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<em>Spider-Man</em> Great Show for Understudies, 3rd Actor Injured!
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2010
Modified Dec 3, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 3, 2010
Modified Dec 3, 2010
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How many actors have to DIE before director Julie Taymor's blood-lust is quenched?! The most expensive and annoyingly-named Broadway show of all time, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, already left two actors with serious injuries before it opened, and now one of the show's stars is out of commission with a concussion. BroadwayWorld.com reports that Natalie Mendoza, who plays the lead role of Arachne, was hit in the head by a rope during the show's first preview, but the extent of her injury wasn't realized until yesterday, when she fell ill and wasn't able to perform. It's a bit scary, considering what happened to Natasha Richardson! Also, a rope?!
Mendoza's understudy, America Olivo, is now stepping into the deathtrap role. Break a leg, Olivo—er, have fun out there! Mendoza's injury comes as the $50 million dollar production struggles to work out a host of technical kinks; during the very first preview performance, Mendoza was left hanging in the air for about seven minutes while stagehands tried to get her down. And during a performance for ticket agents last month, Kevin Aubin, an aerialist, broke both his wrists. The Post reports that in a separate incident while rehearsing the show, another actor broke his foot. But no matter, these are just small sacrifices that every artist must make to create a theatrical MASTERPIECE!
Tagged
art
broadway
natalie mendoza
show biz
spider man musical
spider man turn off the dark
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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