Killing Eve star Jodie Comer forced to abandon Broadway play due to smothering wildfire smoke in New York
COUGHING Killing Eve star Jodie Comer walked off stage from her one-woman Broadway play as smoke from wildfires choked New York, complaining: “I can’t breathe.”
The Brit, 30, abandoned the performance just three minutes in, overcome by the toxic air enveloping the city.
One audience member said Comer, on her debut Broadway run, struggled from the off in Prima Facie, which she won an Olivier award for in April.
They said the star, who plays a barrister defending people accused of sexual assault, was coughing and had to be helped off stage, telling the production manager: “I can’t breathe this air.”
People across the city have been seen gasping for breath in the heavily polluted atmosphere as they walk along the streets.
Many avenues have been almost deserted in the orange haze which has shrouded the Big Apple.
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Some people have taken to wearing face masks, while others have made use of clothing, to keep their mouth and nose covered.
New Yorkers have been urged to stay inside and use public transport rather than drive to help cut the pollution which has smothered the city since Tuesday.
They have also been advised to reset fridges and freezers to more efficient temperatures and limit use of household appliances.
The smoke has originated from more than 400 wildfires in Canada where at least 9.3 million acres have been scorched in Quebec and Ontario, which borders New York State.
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New York mayor Eric Adams said the situation was unprecedented, affecting the entire 8.5 million population — just shy of the 8.9 million people living in London.
Air quality advisories are in place for all five of the city’s boroughs. In some areas, the air quality index topped 400 according to Airnow, which rates 100 as “unhealthy” and 300 “hazardous”.
Older people and those with heart or breathing problems were urged to stay inside.
One million face masks have also been made available at state facilities, including 400,000 in New York City.
Mayor Adams said: “New Yorkers saw and smelled something that has never impacted us on this scale before.
“From the gloom over Yankee Stadium to the smoky haze obscuring our skyline, we could see it, we could smell it and we felt it. And it was alarming and concerning.”
The New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation’s air quality advisory warned: “Exposure can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat.”
It warned of coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath as a consequence of breathing in the polluted air.
The advisory added: “Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease.”
It went on: “People with heart or breathing problems, and children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive.”
The smoke is expected to reach as far south as Florida — more than 1,100 miles from New York — but the worst will stay in the north-eastern US.
At least 13 states have issued alerts in places and 115 million people have been affected.
Thousands of flights have been delayed and baseball games postponed along the east coast
Liverpudlian Comer, meanwhile, was replaced by her understudy, Dani Arlington, for the 100-minute play.
She only missed one performance, a matinee, at the John Golden Theatre.
Although it did not stop disgruntled fans taking to social media to complain.
One tweeted: “What is the refund policy? We came and paid a high price to see Jodie.”
Prima Facie was not the only play to be disrupted in New York by the choking air.
Performances of Hamilton and Camelot were also cancelled.
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A spokesman for Camelot said: “The hazardous air quality has made it impossible for a number of our artists to perform.”
Forecasters say the smoke will linger until the weekend.
