Actress Jodie Comer abruptly walked off stage during a Broadway performance on Wednesday after saying she had trouble breathing due to wildfire smoke.

Comer's one-woman show, Prima Facie, continued after her understudy stepped in to complete the performance.

Canada wildfire smoke has blanketed New York City in recent days.

A performance of Hamilton and several sports matches were postponed on Wednesday as residents were advised to stay indoors or wear N95 masks outside.

“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,” a spokesperson for the production told The Hollywood Reporter.

Understudy Dani Arlington replaced the Killing Eve star in the role of Tessa, completing the roughly 100-minute performance and earning an enthusiastic applause, a witness told Deadline.

The audience member told Deadline that after about three minutes into her performance, Comer coughed and called out to a stage manager: “I can't breathe this air”.

Comer, who hails from Liverpool in the UK, has received rave reviews for the show since its debut in April.

In Prima Facie she plays a barrister who defends people who have been accused of sexual assault, but is then herself attacked by a colleague.

Smoke from Canada has tinged the sky orange in New York and led to health warnings in parts of Canada and the US northeast. (BBC)

•Jodie Comer plays a barrister who defends people who have been accused of sexual assault in Prima Facie

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