Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Fourth 'Spider-Man' Actor Injured During Broadway Performance

By DNAinfo Staff on December 21, 2010 8:24am  | Updated on December 21, 2010 8:26am

By Olivia Scheck and Jennifer Glickel

DNAinfo Reporter/Producers

MANHATTAN — The Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" took another turn for the worse on Monday night when a performer took a nose dive instead of a curtain call, according to witnesses and published reports.

A spokesman for the show said that Wednesday's afternoon matinee would be canceled due to the incident, which left the show's top stuntman in the hospital.

"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 show's spokesman Rick Miramontez said in a statement on Tuesday. "It was agreed that these measures would be enacted immediately."

It was not clear what those updated safety measures would be.

The incident occurred as a Spider-Man stunt double, identified as Christopher Tierney, jumped off a platform to catch Spidey's love interest Mary Jane, who was dangling from a rope below, the New York Times reported. A video posted on the newspaper's website shows the actor jump.

"Spider-Man" actor Christopher Tierney is believed to be the cast member injured during last night's performance.
View Full Caption
spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com

But, online audience member accounts and a close inspection of the video suggest that a cord connecting the actor to the platform unexpectedly snapped, sending the two actors tumbling into the orchestra pit.

The show was stopped and the audience kicked out of the theater, according to posts on Twitter.

Police said the male actor was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center to be treated for injuries around 10:42 p.m., the Times reported. His condition is unknown at this time.

One audience member, Christine Bord, wrote in a post on her website OnLocationVacations.com that the injured actor was conscious as emergency workers loaded him into an ambulance outside the theater.

"As everyone funneled out to the street, two ambulances were already on the scene," Bord wrote. "A few moments later, 'Spidey' came out on a stretcher, awake and talking, which was good news."

While the show's spokespeople have so far refused to identify the injured actor, according to the Times, 'Spider-Man' co-star Natalie Mendoza asked her Twitter followers to pray for her "friend Chris,my superhero who quietly inspires me everyday with his spirit."

"A light in my heart went dim tonight," the actress, who reportedly suffered a concussion during the first preview performance, added.

Tierney is the only actor with the name "Chris" listed on the show's cast page. The dancer also appeared in Broadway's "Movin' Out" and in Taymor's acclaimed feature film "Across the Universe," according to his bio on the website.

Three other actors have reported injuries since the rehearsals began for the $65 million Spider-Man production. Last week, news broke that the musical would be postponing its official opening and continuing preview performances until February.