Is It Even Safe to Be in Spider-Man on Broadway?

A fourth actor is injured since preview performances began. What happened this time?

By Natalie Finn Dec 21, 2010 5:40 AMTags
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The stars of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark could use some CGI right about now.

An actor fell onto the stage during Monday night's preview at the Foxwoods Theater, prompting the cancellation of the remainder of the performance.

MORE: Is Bono's Spider-Man musical doomed?

A spokesman for the show told the New York Times' Arts Beat blog that the injured actor, who was taken to Bellevue Hospital to get checked out, is not Spidey himself, Reeve Carney.

"An actor sustained an injury at tonight's performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," the rep said. "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."

An eyewitness told the paper, however, that the accident occurred during a scene where Spider-Man is rescuing Mary Jane Watson as she hangs onto a rope dangling off a bridge. Audience member Steven Tartick said that he observed Spider-Man tripping and falling into a pit at the end of the stage, then heard screams and a woman crying.

While Carney plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is considered the show's leading man, he does have several stunt doubles.

This marks the fourth injury reported from the Spider-Man set. Star Natalie Mendoza suffered a concussion on the first night of previews when a rope broke and smacked her in the head.

Already delayed several times, opening night was pushed back four more weeks to Feb. 7, purportedly to allow Mendoza, who plays villain Arachne, time to get her groove back.

Kevin Aubin, a dancer and one of Spidey's stunt doubles, broke both wrists during in rehearsal in October while executing a flying stunt that utilized a massive sling-shot technique, and another actor broke a toe doing a similar stunt a week later.

Who needs radioactive spiders? Why don't they just make a musical about the making of this musical?