Actor injured this afternoon in Little Mermaid- Page 5

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 6:02pm

Well it started as early as one of the actresses getting a muscle injury during a costume fitting.

[Elphabuff2]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 7:40pm

Ok, at this point, I would like sources for these measurements and statistics. Not "about"; not "looks like." What exactly is the ratio of Broadway accidents to film accidents/stunt mishaps (cite a source, please)? Presenting opinions as fact doesn't make them fact, no matter how many posts you have under your belt.

Lying is the intent to deceive. So everyone lies, everyday. Why the shock? Whether verbally or by omission, lying is lying. Plain and simple. I'm not intending sarcasm whatsoever, but did anyone actually think he merely broke both wrists? Maybe that's my misconception. I know very little about stages and their measurements, but even I knew Adrian was hurt more extensively than released. Whether he fell 15 feet or 50 feet, he most likely was not expecting it, so I'm sure he tensed up/reacted which can further complicate things upon impact.

Anyone with any legal credentials: Can Adrian talk about his injuries or must his side be divulged via "Disney filter"? I'm pretty sure cast and crew cannot, but I wasn't sure about him.

I do hope he in not inconvienenced by this any more than he has to be. Surely Disney will take care of everything, with all the publicity, etc....right? Not to mention it's the right thing to do. Back problems are never good, especially in his profession. I hope he's hanging in there.

[Popular]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 7:45pm

Curtain - I agree about how counter productive it is to speculate and argue about who is at fault and who is trying to cover up what.

Cards are a good idea. If he's alert and able to receive them I think that would be a lovely gesture. Maybe someone more "in the know" can direct us as to where to send them, or is the theater the best place?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 8:07pm

I thought sending to the Theatre would be easiest.
I'm sure a cast member or a crew member would get them to him the quickest.

Adrian Bailey
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Lunt Fontanne Theatre
205 W. 46th St.
New York City
New York 10036

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 8:10pm

What a nice idea, Curtain.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 8:58pm

Fosse76 is right- the fall was 40 feet and NOT 20 feet. The extent of his injuries is much more serious then has been publicized by Disney.

The latest I heard is that Adrian is suffering from a broken L-3 vertebrae; A broken left foot; A broken pelvis; one broken rib; three cracked ribs; compound fractures in both wrists. These injuries are quite serious and rehabilitation will take a long time.

[roadmixer]

Posted: 5/14/08 at 10:42pm

I would like to chime in to assure everyone of one thing concerning Disney... I have worked with a lot of different producers over 25 years in the business so I can say this with some degree of knowledge. Disney theatrical has a FULL TIME director of safety on staff in New York. They have a large health and safety department within the larger corp. including some specialists who offer advice on the theatrical shows from time to time. Disney has, on production staff, a full-time physio and massage therapist for the company. On The Little Mermaid and their other shows, they have some of the larger Stage Management departments on Broadway. I have sat and watched as every painstaking moment of the staging of both Tarzan and The Little Mermaid were put together and there were safety checks and procedures implemented in abundance - sometimes leading to very costly extra time on stage.

My point is that Disney, of all producers, are the least likely to be irresponsible. The exact opposite of what many people on this board indicate.

None of us know the ins and outs of why the information concerning this tragedy has been limited and/or incorrect and certainly we don't know why the accident happened. What we do know is that there are definitely many people involved in the production who feel terrible about it.

Nobody at Disney Theatrical takes the safety of performers for granted.

Let's follow Curtain's lead and send wishes to Adrian via the Lunt rather than looking to burn a major Broadway employer at the stake without a full knowledge of all of the facts.

Thanks for the soapbox.
Updated On: 5/14/08 at 10:42 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 12:25am

Given the kind of company disney is I wouldn't be suprised if they put the show aspect before the saftey aspect.

I am sure that there are saftey checks during the tech runs of their show. But, I think that there is a way to make things safer then they are and to have them look as nice as Disney wants them to. But, they tend to focus on the showy aspect of things a bit more then they should.

And, legally speaking if the actor wants to talk about his injuries he is free to do that to whomever he wants to. If Disney wanted to publish a full detailed report to the press they would have to get his permission first.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 11:21am

"Given the kind of company disney is I wouldn't be suprised if they put the show aspect before the saftey aspect."

Absolutely. The fact that costumes themselves cause injuries is very telling. A fix that should happen: modify the costume so it won't injure someone. Disney's fix: pay for the actors' weekly chiropractor/doctor visits.

"I am sure that there are saftey checks during the tech runs of their show. But, I think that there is a way to make things safer then they are and to have them look as nice as Disney wants them to. But, they tend to focus on the showy aspect of things a bit more then they should."

Like any industry, everything can work perfectly and then deteriorate and break over time. Disney doesn't like to fix anything if they actually have to modify its aesthetic. Equity has been fighting for them to alter some costumes and props because they cause dangers: beads falling off, etc. Costumes are getting snagged on set pieces, actors are slipping on stairs, set pieces are too tight. It goes on and on.

"And, legally speaking if the actor wants to talk about his injuries he is free to do that to whomever he wants to. If Disney wanted to publish a full detailed report to the press they would have to get his permission first."

Absolutely. If anyone is injured at work, ANY job. He or she if free to discuss it with anyone. If it sheds a bad light on the company, that worker would be protected under Federal Law.

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 11:24am

I don't get exactly what happened. Can someone explain?!

