Jodie Comer Cancels ‘Prima Facie’ Presentation Date Due to Poor Air Quality in NYC – Deadline

Bronwyn Sharp

Actress Jodie Comer stopped today’s Broadway gig Prima Vase due to the bad smoky air in New York City, to tell the public she was having trouble breathing.

An audience member tells Deadline that today’s show started 10 minutes late, only for the upcoming star trying to start the show to announce from the stage that she couldn’t breathe enough to continue performing. When the curtain was lowered, an announcement asked the audience members to remain in their seats until a final decision was made on whether to cancel the rehearsal or to proceed with a replacement.

A spokesperson for the show told Deadline that after the temporary hiatus, student Danny Arlington is set to take over the role of Comer as Tessa.

According to the audience member, Comer was about three minutes into her performance when she coughed, paused, and called out to the stage manager, “I can’t breathe that air.”

By the time it was announced that Comer would not return to the stage that afternoon, much of the audience had left their seats, apparently to obtain new tickets for a future performance or a refund.

Some members of the public on Twitter expressed their confusion. One writes: “We came to see Jodie Comer.” “I started the show. I had to stop for air quality. Now you want us to see the alternative. What’s the refund policy? An exchange? We came and paid too much to see Judy.”

Earlier today, the Writers Guild of America paused a strike in New York City due to poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires. The National Weather Service issued an air quality red alert for the New York area, the worst air quality in decades. Flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport have been grounded.