Actor burned in Lyric Opera stunt cleared to return to work

The Lyric Opera actor who was badly burned when a fire-breathing stunt went awry in front of an audience earlier this month has been cleared to return to work.

Doctors gave Wesley Daniel, 24, the go-ahead to resume duties in the Lyric's production of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger," officials said in a statement released Friday.

Daniel will be an understudy for stilt-walking, fire-breathing actors performing the same scene he was injured while practicing.

"I feel terrific and am looking forward to putting this whole incident behind me and getting back on stage." Daniel, who could not be reached for comment, said in the statement.

Daniel was on stilts and in costume during a Feb. 4 dress rehearsal when flammable liquid used in the fire-breathing stunt lit parts of his neck and face on fire.

The stunt required Daniel, who was wearing a fireproof costume and mask, to swig from a container of flammable liquid, then spit it out onto a torch he held in his hand.

Daniel's recovery plods along the same timeline predicted by one of his doctors at the time of the accident. At the time, the doctor likened the actor's injuries to a deep sunburn.

While news of the accident made headlines, for his part, Daniel said the media coverage was overblown.

"I am truly grateful for all the good wishes I've received over the past few weeks, but the coverage my accident generated was, quite frankly, overwhelming and I just want to get back to work with my colleagues," he said in the statement.