Spider Man Research Paper
Spider-Man: The Incident on Broadway The producers of the new Broadway musical “Spider-man: Turn off the Dark” canceled its Wednesday matinee to add safety precautions after a lead actor playing Spiderman was seriously injured from falling more than 20 feet into a basement beneath the stage during Monday night’s show. According to NY Times, the accident happened during one of the final scenes of “Spider-Man”, when the superhero is supposed to be running toward the edge of a raised platform above the stage. As he tried to save the shows heroine, Mary Jane Watson, he lost his footing and fell off the platform. Julie Taymor, the director stated “Mr. Tierney had been properly attached to a tether, but the tether was not affixed correctly to
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the equipment that was supposed to hold him in place”. The theater immediately went dark and audience members reported hearing screaming for help before the house lights were turned on. An announcement was made that the show was over for the night soon after. Mr. Tierney was quickly taken from the theater and transported by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital Center. NY Times also stated that Julie Taymor released “Mr. Tierney suffered two broken ribs, internal bleeding and other serious injuries”. He was listed under serious condition and was taken in to recover in Bellevue Hospital Center. He was the fourth performer to be hurt on the set of Spider-Man. Scott Fisher, president of the company that builds equipment for the show’s aerial stunts, told the Washington Post that Tierney’s rope was supposed to have been clipped to the stage at one end and his back at the other. “The stage crew would have been responsible for making the connection for hooking him up,” Fisher said. “The actor is responsible for making the final check that he is good to go. It’s sort of like packing your own parachute.” The accident prompted an investigation by federal and state safety inspectors, as well as the Actors Equity Union. They examined the equipment on a Tuesday when no shows or rehearsals were going on. They also met with the production team, who ensured them that all mistakes in the set and staging were going to be fixed and rehearsed before they opened the show again. Mr.
Miramontez said the show would be safe enough to perform on Wednesday night after the new measures were put in place. “The production knows exactly what happened in Monday’s performance, and it is being dealt with” he wrote in an email. “This is a maneuver that has been done hundreds, if not a thousand times, without incident, and additional redundancies are being put into place to ensure that will never happen again,” he wrote, referring to the accident. Leading Lady, Natalie Mendoza, was injured during the show’s first preview Sunday night, a spokesman said. According to NYDailyNews.com the actress, who plays Arachne, was hit in the head by a rope and she said she felt fine after her performance, but has since been diagnosed with a concussion. NYDailyNews.com stated that Mendoza was unable to perform Thursday night and understudy America Olivo would take her place until at least Tuesday. Spider-man, running at 65 million dollars, is the most expensive Broadway show in history and has complex gymnastic stunts and visual effects. Producer, Michael Cohl, states that this is at least the fourth serious accident to throw off “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark”, which was originally supposed to open December 21st. According Michael Cohl the show will now open on March 15th. The musical features rock songs by U2’s Bono and the Edge, and effects by staging director Julie
Taymor. “The creative team in implementing truly exciting changes throughout the preview process,” said lead producer Michael Cohl. “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.” Spider-Man, the producer continued, “is an extremely ambitious undertaking, as everyone knows and I having no intention of cutting a single corner in getting to the finish line.” Julie Taymor states, “With a team that includes Bono, Edge and Glen Berger (who co-wrote the book with Taymor), there was never a question in my mind that ‘Spider-Man’ would happen-it was just when. After the fall, Christopher Tierney appeared on CBS2News to discuss his December 20th accident in the musical “Spider-man: Turn off the Dark”. According to Tierney, “Every young actor and actress dreams about it: doing something on Broadway that makes him or her, overnight the toast of the town. George Stephanopoulos did a press-release Q-and-A with Tierney about what he referred to as “the most technically ambitious Broadway show ever.” Stephanopoulos learned that Tierney feels “fantastic.” That Jennifer Damiano, who plays Mary Jane, considers him “the strongest dude I ever met.” That Patrick Page, who plays the Green Goblin wishes people could see “the care that Julie Taymor