A Cirque du Soleil performer was stretchered off stage after a fall on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Kymberlee Fernandes
A person in the audience at an Auckland performance of Cirque du Soleil on Saturday afternoon says everyone fell silent, when a performer fell several metres to the ground.
Joy Marshall said 6-8 acrobats were executing a bar routine, when one plunged onto the safety mat.
Marshall was at the show with her daughter and a friend from school, and her mother.
She said they enjoyed the first part of the show, and the second half involved acrobats doing a routine on the high bars, including flips.
However, one of the performers plunged 2-3 metres onto the mat, landing flat on his stomach. She said he tried to get up, but collapsed.
Several people surrounded him and paramedics came onto the scene. Black sheets were put up for privacy from the audience.
The performer was taken to hospital and his condition is not known.
The show was stopped for about 20 minutes, as medics attended to the performer, before they were stretchered off the stage.
Marshall said one person in the audience stood up and urged Christians in the crowd to join him in prayer.
"It was quite a brave and beautiful moment."
The performer was taken to hospital, but it's not known how seriously injured he is.
Messages on the loud speaker asked people to remain seated and that the show would continue.
Marshall said the next sequence was fairly short, involving the main character riding across the arena on his bicycle, with the other characters farewelling him below.
"They all took their bows and that was the end of the show."
The show, Corteo, is playing at Spark Arena until 9 November.
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