Ryan Adams, FCRH '11, was injured during the Mimes and Mummers' performance of Sweeney Todd on Friday, Mar. 7.
Adams played the part of Signor Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd. During the scene in which the incident occurred, Pierelli was blackmailing Sweeney Todd's character. There were two razors in the scene, both were dulled down, but one was dulled down more than the other.
In the scene, Adams usually used the more dulled down razor and a packet of fake blood to cut his own throat. The actor playing Sweeney Todd would then throw Adams into a trunk. In the process of this, Adams would drop the dulled razor. Adams would usually remain in the trunk until the end of the scene.
However, in Friday night's performance, due to a broken trunk, Adams failed to drop the razor. Through miscommunication, Sweeney Todd ended up with the less dulled razor in his hand as he was fighting with Adams in the trunk and ended up cutting Adams in the throat with the less dull razor.
Adams usually remained in the trunk for the rest of the scene, however due to the injury, he crawled out of the back of the trunk and off the stage and alerted a stage hand that he was cut. Since he was already drenched in fake blood the scene backstage was "hectic and chaotic," Adams said. Once it was realized that his cut needed professional medical attention, he was immediately escorted to the hospital by Fordham University Emergency Medical Services.
Adams received six stitches for his three-centimeter long and two- centimeter wide cut. He returned from the hospital three minutes after curtain call of that performance.
According to Gina Noto, president of Mimes and Mummers, the entire situation was simply an accident.
"The use of razors in Sweeney Todd is something that obviously could not have been done without," Noto said. "The board searched for weeks trying to find the best possible razor, coming up with a safe option. The razors that we used were bladeless and dull. The incident that occurred was a complete mistake and was not one person's fault."
2008 Woodie Awards
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