Spider-Man Lead Actress Exits

More bad news has befallen the Michael Cohl-produced “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” The lead actress of the new Broadway musical, Natalie Mendoza, has left the production after suffering a concussion.

There has been no official statement yet, but sources have confirmed Mendoza’s departure to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Mendoza representatives have reportedly been hammering out an exit agreement and an official statement could be expected as early as Jan. 4.

Mendoza played Arachne, a spider villainess, and she was required to fly over the audience and perform acrobatic feats. Mendoza has not performed since Dec. 20 because of a vocal rest on doctors’ orders but sources say she is leaving in part because she was shaken by a Dec. 20 onstage accident involving castmate and friend Christopher Tierney, the stunt double for Spider-Man.

Mendoza herself suffered a concussion backstage Nov. 28 when she was struck by a weighted rope.

The actress collaborated with show director Julie Taymor on creating the Arachne character, and the New York Times calls her exit “an artistic loss and embarrassing blow to the production.”

Officials would not comment to the media because producers are forbidden to talk while lawyers and others fine-tune the language for Mendoza’s departure, according to the Times.

The tremendously expensive musical, scored by U2’s Bono and The Edge, has seen several setbacks and snafus that have garnered more attention than its admirable attendance numbers.