Natalie Mendoza, the actress who plays Arachne, will be sidelined for a short time after being hit with a rope. (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) Natalie Mendoza, the actress who plays Arachne, will be sidelined for a short time after being hit with a rope. (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark)

Actress Natalie Mendoza, who plays the villainous Arachne, has been sidelined from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark after being hit in the head by a rope in the first preview of the Broadway production.

Mendoza, who was left suspended in mid-air during a glitch in the preview Sunday, will be out for a "brief period" producers say.

The Australian-British actress, 30, has had previous roles in the film The Descent and TV series, Hotel Babylon.

Mendoza's understudy, America Olivo, is filling in as Arachne, Spider-Man's love interest and nemesis.

Canadian producer Michael Cohl said the show has since worked out most, but not all, of its bugs. Two previews Wednesday and Thursday had to be stopped only once, compared to five times in the first show, he said.

"If the bugs were worked out, we wouldn't have to have 42 previews," Cohl said.

He warned ticket-holders for previews they may have to endure delays as cast and crew master the complicated business of getting actors to fly and climb up walls.

Cohl said he expects Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will open as planned Jan. 11 at the Foxwoods Theatre.

"There won't be new scenes or other scenes cut or anything. They'll be what I call tweaking," he said. "We've got a great cast, we've got great understudies. We're launched, in that way."

The ambitious show has been directed by Julie Taymor, who brought the Lion King to Broadway, and has music by Bono and The Edge of U2.

Cohl said the glitches, which were gleefully reported by the media, haven't hurt the show at the box office. The production sold more than $1 million worth of tickets within 24 hours of the first preview and this week's shows have been sold out.

CBC News has exclusive Canadian access behind the scenes of Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. A feature segment on the show and its Canadian producer, Michael Cohl, will air on The National on Dec. 3.

With files from The Associated Press