Spider-Man actor injured; Broadway show halted

AP

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the actors playing the comic-book hero in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was badly injured during a performance, a fresh reminder of the dangers facing performers in the injury-plagued show that cost $75 million and has endured plenty of offstage drama.

Daniel Curry, said to be in his 20s and one of nine actors who play the costumed Spider-Man during each performance, suffered an injury during the Thursday night performance, which was immediately halted, a spokesman for the musical said.

Curry, who is making his Broadway debut in the musical, remains in Bellevue Hospital today with a serious foot injury. The role requires the actor to leap into the audience and swing over the orchestra.

Fire officials said they responded to the Foxwoods Theatre on West 42nd Street shortly after 9 p.m. to treat a man whose leg got caught in equipment backstage. A spokeswoman for the Actors' Equity Association, a labor union that represents actors and stage managers, did not immediately comment today.

Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the musical, said Curry is in stable condition today with an injured foot. He also said equipment malfunction was not a factor in the mishap.

Curry, who was raised near Minneapolis, is a graduate of New York's LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, the so-called Fame school. He appeared in an episode of Smash and toured with the Man In The Mirror Michael Jackson Tribute tour.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is Broadway's most expensive show and has become one of its biggest hits after a rocky start, with six delays in its opening night, injuries to fellow actors, a shake-up that led to the firing of Julie Taymor, the show's original director, and critical drubbing.

One actor, Christopher Tierney, suffered a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder blade, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae during a fall on Dec. 20, 2010; he made a triumphant return to the show. A lead actress, Natalie Mendoza, suffered a concussion during the first preview performance and left the show. A stuntman, Richard Kobak, sued the producers, saying he suffered a concussion, whiplash and two holes in his knees.

The latest accident comes between two casting calls for a new Spider-Man. Actor Reeve Carney, who has been playing the musical's title character and his alter ego Peter Parker since the show began previews in late 2010, will leave Sept. 15, and casting calls were held in Los Angeles last week and are scheduled for New York on Monday.

Last night, Carney tweeted: "Please send your thoughts and prayers toward our @SpideyOnBway family tonight. We rise as one."