Christopher Tierney, the stunt actor who suffered a skull fracture and a cracked vertebrae after falling during a preview performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, has left the intensive care unit, according to the Associated Press. Tierney was discharge from the hospital and transferred to a rehab facility to begin inpatient rehabilitation. The actor is now able to walk with the assistance of a full-torso brace, according to his father. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has canceled two performances in the wake of the accident, while instituting new safety precautions.

More on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark:
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: The first (unofficial) reviews are in
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ loses a lead actress: report
Exclusive: ‘Spider-Man’ musical’s new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ accident blamed on ‘human error’
‘Spider-Man’ stunt double injured after crashing to stage
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ sells $1 million in tickets

Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, which played on Broadway in 1995, will return in spring 2011 in a new production directed by David Leveaux. The revival, which had a sold-out run in London, features an ensemble cast that includes Margaret Colin (The CW’s Gossip Girl), Raúl Esparza (Speed-the-Plow), and Billy Crudup. Crudup actually starred in the 1995 production of Arcadia, albeit in a different role: He played Septimus Hodge then, and will play Bernard Nightingale now. The plot of Arcadia crosscuts between a Derbyshire home in 1809 and a modern-day academic setting. The new production will begin previews on February 25 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, and will premiere on March 17.

John Leguizamo will return to Broadway in early 2011 with a new solo play called Ghetto Klown. Directed by Fisher Stevens, Klown is billed as “the next chapter” in Leguizamo’s series of autobiographical plays (including Freak and Sexaholix…a Love Story.) In a press release issued today, Leguizamo explains that “Ghetto Klown is all the things I say to my therapist and my manager, but would never want the general public to know.” The show will begin previews on February 21 and officially open on March 22 at the Lyceum Theatre.

The musical adaptation of the Pedro Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown will end its run at Lincoln Center’s Belasco Theatre on Jan. 2, three weeks early. Ticket sales, like critics’ grades, have been low for the production. EW’s Thom Geier gave the show, which stars Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott, Laura Benanti, and American Idol alum Justin Guarini, a D+ when it opened in November. “The tunes, by The Full Monty composer David Yazbek, are a forgettable mix of Latin-lite pastiches with some of the most unfortunate lyrics (and awkward rhymes) to hit a Broadway stage in years,” he wrote. “Take the opening number, sung by a Madrid taxi driver (Danny Burstein, mugging too broadly) who turns up sporadically as a kind of narrator: ‘Madrid is my mama. / Give me the nipple, everyday I’m gonna taste it… Give me little titty ’cause I’m hungry every minute.”

Natalie Mendoza, one of the lead actresses in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, is negotiating an exit from the Broadway show, The New York Times reports. Mendoza, who plays Arachne, a spider villainess created by the show’s director, Julie Taymor, has not performed since Dec. 20. The Times says the production has explained her absence as a doctor-ordered vocal rest, but hints that she was badly shaken by the fall her cast mate and friend Christopher Tierney suffered on Dec. 20. Mendoza herself sustained a concussion during the Nov. 28 performance when she was struck in the head by a rope holding equipment while standing offstage. Arachne, a role which involves slower-speed flying sequences, is instrumental to the show’s plot, and delivers its title song and sings on five others. Representatives for Mendoza and the production have not confirmed her departure, but are said to be working on an official announcement. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is set to open Feb. 7.

More Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark:
Exclusive: ‘Spider-Man’ musical’s new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ accident blamed on ‘human error’
‘Spider-Man’ stunt double injured after crashing to stage
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ sells $1 million in tickets

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the celebrated and controversial $65 million Broadway musical, will fly again tonight after canceling Wednesday night’s performance in order to rehearse under new safety guidelines, according to the Associated Press. Monday night, stuntman Christopher Tierney was hospitalized after crashing to the stage from 30 feet in the air, and he is now reportedly preparing for back surgery. Human error was initially blamed for the accident, and a second person will now make sure that all the actors subjected to aerial maneuvers are harnessed properly. “At this point we are satisfied they have put in place the appropriate controls,” said Maureen Cox, director of safety and health for the state Department of Labor.

Read more:
‘Spider-Man’ accident blamed on ‘human error’
‘Spider-Man’ stunt double injured after crashing to stage
‘Spider-Man” musical’ new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ producer Michael Cohl on last night’s messy preview: ‘It went much better than I expected.’
‘Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark’ musical details revealed: Are you getting drawn into its web?
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ sells $1 million in tickets

The accident that sent a Spider-Man stunt double to the hospital was the result of “human error,” according to the Actors’ Equity Association. In a statement, the union said they had “worked today with the Department of Labor, OSHA and the production to determine that the cause of the accident at last night’s performance of Spider-Man was, in fact, human error.”

Christopher Tierney had to be hospitalized after falling approximately 30 feet during an acrobatic scene towards the end of Monday night’s performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

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’s good to go. It’s sort of like packing your own parachute.”

Several members of the Broadway fraternity went online to criticize the production, which has suffered several delays and high-profile accidents. Rent star Adam Pascal wrote on Facebook: “I hope [Tierney] is ok and sues the sh– out of Julie, Bono, Edge and every other a–hole who invested in that steaming pile of actor crippling sh–!”

Tony-winning actress Alice Ripley wrote on Twitter, “Spider-Man should be ashamed of itself. Thiis is completely unacceptable and embarrassing to working actors everywhere.” She then added, “Does someone have to die? Where is the line for the decision makers, I am curious.”

9 to 5 actor Marc Kudisch also wrote on Facebook, “I wish employment for all my friends. But I wish them safety and security in their employment even more.”

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.”

Update: The Wednesday evening performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has been cancelled to allow crew members to fully implement a new safety plan. However, a spokesman for the show, Rick Miramontez, denied media reports that the show was being shut down indefinitely. “Absolutely false,” Miramontez told The New York Times. “The performance is on for tomorrow night.”

Read more:
‘Spider-Man” musical’ new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ producer Michael Cohl on last night’s messy preview: ‘It went much better than I expected.’
‘Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark’ musical details revealed: Are you getting drawn into its web?
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ sells $1 million in tickets

Christopher Tierney, the main stunt performer in the Broadway production Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, fell approximately 30 feet during last night’s performance and needed to be hospitalized for minor injuries, according to the Associated Press. The accident occurred about seven minutes before the end of the show, which was then halted. “The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Actors Equity and the New York State Department of Labor have met with the Spider-Man company today to discuss additional safety protocols. It was agreed that these measures would be enacted immediately,” the show’s spokesperson, Rick Miramontez, said in a statement. “Tomorrow’s matinee has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Tomorrow evening’s, and all subsequent performances will proceed as scheduled.”

Read more:
‘Spider-Man” musical’ new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ producer Michael Cohl on last night’s messy preview: ‘It went much better than I expected.’
‘Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark’ musical details revealed: Are you getting drawn into its web?
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ sells $1 million in tickets