The New York Times are reporting that the lead actress of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is in the process of leaving the show. Natalie Mendoza, who plays the new Spider-villain Arachne, is already in talks with producers and lawyers, and an official announcement is expected this week.
During the first preview performance in November, Mendoza suffered a concussion when she was hit by a piece of equipment back stage. After seeing two doctors, she was cleared to go back on stage and returned to the show two weeks later. She had been performing regularly until recently. It appears that since last Tuesday's major accident, Mendoza has been out on "vocal rest" as ordered by her doctor. There's been no official word on when the actress's last performance will be "given that lawyers and others are still fine-tuning the language to explain Ms. Mendoza’s departure".
The Times describes the actress' departure as "an artistic loss and embarrassing blow to the production". Personally, I don't think it can get more embarrassing at this point. And it's pretty safe to say Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is more cursed than any production of MacBeth has ever been. But I think it also needs to be said that this is a show that's in previews. While a preview performance is more than an open dress rehearsal, it's still a "final" production of the play. Think of it as an advance screening for a test audience. The director and producers use it as a way to work out any kinks and make edits to the show based on the audience's reaction. Also, these performance are not reviewed by theater critics.
I haven't managed to get to the show yet, but the rumor is the second act is a bit of a mess. It's already been announced that Julie Taymor has gone back to the drawing board with Bono and The Edge to do some significant re-writes. As it currently stands, much of the story in Act II revolves around the Arachne character. One could speculate that perhaps the new Act II focused less on the giant spider. Or maybe Mendoza just wants to get out before any further physical damage is done. But with four actors injured (two during live performances) you can't really blame her.
Barring any more catastrophes, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark opens on February 7. I will be in the audience as soon as I possibly can.
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I have tickets for February 20, got them as a christmas gift. I’m looking forward to it, but it’s hard not cringe at the few story elements and reports of injured actors.
Though to be fair, I’ve been two Broadway performances where someone has been injured on stage well after previews. (Footloose, in late 90s, featured a full-scale bridge prop that descended to the floor, it got stuck mid-air with the two actors sitting precariously on a fake girder. Apparently an actor backstage got caught in the gears. You could hear the ambulances! Another time as Les Mis in 2002 or 3, a prominent actress was replaced mid-act for no discernible reason and I later found out a set piece smacked her in the head and she was out for a few weeks.) I would say it happens far more often than people think and that it’s only the media attention on this play that’s making it seem a bigger deal. than it is.
@PraxJarvin I would say that it seems that the envelope pushing stunts in this production are leading to increased injuries. This doesn’t appear to be a case of media over-hype. This is unusual.
Natalie Mendoza? The badass chick from The Descent? What was she doing in this show?
this show sounds like it belongs in an amusement park not on Broadway
Something is definitely wrong with this production that there are so many accidents. I’ve seen a few stunt intensive shows like The Beatles LOVE (Cirque Du Solei) and those productions are just insane, yet I haven’t heard much about those injury wise, so i assume its safe for the most part.
They need to shut down the show for a bit and redo all the safety stuff.
I’m telling you! It’s STAN LEE running around in the rafters, and under the stage in a PHANTOM MASK!
At least this stuff is getting attention! Performing arts injuries are criminally underreported. There have been a number of “whissle bolwer” sites about theme park staff/performer injuries over the years, same with vegas. It’s not to say that the injuries are as bas as here (they certainly are a sepcial instance), but that in general the public doesn’t know about them. Ask yourselves when was the last time you heard of a broadway injury getting air time on news for more than maybe a 10 second mention? They’re not brought up. The scrutiny this production has been under since the beginning is bringing this stuff to light.
I’m done with this musical. I wanted to watch it so badly, now I just want to (metaphorically) pick it up, and throw it out of the window of a tall buikding. I just hope that people stop getting injured.
My God, just pull the plug already!
Before we ask ourselves why so many actors are being injured, we need to go back and ask a more important question — “Why is there a Spider-Man musical in the first place?!”
@Apotheosize I think a campy over the top superhero musical with tons of pyro and stunts fits right in along with most everything else on Broadway at the moment. Lets not forget it’s only 500 or 600 years ago that drama competed with bear baiting and cat burning and that Broadway grew out of burlesque and vaudville. This one just happens to maim its actors, so we’ll see how long they’ll try to keep it going. The worst part is that it’s not like it’s for any great cause. The world doesn’t need this, no one really wants it (especially now), but because they’ve already spent so much money on it, the producers of this are just going to will this into existence, no matter how many more people get hurt (or how much more money they lose). I don’t know, maybe someone figured out how to make more money from a flop than a hit.
I want a Hulk opera.
Natalie Mendoza was awesome in The Descent and, despite its suckage, The Descent 2. When I saw her in that, I thought, “she could totally play Wonder Woman.”
(But not MJ, apparently.)
They need to end this. Seriously, it’s not funny anymore. People are leaving the show, getting injured, or are just looking like idiots for even attempting this.
Listen, Taymor is a great director and THE LION KING on broadway shows that. But this idea was doomed from the start and she’s looking more and more like a fool every day. I know a lot of money was put up for this; but there is absolutely no way it can do anything to get the money back.
Post-Coital Thor should have a cameo.
“It’s already been announced that Julie Taymor has gone back to the drawing board with Bono and The Edge to do some significant re-writes.”
This is a magnificent sentence of the type that writers should endeavor to slip into as many news stories as possible, whatever they may be about.
I’m still rooting for this show to miraculously be a hit, as the next logical step is the ‘Watchmen’ rock opera that the world needs so very badly.
Call it home field boasting or whatever, but I have a feeling if this show had been tried in Vegas it would have fared a lot better. Not to mention that the press would have been kinder to it.
But then again, we would have done it by investing $30-40 mil in a custom showroom that was designed with these aerials in mind.
I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to see this, but the whole thing is a disaster, and any attempt to sort of spin all of this as “not that bad” or “maybe a good thing to get the word out” seems like a willful denial of reality at this point.
Sometimes bad press and bad turns of events are just that–BAD. Sometimes an idea that seems like an awful one…really is awful. Too often I think comic fans try to double-think themselves into saying the opposite of what is staring them in the face. We can still all be on Team Comics and still admit that this is a train wreck.
There are actually many examples of movies/shows that had bad press all the way through production…which actually turned out to be bad and financial flops (Showgirls, Gigli). When the bad reviews and poor ticket sales figures come out, I really hope comic pundits (not necessarily the ones on this site) will spare us from reading about “bias” against comics.
Mmmmmm, Natalie Mendoza… She’s a cutie!
Why wouldn’t you want to see this? The previews on CONAN have been awesome!
@kthx – Great point. Those Broadway theaters are incredibly antiquated. Most of them are stuck in the early 20th century. I’m amazed they even tried something like this on Broadway. I don’t think Cirque du Soleil is even on “Broadway” itself.
@Stepho I still have vivid memories of the Conan stage show at Universal Studios back in the 80’s. Transcendent.
I think The Death Of Spider-Man is going to be the comic book adaptation of this play.
It’s maligned by the media, has trouble paying its bills, and now has lady troubles.
Am I the only one who thinks this is the most faithful Spider-Man adaptation ever?!?!?!
@dcicirelli Bravo
I already got my tickets for the play!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait for March 8th!!!!!!!!!
@TimmyWood agree. a red/green/blue hulk/she-hulk opera sounds more fun.