Onstage Injury Forces Early Exit for Wicked Star Idina Menzel

Wicked Tony Award winner Idina Menzel fell and hit her side at the January 8 matinee of the hit musical, during the iconic scene in which the Wicked Witch of the West melts. The audience was filled with fans excited to see one of the popular favorite's final performances, as Menzel was scheduled to leave Wicked on January 9 to start work on the film version of Rent. She will now not perform on January 9, but will be on hand to appear at a curtain call celebration honoring her.

"There was not a floor [beneath the stage] where she expected there to be one," a production spokesperson explained to Broadway.com. "The elevator that lowers her had already partially descended so she fell and hit her side." Menzel went to an area hospital where she was examined by doctors who determined she had a fractured lower rib.

After Menzel's fall, an announcement about the situation was made to the audience, the performance was stopped for a short time before standby Shoshanna Bean who is slated to assume the role of Elphaba on January 11 took over for the final minutes of the show. Leading man Joey McIntyre further explained the situation to the audience during the curtain call.

Bean played Elphaba during the January 8 evening performance and will go on January 9.