[Jonny boy]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 12:31pm

I have worked with Disney in the past in one of the parades and I can assure you that Disney did take mesures to make sure that the actors and dancers were safe. There were checks daily on all equipment and floats. They are not by any means careless.



... and if there are were all these issues between Disney and Equity about the saftey of thier show... wouldnt you think that after this incident it would be made very public?? I havent heard anything about saftey issues in the past...

[dancinfan]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 12:39pm

As in Mermaid, there have been costume issues in Lion King and Beauty and the Beast as well. A Mrs. Potts had to have back surgery after several years of holding up her spout arm and carrying a heavy prop. An early Wardrobe completely lost her voice because her costume was straining her neck muscles so severely (and the costume was subsequently overhauled so that the costume sat on her hips instead of hanging off her shoulders). Many times, these things don't become obvious until the show has been running a while and the chronic injuries appear.

But back to Mr. Bailey's accident: accidents do happen, and I am not blaming Disney Theatricals for causing it. However, downplaying it in the press when the actor's injuries are so severe is creepy to me, which is why I brought it up.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 2:34pm

So, I guess I am to assume that anything posted on a message board is now fact? Or is it only items posted by certain people are facts? Or perhaps anything anti-Disney is understood as fact? I am confused because there seem to be alot of factual declarations made by those who have "heard" or "understood" something that someone has said and decided that everyone should accept it as irrefutable truth. Yet somehow, I don't think they are willing to leap to the same conclusions for others.

Now I'm not disputing there are those here who may have technical knowledge and insight to the production, but unless you were actually there the moment it happened, then you don't really know what happened. You know what somebody told you happened. And you don't even know if they were there. Does anybody see my point?

Probably not.

[UnderTheHill]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 3:31pm

Posted today on 1010wins website:

Posted: Thursday, 15 May 2008 2:21PM

Injured Broadway Actor Prepares Lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP) -- An actor hurt when he fell during the Broadway show "The Little Mermaid" has asked for a court order to preserve a stage prop for a lawsuit he is planning.

Adrian Bailey's petition, in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says the prop -- a boat -- must be saved so it can be examined by his lawyers and consultants.

The 51-year-old actor was taking his position for the first scene on May 10 when he fell through an open trap door on the boat's bottom.

Bailey's court papers say he fell 30 to 40 feet. The court papers say his injuries include two broken wrists, a broken back, sternum, ribs and foot, and a shattered pelvis. He has undergone four surgeries.

The intended defendants, Disney Theatrical Productions and the Nederlander Organization Inc., had no immediate comment on Thursday.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 4:22pm

Well there you have it.

Updated On: 5/15/08 at 04:22 PM

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 4:29pm

My God, it's amazing he survived.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 4:47pm

I suspect Disney will pay him as quickly as possible.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 4:48pm

"... and if there are were all these issues between Disney and Equity about the saftey of thier show... wouldnt you think that after this incident it would be made very public?? I havent heard anything about saftey issues in the past..."

Like anything, many of the problems seem like everyday backstage occurrences...and the more problems that develop while the others remain unaddressed, the worse it is. From what I know these safety issues aren't ground-breaking newsworthy events, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous.

For example, they use beaded prop umbrellas in Under the Sea, and the beads apparently were always coming off. While I personally am not aware of anyone slipping, it is a hazard, one which the Equity representative was fighting. Disney refused to remove them from the show, claiming they are too beautiful, and this was AFTER Saturday's incident. Equity made a threat (which I am not exactly clear about) and they have now been removed. Costumes are constantly being snagged on the set, with the actors caught going one way while the set rotates in the opposite direction. Actors where slipping down the stairs backstage. Disney "fixed" it, but the solution actually made the situation worse (in one instance sending Sheri Renee Scott down a flight of stairs). None of it was mentioned because, miraculously, all those problems were fixed by Tuesday.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 4:52pm

http://www.silive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1210875255264160.xml&storylist=simetro

[winston89]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 5:53pm

The link is the same article that was cut and pasted from the 1010 wins website.

I think that this shows that Disneys constent habbit of cutting corners finally bit them in the ass. Of course they fixed any and all problems ASAP because they figure that if they can sweep them under the rug after the events of saturday then it will make them not look as bad as they actually are looking.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 6:14pm

I am surprised it hasn't popped up on any of the theater sites.

[winston89]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 6:37pm

Because most of the theatre sites announce things that have an offical announcement.

The offical announcment that came from Disney was filled with so many lies. So, if any theatre sites did announce it it would be the Disney sugar coated version of the story and not the actual version of the story.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 6:45pm

That's what I was wondering. It looks like the announcement came from the AP. I was thinking they might not want to get Disney mad at them since they advertise on these sites.

[winston89]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 6:59pm

It is true that Disney has advertisments on AP websites.

But, after looking I did find it on Broadway.com. However, it is the Disney version of the story and not the version of the story that tells the truth of what actually happened.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/15/08 at 7:14pm

Not defending Disney, but it seems a lot of these injuries have been discovered after the original press release came out.
That said, I don't expect them to ammend the original story makin them look even worse.

The one thing they had to know was the height of the fall (just look at any set plan) and who to attribute the mistake.
Any trap door would have a stage hand assigned to make sure it is secure and a Stage Manager to doulble check that.

I agree that they will be making a hefty settlement and soon and the actor will sign an agreement to never let the public know how much that is.

I hope Mr. Bailey can recover from these serious injuries.