Julie Taymor
Producers behind the beleaguered Spider-Man musical have cancelled Wednesday's (22Dec10) matinee performance to allow a number of safety precautions to be added to the Broadway show, following its latest onstage accident.
Director Julie Taymor's Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has been blighted by a series of recent setbacks and stunt double Christopher Tierney became the latest casualty of the show after taking a tumble from a platform above the stage on Monday (20Dec10). He suffered several broken ribs and internal bleeding after his safety cable snapped.
An investigation by officials at the Actors' Equity Association ruled the incident was due to "human error" on the stage crew's part.
But the shocking accident - the fourth since the show opened in September (10) - prompted Spider-Man producers to axe a planned performance on Wednesday afternoon in a bid to prevent further problems.
Show spokesman Rick Miramontez tells the New York Times, "The production knows exactly what happened at Monday's performance, and it is being dealt with. This is a manoeuvre that has been done hundreds, if not a thousand times, without incident... It will never happen again."
Tierney is not the only person to be injured during the run - 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 in a fall during rehearsals in October (10).
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