Lead actress leaves Broadway's Spider-Man musical after accident

[News_Editor]

Lead actress leaves Broadway's Spider-Man musical after accident

2010-12-29 02:43:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Natalie Mendoza, one of the lead actresses of Broadway's Spider-Man musical, left the production after suffering a concussion during the first preview performance, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Producers of "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark" negotiated with representatives of the actress her departure for days. An official announcement is expected soon as the information was disclosed to the New York Times by two anonymous workers in the show.

Mendoza, 30, last performed on December 20 as she has been on vocal rest since. However, it was known that the actress was still shaken by the accident that struck her cast mate and friend Christopher Tierney that Monday.

Tierney fell more than 20 feet (6 meters) when his safety harness was not properly hooked to the stage. The accident took place during an acrobatic scene in the middle of a performance which ended abruptly and the attendance was led out of the theater.

The actor did not sustain life-threatening injuries and the stage crew and himself were blamed for the error. The rope was supposed to be hooked to the end of the stage but the actor had to make sure it was properly connected before entering the scene, according to Scott Fisher, president of the company which builds equipment for the show's aerial stunts.

"An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally," said Director Julie Taymor. "I am so thankful that Chris is going to be alright and is in great spirits. Nothing is more important than the safety of our Spider-Man family and we'll continue to do everything in our power to protect the cast and crew."

Tierney is still hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital Center as he is recovering from his injuries, which included a hairline fracture in his skull, a broken scapula, a broken bone close to his elbow, four broken ribs, a bruised lung and three fractured vertebrae.

On November 28, Mendoza suffered a concussion after she was struck in the head by a rope holding a piece of equipment while standing off stage. An actress spokesman said that a doctor ordered her to rest in order to recover but Mendoza insisted to perform three days later.

The 30-year-old actress played the role of Arachne, a villain character which plays a fundamental role in the conception of Spider-Man. Her role involved singing five songs and the musical's title number. She also performed several flying sequences.

Mendoza is one of the four actors of the Broadway musical to have been injured while working on the show. In addition to Mendoza and Tierney, one dancer broke his wrists after a failed landing and another injured his feet in the same stunt.

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