Who would've ever thought starring in a Disney Broadway musical could be so life threatening?
Unfortunately that was the case for 51-year old actor-singer Adrian Bailey, who severely injured himself during a May 10 matinee performance of 'The Little Mermaid.'
Bailey fell through a trap door on the deck of a suspended boat prior to the start of the performance, which lead the actor to suffer from fractured wrists, a broken back, a shattered pelvis, a fractured sternum, several fractured ribs and a fractured foot.
All of this for Ariel?
Following the accident, a court petition was filed on May 14 with the Manhattan Supreme Court. Now the singing actor is filing a lawsuit against Disney.
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In addition to filing legal action against the entertainment powerhouse, which also produces 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Lion King' on Broadway, Bailey has also named theater manufacture companies George Tsypin Design, Showman Fabricators Inc. and Niscon in the same suit.
According to 'Backstage' magazine, Bailey is seeking unspecified monetary compensation and argues that his injuries "were caused by the carelessness, negligence and recklessness of the defendants" and adds that there were inadequate "warnings and/or safety devices" that could have prevented his accident.
Sounds like Bailey may have a nice piece of change coming his way.
Despite taking legal action, Bailey's everyday living has changed drastically. So drastic that the Broadway actor is having difficulties caring for himself.
"My life has been changed forever. It will never be the same," he told the magazine. "My immediate goal is to somehow be able to walk up to my own apartment and care for myself. I try to stay positive. I look forward to being made whole some day and being fully compensated for my injuries."
There was no comment provided by Disney at press time.
1. I wish Adrian Bailey a speedy recovery and hope he wins his suit. I remember him from "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and he's an excellent performer.
Dale at 9:44AM on Sep 27th 2008