takes” with her cast and that T.V Carpio, who is taking over the role of Arachne isn’t worried about safety at all. Reeve Carney, the star Spider-man (Tierney is one of the several actors who play the superhero in stunt sequences), said, “We do appreciate everyone’s concern. Tierney did recall one thing about the moment the accident happened said Stephanopoulos. “I tried to grab the edge of the stage,” he said, “but I had too much inertia.” Tierney praised the show’s crew even they committed the human error that caused hill fall. “These guys, the know safety,” he said. “The wires have 9,000 pounds of tension strength”.” He recalled that during the fall he was aware that he would have to turn to avoid landing on his head, a move that may have saved his life. “And then I kind of passed out.” According to Stephanopoulos, Tierney was all about enthusiasm and positive thinking, describing himself as “overjoyed to be working on the show” and predicting he’d be “back in the show in no time.” After the interview, the programs co-anchor Maurice Dubois asked if Tierney wasn’t even considering legal action against the production. But Tierney had already told George: “It’s completely water under the bridge. Forgiven and forgotten.” NY Post states Jeremy Gerard of Bloomsburg (who paid $292.50 for and orchestra seat) calls the musical “an unfocused hodge-podge of story-telling, myth-making and spectacle that comes up short in every department.” He also blasts the “incoherently executed” character Arachne, a new villain invented by director Julie Taymor. As for the score by U2’s Bono and The Edge, Gerard says it is “sorely lacking” in good songs. On the other hand, Newsday’s Linda Winer praises Taymor’s dramatic staging and scenery, calling the aerial stunts “exciting and scary, in a circus way.” Normally, Broadway shows hold a few weeks of preview performance before allowing critics in just before the opening night, giving show creators time to do some last minute tweaks. But Spider-Mans high media profile, accident-prone production, and repeated delays have made critics antsy to go see the show. Most major outlets are still withholding their reviews until the show finishes making major adjustments says Entertainment Weekly. New York Times stated “It’s clear the producers really are making significant changes and a review that is out of date when the show opens isn’t all that useful, so we will wait, but not forever.” Director Julie Taymor said in a statement: “An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally. I am so thankful that Chris is going to be alright and is in great spirits. Nothing is more important than the safety of our Spider-Man family and we’ll continue to do everything in our power to protect the cast and crew.” According to the New York Post, Bono began composing Spider-Man after Andrew Lloyd Webber joked, “I’d like to thank rock musicians for leaving me alone for 25 years – I’ve had the theater all to myself.” Bono and Taymor “decided to give Andrew a little competition.” The title Turn off the Dark came from a story Bono recalled about a child who, instead of saying turn on the light, said turn off the dark. They chose the title because, as Taymor said, “The one thing that Spider-Man is about is trying to bring a certain kind of light back into a world that is full of darkness.” “Spider-Man is a genuine American myth with a dark, primal power…I saw the inherent theatricality in it, and I couldn’t resist.”
the equipment that was supposed to hold him in place”. The theater immediately went dark and audience members reported hearing screaming for help before the house lights were turned on. An announcement was made that the show was over for the night soon after. Mr. Tierney was quickly taken from the theater and transported by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital Center. NY Times also stated that Julie Taymor released “Mr. Tierney suffered two broken ribs, internal bleeding and other serious injuries”. He was listed under serious condition and was taken in to recover in Bellevue Hospital Center. He was the fourth performer to be hurt on the set of Spider-Man. Scott Fisher, president of the company that builds equipment for the show’s aerial stunts, told the Washington Post that Tierney’s rope was supposed to have been clipped to the stage at one end and his back at the other. “The stage crew would have been responsible for making the connection for hooking him up,” Fisher said. “The actor is responsible for making the final check that he is good to go. It’s sort of like packing your own parachute.” The accident prompted an investigation by federal and state safety inspectors, as well as the Actors Equity Union. They examined the equipment on a Tuesday when no shows or rehearsals were going on. They also met with the production team, who ensured them that all mistakes in the set and staging were going to be fixed and rehearsed before they opened the show again. Mr.
