Christopher Tierney, one of several performers who was set to play Spider-Man during stunt sequences in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, took his first steps Friday since the onstage accident that left him in the hospital last week. “My understanding is that Chris is fortunate to be alive,†Tierney’s father said Sunday. The 31-year-old actor and veteran dancer plummeted headfirst during a preview performance after a safety tethered to his harness malfunctioned, but he managed to land on his right side, the Times reports. Tierney suffered a hairline fracture in his skull, a broken bone close to his elbow, four broken ribs, a bruised lung and three fractured vertebrae, and he remains in the intensive care unit at Bellevue Hospital. And yet: “He’s just chomping at the bit to return to dancing, to go back to Spider-Man,†his dad said. (Injuries will probably prevent him from returning to Spider-Man, however.) “He loves this production so much. He said this was an accident, pure and simple. We have tickets for opening night.†What is Julie Taymor feeding these people? [ArtsBeat/NYT]