Rider crashes in the first ‘R.U.N’

A stunt motorcyclist is hurt during a jump near the end of the Cirque du Soleil show.

A stunt motorcyclist in the new Cirque du Soleil show “R.U.N” has been injured in an accident during the first performance of the new $63-million production at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas.

The rider, whose name was not released, crashed his motorcycle Thursday night during a jump near the end of the show, Cirque officials said. The production, billed as a live-action thriller, was halted briefly to allow for medical staff to care for the cyclist.

“R.U.N” is Cirque’s first new show in Las Vegas since “Michael Jackson: One” opened in May 2013. The production marks a departure from Cirque’s traditional shows with trapeze artists, acrobats and clowns, instead featuring professional stunt drivers, martial arts experts, pyrotechnic performers and freak show artists. Set in the dark underbelly of Las Vegas and with a story line featuring rival gangs, the show is darker and grittier than other Cirque productions.

Rob Bollinger, who oversees stunt and action performances with Jean Frénette, said in a Times interview last month that the cast of 40 includes six motorcyclists. “We want to have two in the show at all times, so that’s why we went with the third to always, hopefully, have backup,” he said. “This way, it spreads the workload and makes it more realistic to do 10 shows a week for a long time.”

In the show, the motorcyclists perform jumps as high as 35 feet from 12-foottall ramps on the 180-foot stage. Cirque creators envisioned a fully immersive production, with much activity taking place in the audience. During a summer press event in Montreal, one of the cyclists crashed while practicing jumps. Cirque officials quickly escorted visiting media out of the rehearsal studio. The extent of that performer’s injuries was not known, and it was not clear whether the performer injured in Las Vegas was the same as the one who crashed in Montreal.

“R.U.N” officially opens Nov. 14.