The London stage production of The Lord of the Rings was put on hold after an actor became trapped by part of the hydraulically powered stage during a preview show Wednesday evening.

At one point during the Theatre Royal Drury Lane performance, actor Adam Salter screamed in pain after one of his legs became trapped in part of the show's complicated stage mechanism. The curtain fell as fellow cast members and stagehands rushed to his side.

An audience of more than 2,000 people were initially told there would be a 10-minute break. After a half-hour, producer Keven Wallace took to the stage to announce that the performance would be stopped so that staffers could investigate.

Paramedics treated Salter at the scene and transported him to hospital. A spokesperson for the show said Thursday that although Salter's leg was not broken, doctors wanted to conduct a more thorough examination of the actor, who portrays a Ranger in the musical.

The show will stay dark until Saturday.

Stage changes being studied

The creative team is "looking at modifying the staging in order that the show will begin preview performances again at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane at the matinee performance" on Saturday, producers said in a statement.

Currently in previews, The Lord of the Rings is set for its official West End opening on June 19.

The lavish, multimillion-dollar musical has been extensively rewritten for its British run, following its early close last September, just six months after its debut in Toronto.

Amid mixed reviews in Toronto, several theatre critics praised the complex, high-tech staging, which uses more than a dozen hydraulic lifts to raise and lower various sections of the revolving set.