Nearly a dozen people were sent to the hospital Wednesday evening after an escalator at New York City's Gershwin Theatre malfunctioned, according to officials. The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. when the escalator jolted without warning, throwing riders forward. Ten children and one adult were taken to nearby hospitals, the Department of Buildings confirmed to The Independent. Updates on their conditions were not immediately available Thursday morning.
Cause of the Malfunction
A representative for the Department of Buildings stated, "Inspectors were informed that patrons were exiting the theater when a child's shoelace became lodged at the bottom of the escalator. An attendant engaged the emergency stop button, but inspectors were informed that the escalator sped up before stopping, causing a pile-up that resulted in additional injuries." Inspections revealed that the emergency stop button had an inoperative skirt switch, contributing to the failure.
Aftermath and Witness Accounts
Witnesses told CBS News that some victims appeared to be quite young and were ushered out on stretchers and in wheelchairs before being taken to waiting ambulances. One witness described the scene: "The escalator was shut down and it was odd, people were going around it and walking up the stairs, but I didn't think anything of it. It is really scary to hear about. I've always been scared of escalators and I feel bad for the people who had to miss the show because of it." Despite the incident, the 7 p.m. performance of the long-running musical Wicked went on as scheduled.
About the Gershwin Theatre and Wicked
The Gershwin Theatre has been home to Wicked since it opened on Broadway on October 30, 2003. The musical continues to play to nearly sold-out audiences each day. Productions have since been launched in several other countries, including London, Japan, and Korea, and a North American national tour is ongoing. Adapted from Gregory Maguire's acclaimed 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the musical tells the story of the friendship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good, long before Dorothy lands in Oz. It serves as a dark parallel backstory to L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, Wicked was recently adapted into a two-part feature film starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The current Broadway cast includes Keri René Fuller as Elphaba, Emma Flynn as Glinda, Carl Man as Fiyero, and original Broadway company member William Youmans returning as Doctor Dillamond.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Wicked for comment.