Miramontez said the show would be safe enough to perform on Wednesday night after the new measures were put in place. “The production knows exactly what happened in Monday’s performance, and it is being dealt with” he wrote in an email. “This is a maneuver that has been done hundreds, if not a thousand times, without incident, and additional redundancies are being put into place to ensure that will never happen again,” he wrote, referring to the accident. Leading Lady, Natalie Mendoza, was injured during the show’s first preview Sunday night, a spokesman said. According to NYDailyNews.com the actress, who plays Arachne, was hit in the head by a rope and she said she felt fine after her performance, but has since been diagnosed with a concussion. NYDailyNews.com stated that Mendoza was unable to perform Thursday night and understudy America Olivo would take her place until at least Tuesday. Spider-man, running at 65 million dollars, is the most expensive Broadway show in history and has complex gymnastic stunts and visual effects. Producer, Michael Cohl, states that this is at least the fourth serious accident to throw off “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark”, which was originally supposed to open December 21st. According Michael Cohl the show will now open on March 15th. The musical features rock songs by U2’s Bono and the Edge, and effects by staging director Julie
Taymor. “The creative team in implementing truly exciting changes throughout the preview process,” said lead producer Michael Cohl. “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.” Spider-Man, the producer continued, “is an extremely ambitious undertaking, as everyone knows and I having no intention of cutting a single corner in getting to the finish line.” Julie Taymor states, “With a team that includes Bono, Edge and Glen Berger (who co-wrote the book with Taymor), there was never a question in my mind that ‘Spider-Man’ would happen-it was just when. After the fall, Christopher Tierney appeared on CBS2News to discuss his December 20th accident in the musical “Spider-man: Turn off the Dark”. According to Tierney, “Every young actor and actress dreams about it: doing something on Broadway that makes him or her, overnight the toast of the town. George Stephanopoulos did a press-release Q-and-A with Tierney about what he referred to as “the most technically ambitious Broadway show ever.” Stephanopoulos learned that Tierney feels “fantastic.” That Jennifer Damiano, who plays Mary Jane, considers him “the strongest dude I ever met.” That Patrick Page, who plays the Green Goblin wishes people could see “the care that Julie Taymor takes” with her cast and that T.V Carpio, who is taking over the role of Arachne isn’t worried about safety at all. Reeve Carney, the star Spider-man (Tierney is one of the several actors who play the superhero in stunt sequences), said, “We do appreciate everyone’s concern. Tierney did recall one thing about the moment the accident happened said Stephanopoulos. “I tried to grab the edge of the stage,” he said, “but I had too much inertia.” Tierney praised the show’s crew even they committed the human error that caused hill fall. “These guys, the know safety,” he said. “The wires have 9,000 pounds of tension strength”.” He recalled that during the fall he was aware that he would have to turn to avoid landing on his head, a move that may have saved his life. “And then I kind of passed out.” According to Stephanopoulos, Tierney was all about enthusiasm and positive thinking, describing himself as “overjoyed to be working on the show” and predicting he’d be “back in the show in no time.” After the interview, the programs co-anchor Maurice Dubois asked if Tierney wasn’t even considering legal action against the production. But Tierney had already told George: “It’s completely water under the bridge. Forgiven and forgotten.” NY Post states Jeremy Gerard of Bloomsburg (who paid $292.50 for and orchestra seat) calls the musical “an unfocused hodge-podge of story-telling, myth-making and spectacle that comes up short in every department.” He also blasts the “incoherently executed” character Arachne, a new villain invented by director Julie Taymor. As for the score by U2’s Bono and The Edge, Gerard says it is “sorely lacking” in good songs. On the other hand, Newsday’s Linda Winer praises Taymor’s dramatic staging and scenery, calling the aerial stunts “exciting and scary, in a circus way.” Normally, Broadway shows hold a few weeks of preview performance before allowing critics in just before the opening night, giving show creators time to do some last minute tweaks. But Spider-Mans high media profile, accident-prone production, and repeated delays have made critics antsy to go see the show. Most major outlets are still withholding their reviews until the show finishes making major adjustments says Entertainment Weekly. New York Times stated “It’s clear the producers really are making significant changes and a review that is out of date when the show opens isn’t all that useful, so we will wait, but not forever.” Director Julie Taymor said in a statement: “An accident like this is obviously heartbreaking for our entire team and, of course, to me personally. I am so thankful that Chris is going to be alright and is in great spirits. Nothing is more important than the safety of our Spider-Man family and we’ll continue to do everything in our power to protect the cast and crew.” According to the New York Post, Bono began composing Spider-Man after Andrew Lloyd Webber joked, “I’d like to thank rock musicians for leaving me alone for 25 years – I’ve had the theater all to myself.” Bono and Taymor “decided to give Andrew a little competition.” The title Turn off the Dark came from a story Bono recalled about a child who, instead of saying turn on the light, said turn off the dark. They chose the title because, as Taymor said, “The one thing that Spider-Man is about is trying to bring a certain kind of light back into a world that is full of darkness.” “Spider-Man is a genuine American myth with a dark, primal power…I saw the inherent theatricality in it, and I couldn’t resist.”