Spider-Man musical gets new actress

Los Angeles - The producers of the Broadway play Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have promoted a supporting player to the role held by an actress who quit the show after suffering a backstage concussion.

Teresa Carpio will officially take over as Arachne from Natalie Mendoza on Tuesday, having filled in for several performances, the producers said in a statement.

Mendoza left Spider-Man on December 30, saying she needed to recover from a head injury sustained when she was hit by a rope during the play's first performance on November 28.

The ambitious, high-tech $65m musical - the most expensive Broadway show ever - is a hot ticket on Broadway, despite playing in previews as its producers fine-tune elements ahead of its official February 7 opening.

But it has been a difficult journey, with the production plagued by cost overruns, four delays in its opening date, and three other injuries. Two stunt doubles were injured during rehearsals, while a stuntman fell about nine metres into the orchestra pit during a performance.

Carpio, who originally was cast as Miss Arrow, has been involved with the Spider-Man production since it was initially work-shopped. The play's director, Julie Taymor, had previously cast Carpio in her Beatles-related fantasy feature Across the Universe. Carpio will be replaced as Miss Arrow by Alice Lee.