The real tragedy behind Macbeth
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 26, 2010
The Sydney Theatre Company explores the Bard's curse. By Louise Schwartzkoff. Actors drop dead, theatres go bust and audiences riot in the aisles. Any theatre company that stages Macbeth can expect nothing but toil and trouble - or so says theatrical legend.For the cast and crew of the coming Sydney Theatre Company production, it'll be disastrous if nothing goes wrong. A collaboration between STC's in-house troupe and independent company The Border Project, Vs Macbeth explores the 400-year-old superstition surrounding the play, re-creating past catastrophes and incorporating any mishaps that occur during rehearsals.So far, there has been a healthy quota of misadventure, including a noisy interruption from a cherry picker and various problems with props and lines. Cameron Goodall, who plays Macbeth, tripped over part of the set. All of it will be included."And we haven't even gone into the theatre yet," says the director, Sam Haren. "That is really the place where there's a lot of superstition. When you stage Macbeth, you call upon the gremlins of the theatre."Some say Shakespeare invoked a curse by drawing on real spells for the witches' dialogue. Others look for more logical explanations; the large amount of stage fighting and the fact that theatres often stage the blockbuster play in an attempt to avoid financial ruin.Whatever the reason, Macbeth does seem to attract accidents. Legend has it that in the very first production, the young boy playing Lady Macbeth fell sick and died backstage. Shakespeare stepped in and played the role - poorly.Then there was the riot that broke out at New York's Astor Place Theatre in 1849. Laurence Olivier was almost killed when a weight crashed to the ground and missed him by a whisker. Charlton Heston suffered burns when his costume was accidentally soaked in kerosene.Now, actors have developed an elaborate ritual to stave off trouble. During rehearsals for his first professional production, Goodall mentioned the name of "the Scottish play"."The other actors freaked out," he says. "They made me go outside the theatre, turn around three times, swear, knock on the door and ask to be let back in."Vs Macbeth lends itself to slapstick - the violence is represented with paintball guns - but the overall tone is spooky and tragic."The purpose of all the accidents is to support that weird tension and instability of the play," Goodall says. "Anything could happen and probably will."Let's hope the STC is still in business by closing night.VS MACBETHMarch 18-April 3, STC's Wharf 2, Walsh Bay, 9250 1777, $25-$40.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
