Teen Actors' Necks Cut Open in School Musical of 'Sweeney Todd'
Teen actors' neck slit open in high school production of Sweeney Todd.
A New Zealand high school production of Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street had a disastrous opening night when two teen actors had their necks cut by a prop straight razor on stage, according to reports. Related: 10 Great and Amazing Actors that Died During Filming The two 16-year-old actors were rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night after sustaining serious injuries during a performance of a musical about a murderous barber at St. Kentigern College, a private school in Auckland, the New Zealand hospital Thursday. From TVNZ:"It's a razor, but it's been filed down and bound with various things," he said, adding that the prop did not have a sharp edge and had been used during rehearsals without any problem.
"It was an unfortunate isolated incident which we're of course very disturbed about," he said.
Asked by a reporter whether a plastic prop blade should have been used instead, he replied, "In hindsight that may be a reasonable point."
"It was deemed important to make it as realistic as possible," he told reporters.
The musical centers around the story of the "demon barber of Fleet Street" in Victorian London, who kills customers by slitting their throats, then getting rid of their remains by turning them into pies.
The school's promotional materials for the production featured an image of a bloodied straight razor resting on top of a pie.
Police are currently investigating, but the school was confident no foul-play was involved, according to TVNZ.
Related: Actor Killed During Rehearsal with Prop Samurai Sword
This is not the first time an actor was harmed on set of a theater production. In January, an Italian actor was killed in a botched hanging scene in an experimental theater performance in Italy. In December a Japanese actor died when he was stabbed in the stomach with a samurai sword during a rehearsal.
Related: Actor Dead After Hanging Scene Goes Horribly WRONG
