Lead Actress Natalie Mendoza Departs SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark

BroadwayWorld.com was the first to report back on December 2 when Natalie Mendoza, who plays the lead role of Arachne in SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark had received a concussion and the role was to be played in her absence by understudy America Olivo. The star then returned to the show on December 15, but then was out of the show again with Olivo, and then Carpio playing the role.

Now the New York Times is reporting that the actress is leaving the production, "as an artistic loss and embarrassing blow to the production" and that lawyers are fine-tuning the language to explain her departure. The paper reports that she last performed in the show on Monday, December 20th, the same performance which had the injury to her fellow performer and friend Christopher Tierney. While the production has said Mendoza is on vocal rest, with her track being played by T.V. Carpio, the paper reports that she was badly shaken by the injuries in the show and will not be returning.

Mendoza's part has been played by both America Olivo and by T.V. Carpio, and it's unknown which actress will take over her role, though the paper speculates that Olivo will take over with Carpio as an alternate. 

Per the paper, "On Sunday, Ms. Mendoza wrote on her Facebook page that she was grateful to be down to two nausea tablets and four painkillers per day to cope with her concussion. 'Thank goodness I had such a brilliant neurologist who made sure I recovered properly,' she wrote. 'Nice to be almost back to normal.... almost anyway haha! Thanking God for peace, real friends, love and health and healing.'

Natalie Mendoza's TV and film credits include: the cult hit feature The Descent (and its sequel), The Great Raid, Code 46, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, the hit BBC series "Hotel Babylon" and more. Mendoza made her stage debut at the Sydney Opera House as a girl in Romeo and Juliet. She was discovered by Cameron Mackintosh and asked to play Eponine in Les Miserables and later went on to star in many other musicals and plays, including multiple seasons with The Melbourne Theatre Company and workshops of Matthew Warchus'Lord of the Rings and the stage adaptation of the film Ghost. She signed as a teenager internationally to Virgin Records with her pop punk band Jackson Mendoza and had several hits that led them onto stadium tours. She is currently recording her first solo album as well as a Jazz project called "The Eddy", produced by Glen Ballard. Natalie's also created a comic book /multi platform project with Simon Bisley, which is scheduled to be released at next year's Comic-Con.

With a degree in Operatic Theatre from The Juilliard School, America Olivo formed the music group Soluna. Their DreamWorks Records hits "For All Time" and "Bring It To Me" topped the charts. They opened for Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony on tours through the United States and Latin America at Radio City, Madison Square Garden, and the Staples Center. America has performed with Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, Elton John, Shakira, Nelly, Destiny's Child, Alanis Morisette, and Stevie Wonder. America starred in Paramount Television's "Soluna" pilot, and on "How I Met Your Mother", "Jake in Progress", "The Brothers Garcia", "Cuts", "General Hospital", and "House". Her film credits include The Thirst, Blood Wars, Love Shack, The Last Resort, Friday the 13th, Transformers 2, Bitch Slap, and Neighbor. She has appeared on the covers of Playboy, CMD Magazine, Latino Future, People en Español and in Maxim UK and Español.

Teresa Victoria Carpio, better known as T.V. and who was playing Miss Arrow and understudying Mary Jane Watson, grew up in Hong Kong with her mother, Teresa Carpio, a household name as a singer and entertainer in Asia. She danced in music videos for Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston, which led to parts on television's "Law and Order" and "The Jury". Then as an alto soprano she sang with the Hong Kong Philharmonic in her mother's acclaimed Diva concerts. From there she landed the role of Gail in Spike Lee's She Hate Me, and the role of Angela in Lee's Sucker Free City for Showtime. She auditioned for Julie Taymor's acclaimed feature film, Across The Universe and was cast as Prudence. This was followed by playing Alexi Darling in Rent on Broadway. Recently she landed the role of Valerie in the upcoming Universal Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper starrer The Dark Fields, directed by Neil Burger.

The production's opening night, (previously set for January 11, 2011) is still set to open on Monday, February 7. Directed by Julie Taymor and featuring a book by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger, and new music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is now in previews at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).