Broadway Actors Concerned Over "Spider-Man" Stunts
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Some Broadway actors have expressed concern about the safety of the "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" cast and crew, following a stunt actor suffering serious injuries on Monday night while performing in the show.
"Spiderman should be ashamed of itself," "Next to Normal" actress Alice Ripley wrote on Twitter. "This is completely unacceptable and embarrassing to working actors everywhere."
"Does someone have to die?" she added in a subsequent post. "Where is the line for the decision makers, I am curious."
PICTURES: "Spider-Man" Actor Injured
The Broadway veterans' concerns stemmed from the acrobatic stunt work done by the "Spider-Man" cast and crew that needs to be repeated eight times a week, some of it unprecedented on a stage.
"Perhaps they should have thought twice about what some of these stunts were," said Marc Kudisch, whose most recent Broadway credit was in the musical "9 to 5." ''It's not like doing a stunt in a movie."
Actor Adam Pascal, one of the original cast members in the original Broadway production of "Rent," posted on Facebook that "Spider-Man" director Julie Taymor "should be charged with assault" after the latest accident.
He added later Wednesday that he was just joking, but that the show shouldn't continue until safety issues are addressed.
Pascal was in "Aida" several years ago when he and co-star Heather Headley fell 15 feet after a lift gave out during an out-of-town tryout in Chicago. He said that after the fall the stunt was cut from the show.
On Monday night, when Christopher W. Tierney, a stunt double playing Spider-Man, plunged about 30 feet into a stage pit, despite a safety harness that should have prevented the spill.
His accident was the fourth injury to occur in the already-troubled production. Already the most expensive show in Broadway history, it has been plagued by technical glitches, money woes and three other injuries, including a concussion and two broken wrists.
Tierney was scheduled for back surgery Wednesday, his brother Patrick said, and would be released from the hospital Friday or Saturday and would complete his recovery at home in New Hampshire.
Taymor said in a statement on Tuesday that, "An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally. 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."
The musical is set to resume performances on Thursday night, with new safety measures in place.
