Actress Jodie Comer Abruptly Exits Broadway Play Over Breathing Problems From Wildfire Smoke

Topline

Emmy Award-winning actress Jodie Comer abruptly walked off stage during a Wednesday matinee of the Broadway one-woman play Prima Facie, saying she can’t breathe due to a blanket of smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped the New York City skyline.

Key Facts

Comer, who starred in Killing Eve and Thirteen, cut Wednesday’s play short just 10 minutes into her performance, saying the poor air quality made it hard to breathe, a spokesperson from the play confirmed to Forbes.

The play resumed after a stage manager helped Comer off stage and her understudy, Dani Arlinton, took over for Comer.

Her sudden exit comes as a thick layer of smoke envelopes the northeastern U.S. in an eerie yellow-gray haze Tuesday night and Wednesday, as officials urge residents from Boston, New York and Toronto to the mid-Atlantic to avoid going outside as much as possible.

Northwesterly winds are expected to keep the haze over the East Coast through Thursday, with the smoky air stretching as far south as Memphis, Atlanta and the Carolinas, as more than 400 wildfires continue to burn in Canada, including in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia, according to Canada’s Interagency Forest Fire Center.

Chief Critic

Comer, who plays the role of Tessa, a barista-turned criminal justice advocate after she is sexually assaulted, had received rave reviews for her performance in the 100-minute play, with Entertainment Weekly lauding her as “remarkable” and Variety writing she “commands the stage.”

Tangent

The smoke has also forced schools in New York City and Washington D.C. to cancel outdoor activities. The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday issued a temporary ground stop for incoming flights at New York City’s LaGuardia airport, though the FAA lifted the ground stop several hours later. As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, 200 flights into and 237 flights out of LaGuardia have been delayed, while another 230 flights were delayed at Newark Liberty airport, according to data from flight tracker Flightaware.

Further Reading

Here’s Where Air Quality Will Worsen As New York, Philadelphia And Toronto Are Blanketed In Wildfire Smoke (Forbes)

New York Goes Martian: Wildfire Smoke Engulfs City In Eerie Orange Haze (Forbes)