Saying MacBeth...

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 9:02pm

I know the urban legend is that you never say MacBeth or Good Luck before a show is about to open or tewwible luck will befall you. But I must ask...has anyone here had firsthand experience with this?

Because I keep forgetting about these Snopes-worthy urban legends, I don't have any to share.

[Beergoggles]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 9:05pm

never had first hand experience because i don't chance it! They reckon it's because people thought Bill was in league with Satan or the occult and that by saying the name you were cursing yourself or something... kinda like the early version of Voldermort!

You shouldn't whistle because they used to use whistles as codes to lower scenes or large props and if you happened to whistle an anvil could have landed on you or something... or a large backdrop lol!

[Joshua488]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 9:08pm

People have said Macbeth before shows and wished others good luck and I've never had anything bad happen. I think it's a psychosomatic thing; if you believe something bad will happen because of it, then something bad will happen.

[Eliza0114]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 10:20pm

once, for a show I did, someone brought the damn BOOK of MacBeth backstage...that night, about 3 props were forgotten, many MANY lines were dropped, as well as a few costumes getting caught on trees a torn off. it was a bad night.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 10:37pm

what movie is it that has a scene where a woman is getting ready in a dressing room or backstage and someone whistles and she looks at him and says "are you kidding?"

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 10:48pm

i've done shows where there have been many incidents of this... during city of angels our stone said macbeth during our tech-in... and then he fractured his foot and was on crutches up until the show opened, and even then he used them off-stage. i've had lots of others too, including other injuries and props and lines stuff like eliza said, but that was the most drastic... (by i've had i mean i've been in shows where it's occurred, not that i've said macbeth in a theatre... please!)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 10:50pm

please help I've got that image. I want to say it was Anne Bancroft or Meryl Streep but I can't recall.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 7/21/05 at 11:39pm

I guess you are supposed to go outside the stage door and spin around 2 times everytime you say Macbeth. One time, not knowing of the urban legend, I said it 5 times in a convo...man was I dizzy.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 10:21am

In my long ago youth I was in The Scottish Play twice.

the first production was so damn dull that nothing had to 'go wrong' because the actor playing the title role put the whole audience to sleep. I am not kidding. We heard snores. Lovely.

The second was even more problematic. The actor in the title role collapsed his lung (!) in the next-to-last scene on first night, and had to fight a swordfight in unbearable pain and virtually crippled. He went to the hospital. We had to recast and shut down to put in the new actor who did the show (quite well) with script in hand for 2/3s of the evening.

1970-ish; There was a conceptual Off-Broadway production with Gerry Page and Rip Torn in preview that got hit in a month-long Off-Bway actors strike. They weren't working out anyway and were let go and the show actually turned out quite well. However 3 months into the run someone broke into the theatre, dumped the costumes in the middle of the stage and set them on fire. The show could not continue and closed. Whether the fire was strike related, I have no idea and nobody is talking 35 years later.

A 1981 Lincoln Center production with Philip Anglim and Maureen Anderman, directed by Boston-based opera director Sarah Caldwell and produced by Anglim's (late) boyfriend was a debacle of legendary proportions. It just failed almost everywhere (except Maureen Anderman came out okay). Anglim and Caldwell haven't worked in NY since.

Roman Polanski directed a film version right after his wife was murdered. Enough said.

It is a bad luck show.

Don't even say the name. You'll get what's coming to you.

[camerangel]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 11:26am

During load in/ tech for Les Mis a few years ago several cast memebers thought it would be funny to run around the theatre shouting the name of the Scottish play. That show had the most problems ever. We had costumes disappear and show up in the bathroom sink with water running on them. The wigs had face powder dumped on them and rubbed in. Props were breaking left and right, cast members were getting hurt constently. And during our opening show the aircraft cable that suspended the down stage right leg and pipe snapped and came crashing down above someones head. thankfully there was only one person on stage and there was only one person in stage right wings when it happened. The person heard the cable snap looked up and was able to move out of the way just in time to not be crushed.

coincidence, maybe, maybe not..

[mominator]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 11:41am

yep.. my brother-in-law (who is now a sound tech) never believed it. Well during a run of Midsummer's Night he said it.The girl playing Puck broke her ankle. I'd rather play it safe and not mention that one play.

[camerangel]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 11:44am

I never believed it either, but was respectful of others superstitions. Now I would just prefer not to take my cahnces..