Lead actress leaves troubled ‘Spider-Man’ musical

NEW YORK - One of the lead actresses in the musical ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ has decided to leave the production after she sustained a concussion during the first preview performance.

Natalie Mendoza, 30, who plays Arachne in the Broadway musical, is still recovering from the accident, and according to two people who work on the show she has decided not to carry on.

The show is a 65 million dollar musical created by Julie Taymor, Bono and the Edge of U2.

Mendoza’s representatives and the producers have been hammering out an exit agreement for several days, and an official statement is expected soon, the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

They also revealed that they are not sure why Mendoza is leaving the show, which is still in previews, but they noted that she was still recovering from a concussion and that the show was physically challenging.

Producers have forbidden public comments, given that lawyers and others are still fine-tuning the language to explain Mendoza’s departure, which is an artistic loss and embarrassing blow to the production.

Mendoza wrote on her Facebook page that she was grateful to be down to two nausea tablets and four painkillers a day to cope with her concussion.

“Thank goodness I had such a brilliant neurologist who made sure I recovered properly,” the New York Times quoted her as writing.

“Nice to be almost back to normal … almost anyway haha! Thanking God for peace, real friends, love and health and healing,” she had written. (ANI)