Hello Folks, sorry I have been out of action for a bit, I have been skiing and then things got so hectic at Theatre school, I don't know if I am coming or going !! We are about to start a run of Macbeth and will be touring some schools in the Birmingham area. I am still frantically trying to make my lines stick in my head "Double double toil and trouble" and all that.
Back Again
- Thread starter Norm
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dick
LOTSW Fanatic
Shouldn't it be "The Scottish Play??"" ??? ???Break a leg Norm
Are you allow to say the M word ?;D
Shouldn't it be "The Scottish Play??"" ??? ???Break a leg Norm
Are you allow to say the M word ?
My understanding - only applies within the precincts of the theatre itself where the witches incantation is actually spoken. From Wikipedia:
'While many today would say that any misfortune surrounding a production is mere coincidence, actors and other theatre people often consider it bad luck to mention Macbeth by name while inside a theatre, and sometimes refer to it indirectly, for example as "the Scottish play", or "MacBee", or when referring to the character and not the play, "Mr. and Mrs. M", or "The Scottish King".
This is because Shakespeare is said to have used the spells of real witches in his text, purportedly angering the witches and causing them to curse the play. Thus, to say the name of the play inside a theatre is believed to doom the production to failure, and perhaps cause physical injury or death to cast members. There are stories of accidents, misfortunes and even deaths taking place during runs of Macbeth.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth#Superstition_and_.22the_Scottish_play.22
brendalovescompo
Dedicated Member
That is very interesting! Did not know this. Thanks for the lesson!