Nearly a dozen people were sent to the hospital Wednesday evening after an escalator at New York City’s Gershwin Theatre malfunctioned. Eleven people were injured when the escalator jolted without warning and threw riders forward shortly after 5 p.m. Ten children and one adult were taken to nearby hospitals, the Department of Buildings confirmed to The Independent . Updates on their conditions weren’t immediately available Thursday morning. “Inspectors were informed that patrons were exiting theater when a child’s shoelace became lodged at the bottom of escalator,” a representative for the Department of Buildings said. “An attendant engaged the emergency stop button, but inspectors were informed that the escalator sped up before stopping, causing a pile up that resulted in additional injuries. Inspections revealed that the emergency stop button had an inoperative skirt switch.” The theatre has housed the Broadway production of Wicked for more than two decades. The 7 p.m.…