"Spider-Man" was grounded Wednesday while producers of the cursed show struggled to get the bugs out of their safety procedures.
As federal and state investigators probed a plague of onstage mishaps, a Queens pol proposed hearings into what's fast becoming a $65 million Broadway boondoggle.
Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), who chairs a subcommittee on workplace safety, said the danger "seems to have reached unacceptable levels."
He insisted he wasn't trying to sink Spidey.
"I live in Queens. I'm rooting for 'Spider-Man.' I want the show to succeed," he told the Daily News.
Reeve Carney, who plays Spider-Man in the show, said he hopes the production isn't doomed.
"They've got a lot of people making sure things are even safer than they were," he said as he signed autographs for fans who arrived at the Foxwoods Theatre to find it dark.
The web-slinger will return Thursday after the state Labor Department said it believes producers have revamped the safety measures.
"At this point we are satisfied they have put in place the appropriate controls," said Maureen Cox, director of safety and health for the department.
Producers implemented the recommendations to prevent another show-stopping fall like the one on Monday, which left top stunt man Christopher Tierney hospitalized.
Tierney, 32, is the fourth performer hurt since "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" finally began trial performances last month after several money-burning delays.
He underwent back surgery at Bellevue Hospital Wednesday.
Sources said Tierney wasn't properly harnessed when he ran out onto a ramp wearing a Spider-Man costume and plunged 30 feet into an orchestra pit before a horrified audience.
Cox said all the accidents that have dogged the show "are the result of systemic safety failures."
"It's really not about human error," she said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also looking into the spate of cast-member injuries.
Director Julie Taymor's show calls for 38 aerial stunts.
Starting today, each time an actor is hooked up to a harness, a second stagehand will check it and notify the stage manager, "It's okay to go," Cox said. Also, the actor doing the stunt will be able to abort the flight if he or she has any qualms, said Cox.
Some theatergoers wondered what the point was after so many snafus. "They should just put an end to the show," said disappointed Spidey fan Jose Martinez, 21. "This is lame."
As federal and state investigators probed a plague of onstage mishaps, a Queens pol proposed hearings into what's fast becoming a $65 million Broadway boondoggle.
Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), who chairs a subcommittee on workplace safety, said the danger "seems to have reached unacceptable levels."
He insisted he wasn't trying to sink Spidey.
"I live in Queens. I'm rooting for 'Spider-Man.' I want the show to succeed," he told the Daily News.
Reeve Carney, who plays Spider-Man in the show, said he hopes the production isn't doomed.
"They've got a lot of people making sure things are even safer than they were," he said as he signed autographs for fans who arrived at the Foxwoods Theatre to find it dark.
The web-slinger will return Thursday after the state Labor Department said it believes producers have revamped the safety measures.
"At this point we are satisfied they have put in place the appropriate controls," said Maureen Cox, director of safety and health for the department.
Producers implemented the recommendations to prevent another show-stopping fall like the one on Monday, which left top stunt man Christopher Tierney hospitalized.
Tierney, 32, is the fourth performer hurt since "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" finally began trial performances last month after several money-burning delays.
He underwent back surgery at Bellevue Hospital Wednesday.
Sources said Tierney wasn't properly harnessed when he ran out onto a ramp wearing a Spider-Man costume and plunged 30 feet into an orchestra pit before a horrified audience.
Cox said all the accidents that have dogged the show "are the result of systemic safety failures."
"It's really not about human error," she said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also looking into the spate of cast-member injuries.
Director Julie Taymor's show calls for 38 aerial stunts.
Starting today, each time an actor is hooked up to a harness, a second stagehand will check it and notify the stage manager, "It's okay to go," Cox said. Also, the actor doing the stunt will be able to abort the flight if he or she has any qualms, said Cox.
Some theatergoers wondered what the point was after so many snafus. "They should just put an end to the show," said disappointed Spidey fan Jose Martinez, 21. "This is lame."
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