Actor injured on stage, reportedly shot in eye

LONDON: West End actor David Birrell sustained an injury to his eye during a performance in London over the weekend and was taken to hospital, with newspapers reporting that he was hurt when a faulty gun went off.

The Donmar Warehouse, where Birrell was acting in Stephen Sondheim's "Passion," declined to give details about how the accident occurred, but said it was looking into the incident.

"During the matinee performance of Passion on Saturday David Birrell sustained an injury to his eye for which he is currently being treated in hospital," the Donmar said in a statement.

It added that the show would be canceled between Monday and Wednesday and the theater "hoped to resume performances from Thursday."

According to the Daily Mail, Birrell, who plays Colonel Ricci, was hurt during a scene when his character challenges another to a duel. It added that it appeared there was a fault with the gun, which should have fired blanks. Actor injured on stage, reportedly shot in eye