NU Online News Service, March 10, 2:28 p.m. EST

The Broadway production of Spider-Man has had starts and stops, cast and crew injuries, bad reviews prompting rewrites and now its director is being replaced, putting off the already delayed opening night, but in the end, who is paying for all this?

In December, the show was canceled after a lead stunt actor sustained serious injuries. He fell more than 20 feet into an area beneath the stage—the fourth performer to be hurt on the set since September, according to media reports.

Among other injuries, Christopher Tierney suffered broken ribs and internal bleeding because his security harness was not properly attached to equipment designed to protect him.

The falls got the attention of the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which said in a news release dated March 4 that it has issued “three serious violations of workplace safety standards,” following the four falls last year.

Roger A. Sandau, chief executive officer, Doodson Insurance Brokerage, LLC in Baltimore, which specializes in large events internationally, explained that contingency insurance—also known as non-appearance or event cancellation insurance—was designed for shows where there is a central talent that is part of the performance. In the case of Spider-Man, the delays caused by injuries to key performers “is the type of risk for which this insurance is designed.”

However, he added, “If the show is shut down for violations of regulations or the law, that is not insurable. Cancellation insurance is not designed to respond.”

In the latest chapter, following a spate of negative reviews of its previews, Spider-Man’s lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced on March 8 they had rescheduled the much-anticipated opening night, previously set for March 15, “to an evening in early summer, 2011.”

They said in a statement that the reason for the delay is that Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark has a “newly expanded creative team in place” that will be implementing “a new plan to make significant and exciting revisions to the production.”

The amended schedule, the producers said, will allow the time necessary to execute the plan, which will include revisions to the script.

They also said they are replacing Julie Taymor, the show’s director, known for her work on Lion King. She has been involved in many aspects of Spider-Man since the beginning, working on the production’s music with Bono and The Edge of the band U2.

Would the producer’s decisions to delay the opening and other related events cover loss of income?

The answer again is no, Mr. Sandau said. “There is a specific exclusion in a contingency policy that relates to reduced attendance,” he explained. “So if you are looking to avoid reduced attendance, because of bad reviews for example, that is not a covered peril if you close the show to boost attendance.”

With a contingency policy, he said, insurers are not looking to insure “the quality of the show or its commercial viability, they are looking to insure cancellation due to unforeseen and uncontrollable events.”

Mr. Sandau added that some of the decisions being made “are likely outside of the bounds of insurance and are creating additional costs for this production.”

The musical, which has been in the works since 2002, costs more than $1 million to run each week, an amount thought to be the highest in history. Any profits go to royalties and repayment of the $65 million capitalization cost, according to The New York Times.

Special Reports /

Spider-Man Musical Weaves Web Of Insurable And Uninsurable Foibles

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