Her departure from the show – which is the most expensive production in Broadway history – follows a series of safety setbacks. During rehearsals, two stunt doubles were injured during flying sequences, and top aerial stuntman, Christopher Tierney, fell 30 feet at a preview performance.
Mendoza herself was injured onstage: The actress, 30, suffered a concussion the first night of previews when she was hit in the head by stage equipment. She last performed Dec. 20 – the night the audience packed in the Foxwoods Theatre watched Tierney, 31, fall into the orchestra pit.
A spokesman for the $65 million show – which, despite several delays, is still scheduled to open Feb. 7 – could not confirm Mendoza's departure from the show. Understudy America Olivo is likely to step in for the role.
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