. where was Toby?

By D Wayne

Spider-Man on B-way? WTMF? Spidey-Douche, Spidey-Douche, does whatever a ............

By milty420

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!! THAT'S A NEW YORK TRADITION

By gerard

I'd just close that accident riddled set down.. it's a sign.. perhaps curse.

By Nico Toscani

Apparently this is a Maxwell Sheffield production.

Wednesday 22 December

By BlazingPhoenix83

How about this be the point where they stop?...I mean since day one I heard about this play I said this was gonna be bad and its unfortunate how blind these people are.

By Little Abner

At least he'll get a nice settlement out of it huh

By Shoe5005

DID I NOT INSTRUCT THAT BOX 5 WAS TO BE LEFT EMPTAYYYYYYY

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