There's been yet another accident on the set of the troubled Broadway production of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" -- again raising concerns about the record-setting spectacle.
In the latest incident on Monday night, an actor performing an aerial stunt fell into a pit just minutes before the end of the show. Thirty-one-year old Christopher Tierney suffered minor injuries and was taken from the Foxwoods Theatre to Bellevue Hospital Center at approximately 10:45 p.m., police said. He is reportedly in stable condition.
According to theatregoer Jon Cain, there was some confusion when the aerialist fell.
"It looked like it was supposed to be an acrobatic stunt, but the person playing Spider Man fell down through the stage floor and you just heard some crying and somebody calling 911 and it was surreal," Cain told ABC News.
Another audience member said the Spider-Man character was just about to leap off of the Brooklyn Bridge to save a tumbling Mary Jane when his harness appeared to snap.
"He went flying into the audience and crashed down into a hole in the set. And then you heard Mary Jane scream, the house lights came up and they said we cannot continue this performance."
Safety inspectors with the New York State Department of Labor are expected to inspect the equipment Tuesday, to determine whether the apparent malfunction was caused by a technical or human error.
The play, which began preview performances last month, has already suffered three other incidents in which actors have been injured including one who broke both wrists while practicing an aerial stunt.
The very first preview, in fact, was halted five times due to both technical glitches and an injury suffered by Natalie Mendoza, the actress who plays Spider-Man's evil love interest. She wound up sidelined for a fortnight after being struck in the head with a rope and suffering a concussion.
Audience members felt beat up too, sitting through that first performance for close to four hours.
With its US$65 million price tag -- eclipsing Broadway's next-costliest show, the money-losing US$30 million "Shrek the Musical" -- Spider-Man has already entered the record books as the most expensive production in Broadway history.
Eight years in the making, with a score featuring 18 new songs by U2's Bono and the Edge, and Tony Award-winning director and co-writer Julie Taymor at the helm, audiences are still hoping the show will eventually take flight.
"Up until that point, it was pretty incredible acrobatic stunts, imagery," one enthused audience member said of the performance Monday night. "To see that happen is just unfortunate. I hope he's okay."
But even from its first moments, the production has had a dark cloud hanging over it.
As the U2 frontmen recalled during an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, founding producer Tony Adams dropped dead the day he turned up at Edge's New York apartment with the contracts.
"He had a seizure and died on the spot right there," Bono said.
The play lived on, however, only to sputter again last year when it ran out of money. Bono enlisted Canadian concert promoter Michael Cohl, who eventually rustled up another US$30 million to ensure the show would go on.
The production was delayed for a fourth time just days ago, when producers announced its official opening would be pushed back another 27 days, from Jan. 11 to Feb. 7.
Specifically designed for the 1,928-seat Foxwoods Theatre on 42nd Street, the show needs to sell out every performance for years in order to break even.
With its moving sets, 41-member cast, 18-piece orchestra and 27 daring aerial stunts, the show's weekly running cost has been pegged at US$1 million.
