Jodie Comer Leaves Broadway Show Because of Air Quality Concerns

The actress Jodie Comer, who has been nominated for a Tony Award for her tour-de-force performance in the one-woman show “Prima Facie,” stopped a performance on Broadway shortly after it had begun on Wednesday afternoon, citing difficulty breathing because of the wildfire smoke that has blanketed New York City.

“Today’s matinee of ‘Prima Facie’ was halted approximately 10 minutes into the performance after Jodie Comer had difficulty breathing due to the poor air quality in New York City because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires,” Jim Byk, a spokesman for the production, said in a statement.

The performance then restarted with an understudy, Dani Arlington.

Ms. Comer, known for her work on the TV show “Killing Eve,” is a leading contender to win the Tony for best actress in a play during the awards ceremony on Sunday. In “Prima Facie” she plays a defense lawyer whose clients have included men accused of sexual assault, but who then is sexually assaulted herself and begins to see the legal system in a different way.