Spider-Man Freezes in Midair, Show's Problems Persist

Show spokesman says built-in safety technology caused stoppage

The accident-ridden Spider-Man musical on Broadway experienced yet another technical problem Thursday night when the Green Goblin and Spider-Man got stuck in the air over the audience.

“The goblin is supposed to fly over the audience and Spider-Man flies out to catch him,” said audience member Stuart Schwartz of Manalapan, N.J. “But Spiderman and the goblin got stuck over row P of the orchestra.”

Schwartz says the actors in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”  “were making jokes,” saying, “Give us a minute” and “the show must go on.”

Schwartz, who attended the show with his wife and two young children, said that his kids were confused by the mishap.

“They were stunned; they were nervous,” he said. “There was a lot of hype about this show, and they didn’t understand what was happening.”

Show spokesman Rick Miramontez says the actors got stuck as a result of safety technology built into the equipment.

“The aerial mechanisms have been outfitted with state-of-the-art safety technology that automatically stops if a performer is even a tiny bit off course,” said Miramontez. “While the ultimate goal is to minimize these stoppages, the production is not going to do so at the risk of the cast.”

At first, the audience members couldn’t figure out if the accident was part of the show or not, said Schwartz.  When people began pulling out cameras, “security forces came out and hovered over the whole audience, telling people not to take pictures and calming people down,” said Schwartz.

The show has been constantly plagued with problems, including an accident in which a stunt double fell 30 feet and ended up in the hospital.

After multiple delays, the $65 million show is scheduled to officially open March 15.

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