Lyric Opera actor burned in stunt back to work
BY BRIAN SLODYSKO Staff Reporter bslodysko@suntimes.com February 22, 2013 8:00PM
Wesley Daniel
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Updated: March 24, 2013 6:17AM
The Lyric Opera actor who was badly burned when a fire-breathing stunt went awry in front of an audience of several hundred has been cleared to return to work.
Doctors gave Wesley Daniel, 24, the go-ahead to resume his duties in the Opera’s production of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, officials said in a statement released Friday.
Daniel will be an understudy for stilt-walking actors performing the same scene he was injured in.
“I feel terrific and am looking forward to putting this whole incident behind me and getting back on stage,” Daniel, who could not be reached for comment, said in a statement.
Daniel was on stilts and in costume during a Feb. 4 dress rehearsal when flammable liquid used in the fire-breathing stunt got loose and lit parts of his neck and face on fire.
The stunt required Daniel, who was wearing a fireproof costume and mask, to swig from a container of flammable liquid, then spout it onto the torch he held in his hand.
Daniel’s recovery plods along the same time line predicted by one of his doctors at the time of the accident. At the time, the doctor likened the actor’s injuries to a deep sunburn.
While news of the accident made headlines, for his part, Daniel said the coverage was overblown.
“I am truly grateful for all the good wishes I’ve received over the past few weeks, but the coverage my accident generated was, quite frankly, overwhelming and I just want to get back to work with my colleagues,” Daniel said in the statement.
