Two Kansas City women have sued the producers of the hit musical Billy Elliot for $4 million after being injured by a flying prop, the New York Post is reporting, no doubt affirming the Midwestern disdain of New York theater buffs and art snobs.
While I typically want to shiv such haughty New Yorkers in the neck with a shard from my reasonably priced bottle of beer, I've gotta say: I'm with them on this one.
The women, Elaine Rosen and Cynthia Noblit, attended the show in November 2009, the Post reports. Right before the end of the first act, a crate came flying from the stage, either kicked or accidentally released from a dancer's hand. The women were somehow both hit in the face by the object. Rosen, 54, suffered a gash and has a permanent scar; Noblit, 60, suffered a concussion.
The women were rushed to the emergency room and later invited back to see the show to its conclusion. The show was altered to avoid injury to other patrons.
The women are suing, of course; it's the American way. But they're not just trying to recoup their medical costs. They're suing for $2 million each, to punish the producers for "general negligence" for "arranging a hazardous and dangerous choreography" and "failing to give . . . any notice or warning," the Post reports.
"They certainly didn't go to the theater, sit in the first row and
expect to assume the risk of getting clobbered in their seats,"
the women's attorney told the Post. "It's not like going to a baseball game or a hockey tournament."
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Someone should tell them Broadway theatre is dangerous and to get over it. Exhibit A: "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." This doomed show has a new injury weekly, if not nightly... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12...
Hope you have got well again, Elaine and Cynthia. I am looking forward to reading the court's decision. Please, don't expect too much money. But I am confident that they will compensate you in a appropriate way.
Cheers
Rick
Seeing as how a man in NY City was attempting to sue a 4-year-old for negligence as a result of a tricycle collision with his elderly mother, I don't really think that this is a NY sophisticate vs. KC bumpkin angle. If anything, they might think better of us.
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