Broadway 'Spider-Man' stunt double falls to stage

[December 21, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- An actor in the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" fell about 30 feet when performing an aerial stunt, fire officials said. It was the fourth accident to plague the troubled production since it began previews last month.

Firefighters were called to the Foxwoods Theatre at about 10:45 p.m. Monday after the 31-year-old actor fell near the end of the latest preview performance. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Police did not release the actor's name, but a performer in the show identified him as Christopher Tierney. The performer spoke on condition of anonymity because the performer was not authorized to speak publicly about the accident.

A nurse at Bellevue Hospital said that a Christopher Tierney was admitted and was in stable condition, but would not provide details.

Tierney is the show's main aerialist and performs stunts for the roles of Spider-Man, and the villains Meeks and Kraven.

Tierney fell during a scene in which Spider-Man rescues his love interest, Mary Jane, but managed to land on his feet, the performer said. It was unclear if the actor was properly harnessed before the accident.

Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the production, said the fall happened about 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," Miramontez said.

On Friday, the shows lead producer Michael Cohl delayed the shows official opening for the second time, pushing it back 27 days, from Jan. 11 to Feb. 7.

In a statement that day, Cohl said, "The creative team is implementing truly exciting changes throughout the preview process. Due to some unforeseeable setbacks, most notably the injury of a principal cast member, it has become clear that we need to give the team more time to fully execute their vision."

The $65 million musical was conceived by Tony Award-winning director and co-writer Julie Taymor and U2's Bono and The Edge, who wrote the music. More than eight years in the making, delays and money woes have plagued the show's launch. Three other accidents have injured actors, including one who had both his wrists broken while practicing an aerial stunt.

The first preview on Nov. 28 did not go well. The musical had to be halted five times because of technical glitches and actress Natalie Mendoza -- who plays Spider-Man's evil love interest Arachne -- was hit in the head by a rope and suffered a concussion. Her injury would eventually keep her sidelined for two weeks.

The show -- whose costs easily dwarf Broadway's last costliest show, the $25 million "Shrek The Musical" -- may be about a comic-book hero, but it has now itself become easy fodder for comics, with both Conan O'Brien and "Saturday Night Live" spoofing it.

[Associated Press; By JOHN CARUCCI and TOM McELROY]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.