Production of Macbeth starring Ralph Fiennes is halted TWICE after two audience members collapsed
- Fiennes was starring with Indira Varma in production in Liverpool
- Collapses happened during opening week of the play at the end of last month
It was only a matter of time before the curse of the ‘Scottish play’ struck again.
But for actors Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma it was bad luck that it returned in the opening week of their production of Macbeth in Liverpool last month.
The highly anticipated play was halted midway through the first half after an audience member collapsed.
Then as the performance resumed, another punter fainted with a thud inside the custom-built theatre at The Depot in the Fairfield area of Liverpool.
Both had pre-existing conditions which caused them to faint, a spokesman for the production said.
They added that the theatre goers recovered and both have since returned to watch a full performance after being invited back.
It was only a matter of time before the Scottish curse hit Macbeth. But for actors Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma it was bad luck that it struck in the opening week of their much anticipated show in Liverpool last month
A witness said: ‘It was incredibly warm inside the theatre, so at first when the person collapsed in front of us we thought they must have fainted.
‘Some staff passed water over to them, but they quickly realised it may be something more serious and a paramedic was called with a heart monitor.
‘The play was stopped while the person was treated and taken away by ambulance.
‘The director came out and talked the audience through where we were up to in the play and explained they would have to cut one of the scenes where there is a lot of blood that spills onto the stage as it would take too long to clear up.
The play was halted midway through the first half after an audience member was treated for a suspected heart attack
‘Then just as it started up again, there was a thud and another person went down behind us.
‘Thankfully it looked as though they had just fainted in the heat and they recovered so the play could carry on, but what bad luck!’
Harry Potter star Fiennes and Varma, who portrayed Ellaria Sand in hit series Game of Thrones, are starring as Lord and Lady Macbeth throughout next year.
The production, directed by Simon Godwin, opened on November 28 and will also be shown in Edinburgh, London and Washington after finishing its run in Liverpool.
Fiennes is taking on the title role after playing Shakespearean leads on stage in the likes of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Richard III.
Fiennes is taking on the title role after playing Shakespearean leads on stage in the likes of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Richard III
Superstitious thespians never call Macbeth by its title because they claim it is cursed.
Actors who have suffered injury during or just after productions include Orson Welles and Charlton Heston.
In 1849 a riot in America killed more than 30 audience members and Abraham Lincoln supposedly read it the night before his assassination.
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